Recent Court Decision Could Change Eldercare Options For Some in Maryland

The Baltimore Sun (Dec. 10) reports on a ruling by the Maryland Court of Special Appeals, stating that the state's standards for patients' inclusion in a Medicaid program were stricter than is allowed under federal law. The program is for designed to assist poorer seniors receive care in their homes or communities. An elderly woman daughter, whose mother had been turned down by the prgram, sued the state with the help of AARP and the Maryland Legal Aid Bureau. In Maryland, half the program is paid by the state, half by the federal government. Poorer states pay a lesser share of the costs. Only three states have waiting lists for the program, and Maryland's was the longest.