More than 11,600 older and disabled Marylanders with Medicaid have been waiting as long as a year for help at home. Some are being hospitalized, institutionalized or even dying in the interim.

These medically vulnerable residents — who need help with tasks such as bathing, dressing, cooking, cleaning and errands — are among a massive backlog of applicants for in-home care through Medicaid, the state-administered public health insurance program for low-income people. The Maryland Department of Health has just eight workers to process the applications.

Family members with their own work and family obligations are having to step in, and often cannot provide the level or frequency of care that their loved ones need. Caregivers often contend with overwhelming stress while their family member’s dignity, well-being and safety are compromised.

Adding to their stress, family caregivers often must manage an opaque and complicated process to get an application for Medicaid home- and community-based services approved. Many report having to make hundreds of phone calls, send hundreds of emails, and submit countless documents, while getting conflicting or inaccurate information from the state and other agencies.

The story continues at the Baltimore Banner: Maryland has a massive backlog for Medicaid in-home care. Some patients die waiting.

WYPR and The Baltimore Banner have a joint operating agreement that allows the nonprofit organizations to work collaboratively to deliver quality journalism across the region. To learn more about the partnership, click here.