If you are caring for an aging parent or spouse in Maryland and running on empty, respite care can give you a real break, and much of it is free or funded.

Caregiving takes a quiet toll on your own body. Federal data show that nearly 1 in 5 family caregivers reports fair or poor health, and depressive symptoms are roughly twice as common among caregivers as in the general population. Respite is not stepping away from the person you love. It is often what makes it possible to keep caring for them at home.

In Maryland, funded respite for family caregivers comes from four main places: free help through the Maryland Family Caregiver Support Program and your local Area Agency on Aging, in-home and day services through Maryland Medicaid for people who qualify, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for veterans' families, and adult day or short-term facility respite you arrange and often pay for privately. The one number that opens most of these doors is Maryland Access Point at 844-627-5465.

In This Guide

You Are Not Failing

Needing respite is not a moral failing, and it is not a sign you love the person less. The research points the other way. Caregivers who take regular breaks tend to have better health of their own, and they are often able to keep their loved one at home longer than those who try to carry it all alone.

If you are reading this in a crisis, skip to the resource card in How to Start in Maryland and call the numbers there.

The Four Types of Respite Care in Maryland

Respite takes four practical forms in Maryland, each with its own cost and funding path.

1. In-Home Respite

A paid caregiver comes to your home for a few hours, a full day, or occasionally overnight, so you can rest, run errands, or simply close a door. They handle meals, medication reminders, supervision, and light personal care.

Typical duration: 2 to 8 hours, occasionally overnight or a multi-day stay.

What it costs: The CareScout 2025 Cost of Care Survey puts Maryland's median for a non-medical caregiver at $35 an hour, or about $6,673 a month (CareScout's in-home figures assume 44 hours of care a week), the same as the national median. Agencies bill by the hour for shorter respite blocks, so ask each one for its hourly rate.

How it is funded: Community First Choice or the Community Options Waiver for enrolled Medicaid members, the Family Caregiver Support Program through your Area Agency on Aging, VA respite for veterans, or private pay.

2. Adult Day Services

A structured daytime program at a community center, typically several hours per weekday, with meals, activities, social contact, and often nursing oversight. In Maryland these programs are commonly called medical adult day care.

Typical duration: several hours per day, multiple days per week.

What it costs: The CareScout 2025 survey puts Maryland's adult day health care median at about $30,313 a year. It is by far the most affordable structured respite option, and it is the setting the free and low-cost programs below stretch to cover most easily.

How it is funded: The Community Options Waiver covers medical day care for eligible members, and the Family Caregiver Support Program, long-term care insurance with a home and community-based rider, or private pay can cover the rest.

3. Short-Term Facility Respite

A few days to a few weeks in an assisted living, memory care, or nursing facility while you take a trip, recover from your own surgery, or simply rest.

Typical duration: a few days to a few weeks.

What it costs: CareScout's 2025 median for an assisted living community in Maryland is about $7,172 a month, above the national median of $6,200 a month. That is a monthly median, not a respite price, so ask each program directly whether it takes short respite stays and what it charges for them.

How it is funded: The Community Options Waiver for enrolled members, VA respite for veterans, long-term care insurance, or private pay.

4. Emergency Respite

For caregivers in crisis, whether from sudden illness, a hospitalization, or simply hitting a wall. Emergency respite is harder to arrange on short notice, but it exists. Start with Maryland Access Point at 844-627-5465, Maryland's single entry point for long-term services and supports, delivered mainly by the local Area Agencies on Aging that coordinate caregiver services., If your loved one is a veteran, call the VA Caregiver Support Line at 1-855-260-3274, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Does Maryland Medicaid Pay for Respite?

Yes: if your loved one qualifies for Maryland Medicaid long-term services, the state has two home and community-based programs that fund in-home help and adult day care, the kinds of support that give a family caregiver real relief.

The first is Community First Choice, a Medicaid state plan home and community-based services benefit run by the Maryland Department of Health Medicaid Administration. To qualify, a person must meet all of its medical, technical, and financial rules: need an institutional level of care, live in a community setting, and already have full Medicaid (shown by a red and white card). There is no age limit. A participant gets all Medicaid covered services and may also get program services such as personal assistance, home-delivered meals, and a personal emergency response system. To apply, call Maryland Access Point at 844-627-5465 or the Community First Choice Program at 410-767-1739.

The second is the Community Options Waiver, also called the Home and Community-Based Options Waiver. The Maryland Department of Health says an applicant must meet all of its medical, technical, and financial rules: need a nursing facility level of care; be 18 or older; live at home or in the community; not be in another waiver program or PACE at the same time; need community services that cost no more than institutional care; be able to live safely at home with the waiver services; have monthly income no higher than 300 percent of SSI benefits; and have countable assets of no more than $2,000 or $2,500, depending on the eligibility category. If Medicaid denies the application because income is too high, your loved one may be eligible for the Increased Community Services Program. Beyond Community First Choice, the waiver adds services including assisted living, medical day care, case management, family training, and Senior Center Plus. There is a waitlist, the Community Options Waiver Registry, which you join by calling Maryland Access Point at 844-627-5465; a person already in a nursing facility for whom Medicaid has paid for services for at least 30 days may apply with no wait.

Neither program lists "respite" as a separate line item the way some states do, so enroll, then ask your supports planner what in-home hours and adult day care your plan covers.

1
Step 1

Confirm eligibility

Community First Choice requires full Medicaid, an institutional level of care, and living in a community setting; the Community Options Waiver has its own medical, technical, and financial rules, listed above., For aged, blind, or disabled applicants, Maryland's medically needy (non-MAGI) resource standard is $2,500 for one person and $3,000 for two. It is not Maryland's only standard: the categorically needy (non-MAGI) standard is $2,000 for an individual, and Maryland says you may still be eligible if your income or assets are higher than its listed limits.

2
Step 2

Call Maryland Access Point at 844-627-5465

Ask to apply for Community First Choice, and to join the Community Options Waiver Registry if the waiver is the right fit.,

3
Step 3

Ask about the self-directed option

Under Maryland's self-directed model you may hire an adult child or another relative who is not legally responsible for the participant as the paid personal assistant. Under Community First Choice, a provider agency may not assign the participant's representative to care for them, and that term covers the authorized representative, anyone who signs or makes decisions about the participant's plan of service, a legal guardian, and the parent or foster parent of a dependent minor child. Whether a spouse can be paid is not settled by Maryland's published regulations, and it varies by program, so ask your Supports Planner before counting on a spouse being paid.

4
Step 4

Ask your supports planner what covers a break

Name whether you need in-home hours, adult day care, or a short facility stay, and how often.

If you are still working out whether your loved one qualifies, the How to Apply for Maryland Medicaid guide walks through the process and the financial rules in detail.

Free and Low-Cost Respite: NFCSP and Maryland Access Point

One of Maryland's most useful respite supports does not require Medicaid at all, and many families never hear about it. It runs through the National Family Caregiver Support Program, delivered locally as the Maryland Family Caregiver Support Program.

The program is funded by the Administration for Community Living under Title III-E of the Older Americans Act, and the Maryland Department of Aging provides guidance and oversight that help local Area Agencies on Aging run it. Maryland lists two groups of eligible caregivers: adult family members or other informal caregivers age 18 and older caring for someone 60 or older, or for someone of any age with Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder; and older relatives (not parents) age 55 and older caring for a child under 18, or for an adult 18 to 59 with a disability. The federal criteria for that last group include parents, so a parent 55 or older caring for an adult child with a disability should ask the local Area Agency on Aging rather than assume the door is closed. Respite care is one of the five services the program funds.,

One federal condition applies to respite in particular: it goes to a family caregiver only where the person cared for is an older individual who is frail, meaning unable to perform at least two activities of daily living without substantial help, or needing substantial supervision because a cognitive or other mental impairment causes behavior that poses a serious health or safety hazard.

The program's services come through your local Area Agency on Aging or a provider it contracts with, so ask yours what respite help it offers.,

If the free help does not cover what you need, ask about the federal Lifespan Respite Care Program, which the Administration for Community Living funds to expand access to short-term and emergency respite, and the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116, a free, nationwide service of the Administration for Community Living that connects families to services in their community, including your local Area Agency on Aging.,,

To reach the free help, call Maryland Access Point at 844-627-5465 or start online at the Maryland Department of Aging's Maryland Access Point page, or contact your local Area Agency on Aging directly. Maryland Access Point services are led primarily by the Area Agencies on Aging.,

VA Respite for Veteran Caregivers

If your loved one is a VA-enrolled veteran, the VA offers respite as a covered benefit along with separate caregiver support. All enrolled veterans are eligible for VA respite care if they meet the clinical criteria for the service and it is available, but that is not the whole test: services vary by location, and when a community agency, an adult day health care center, or a nursing home provides the respite, the veteran also has to meet VA community care eligibility. Nor is it automatically free, because a copay may be charged based on the veteran's service-connected disability status and financial information.

Through the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers, eligible Primary Family Caregivers receive at least 30 days of respite care per year. VA respite is delivered as home respite care, where a substitute caregiver comes to the veteran's home or the veteran attends an adult day health care program, or as nursing home respite care, a VA-paid stay in a VA Community Living Center or community nursing home while the family is away, scheduled in advance. VA's copay page lists both overnight and daily respite care as available up to 30 days each calendar year.

Under the federal copay rule (38 CFR 17.111), respite counts as extended care: a veteran owes no copay for the first 21 days of extended care VA provides in any 12-month period, and some veterans, including those with a compensable service-connected disability, are exempt altogether. VA does not quote the copay up front; to learn it, ask the veteran's VA social worker or case manager to complete the Application for Extended Care Services (VA Form 10-10EC), and confirm community care eligibility before booking a multi-week stay.

For questions about VA caregiver support, call the VA Caregiver Support Line at 1-855-260-3274, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. It is not a crisis line: anyone in crisis can reach the Veterans Crisis Line by calling 988 and pressing 1.

Maryland veterans and their families can also get help with VA benefits from the Maryland Department of Veterans & Military Families (DVMF), whose Service Program provides free assistance from VA-accredited Benefits Specialists to veterans, dependents, and survivors applying for benefits and navigating claims. DVMF says all of its services are 100% free and warns veterans to be cautious of unaccredited organizations that charge fees for claims help. An appointment can include a review of your discharge documents and of VA health care and benefits, and submitting a disability compensation or VA pension claim if your discharge paperwork supports the claim. DVMF's page is not consistent about access: it recommends appointments and mentions walking into an MVA branch, but also says hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:00pm, by appointment only, and it lists its Rosedale location as staffed only Wednesdays, 9am to 1pm. Call the specific location before you visit.

Dementia-Specific Respite in Maryland

For dementia caregivers, four things matter in Maryland.

First, the Family Caregiver Support Program above explicitly covers caregivers of a person of any age with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia, so your loved one need not be 60 or older.

Second, if you are weighing a facility for short-term or longer respite, Maryland memory care is provided inside a licensed Assisted Living Program that operates a Department-approved Alzheimer's Special Care Unit. A program must have written approval from the Maryland Department of Health before operating or advertising such a unit, and awake overnight staff are required on it. The unit's written description must cover, among other things, its staffing pattern, admission procedures and screening criteria, activities, fee structure, and discharge criteria, plus a minimum of 6 hours of advanced cognitive impairment training for licensed, certified, or registered staff and for any staff whose duties include personal care on the unit. The program must disclose that description to the family or resident representative before admission, and to any person on request.

Third, the Alzheimer's Association offers a national Helpline and local support around the clock, and the federal Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116 can connect you to services in your community, including your local Area Agency on Aging, whose caregiver program serves caregivers of people of any age with Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder.,

On the Medicare side, the CMS GUIDE Model pays a participating provider, not the family, up to $2,625 in respite for the performance year that began July 1, 2026. Only patients with moderate or severe dementia whose primary caregiver is a relative or an unpaid nonrelative and who do not live in assisted living or another residential care community qualify. Not every provider participates, so ask whether yours is enrolled.

What Respite Care Costs in Maryland

The private-pay figures below are CareScout's 2025 industry-survey medians for Maryland, not government rates. CareScout gathered them from providers between July and November 2025 and collects rates at the metropolitan-area level.

Type Private-pay cost (CareScout 2025) Public funding that can help
In-home personal care $35/hour median; about $6,673/mo at 44 hr/week CFC, Community Options Waiver, NFCSP, VA
Adult day / medical day care About $30,313/year Community Options Waiver, NFCSP
Assisted living respite Ask each program; the monthly median is $7,172 Community Options Waiver, VA
Nursing or memory care respite Daily rate; ask each facility Community Options Waiver, VA
Hospice respite Bundled into hospice Medicare or Medicaid hospice benefit

How to Start in Maryland

1
Step 1

Call Maryland Access Point at 844-627-5465

It is Maryland's single entry point for long-term services and supports, delivered mainly by the Area Agencies on Aging that coordinate Family Caregiver Support Program services, and it is the number for applying to Community First Choice.,,

2
Step 2

Ask to apply for Community First Choice

if your loved one may qualify for Medicaid, and to join the Community Options Waiver Registry if the waiver is the right fit.,

3
Step 3

Call the VA Caregiver Support Line at 1-855-260-3274 first if your loved one is a veteran

Ask about VA respite and the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers.,

4
Step 4

Call the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116

if you are not sure where to begin; it will connect you to services in your community, including the Area Agency on Aging that administers respite where you live.,

Maryland Access Point Maryland's single entry point for long-term services and supports, delivered mainly by the local Area Agencies on Aging. 844-627-5465 aging.maryland.gov
VA Caregiver Support Line Respite and caregiver benefits for families of enrolled veterans. 1-855-260-3274 caregiver.va.gov
Eldercare Locator A free, nationwide service of the Administration for Community Living that connects you to services in your community, including your local Area Agency on Aging. 1-800-677-1116 eldercare.acl.gov
Your next step Call Maryland Access Point at 844-627-5465 to reach your local Area Agency on Aging and ask what respite it can fund for you this year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will Medicare pay for respite?

Generally no. Medicare does not pay for ongoing custodial respite. It covers only short-term inpatient respite in the Medicare hospice benefit and, for some dementia patients, up to $2,625 for July 2026 through June 2027, paid to a GUIDE Model provider. For everything else, respite in Maryland comes from the Family Caregiver Support Program, Medicaid, the VA, or private pay.

Do I have to be on Medicaid to get respite help?

No. The Maryland Family Caregiver Support Program funds respite through your local Area Agency on Aging, and you reach it through Maryland Access Point at 844-627-5465. Medicaid opens up additional in-home and adult day care help, but it is not a requirement for the free program.

Can I be paid to provide respite to my own family member?

Yes, in some situations. Through Maryland Medicaid's self-directed option in Community First Choice and the Community Options Waiver, an adult child or another relative who is not legally responsible for the participant can be hired and paid as the personal assistant. One limit: a Community First Choice provider agency may not assign the participant's representative, which includes anyone who signs or decides on the participant's plan of service, not only a guardian.

Whether a spouse can be paid is not settled by Maryland's published regulations, and it varies by program. Under the Increased Community Services program a spouse is expressly barred from being a paid attendant (COMAR 10.09.81.13B). Confirm your own situation with your Supports Planner or the Community First Choice Program at 410-767-1739 before counting on a spouse being paid.

What does adult day care cost in Maryland?

Maryland's adult day health care median runs about $30,313 a year, per CareScout's 2025 survey, which makes it the most affordable structured respite option. The Community Options Waiver covers medical day care for eligible members, and the Family Caregiver Support Program can help with the cost for others.,

Will my parent hate adult day care?

It is the most common worry families raise, and most report being surprised after a few weeks. Adult day centers are usually warm, social, structured places with meals, activities, and, for dementia programs, cognitive engagement. For people with dementia in particular, the routine and social contact often improve mood, sleep, and behavior while giving the caregiver dependable hours back.

Learn More

CaregiverRespite Care for Family Caregivers: The 50-State GuideWhat respite care is and how to pay for it in 2026: the main types, NFCSP respite with no income test, Medicaid and VA respite, and every state guide. CaregiverCaregiver Programs in Maryland: A Complete DirectoryThe Maryland programs that support family caregivers, how Medicaid self-direction works, how to get a respite break, and where to get help in Maryland. CaregiverDementia Care in MarylandCaring for a parent with dementia in Maryland? Where to start, state respite, Medicare's GUIDE pilot, and how Maryland Medicaid helps pay for care. Care TypesThe Cost of Senior Care in MarylandWhat senior care costs in Maryland in 2026: assisted living runs about $7,172 a month, a nursing home about $155,125 a year. See every setting and how to pay. MedicaidHow to Apply for Maryland MedicaidLearn how to apply for Maryland Medicaid online, by phone, by mail or in person. Covers which route fits, spend-down, documents, timelines, and appeals. MedicaidMaryland Medicaid and Nursing Home CareHow Maryland Medicaid covers nursing home care in 2026: the $2,500 medically needy asset limit, the spend-down, share of cost, and spousal protections.

Find personalized help mapping Maryland respite options to your family's situation at brevy.com.

The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.

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