PARKVILLE, MD. — The Maryland Legislature and Governor Wes Moore approved $126 million in cuts this spring to programs serving people with developmental disabilities, reducing wages for family caregivers and capping the number of hours they can be paid each week. The changes take effect July 1.

The Democratic-controlled legislature and Moore adopted the reductions after hearings in which disabled program recipients and their families pleaded for funding to be restored. Maryland Department of Health spokesperson Amanda Hils said the cuts aim to ensure the long-term stability of the programs, one of Moore's top priorities, and that programs supporting people with disabilities had grown by more than 144% over the past five years.

Under a Medicaid-funded program that allows families to be paid as caregivers, Melissa Gonce earns about $67,000 a year to look after her son full time. Her son Jason, 28, is nonverbal and profoundly disabled, with cognitive limitations and little awareness of danger. Under his mother's care, Jason's seizures stabilized and he began making small gains in independence and daily routines.

For Gonce, the state's cuts translate to roughly an $18,000 annual loss. Others in Maryland who rely on the program to pay multiple family caregivers say their household incomes may be cut by more than $80,000.

Molly Morris, co-founder of the Self-Direction Center, said: "OK, you want to pull their finger out of the dam? The dam is going to break."

Lee Dobson, leader of BAYADA Hearts for Home Care, said: "You can work in retail, making more money and less stress." She added: "Fundamentally, what we want this year is we want to make sure that Medicaid gets funded."

Advocates introduced bills to fund home- and community-based services and allocate $120 million to increase salaries for personal care service providers; none have moved past the introductory stage. They have also requested a $20 million investment to increase private duty nursing rates.

A federal spending package signed by President Donald Trump last year is expected to slash Medicaid funding by about $1 trillion over the coming decade. In the 1980s, the Reagan administration tapped Medicaid funds to create an alternative to institutionalization by paying for in-home care, day programs and other supports, with states and the federal government splitting the costs.