Maryland action guide · Verified July 25, 2026
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Enrolled; choosing provider-managed or self-directed services

Compare provider-managed and self-directed services

Compare responsibility: provider-managed agencies organize staff; self-direction makes the participant common-law employer with required FMCS and optional support-broker help.

Official sources checked 2026-07-25

Start here

Use the sourced steps on this page, then open the official resources below.

Before you start

  • The services under consideration and the person’s preferences for staffing, employer responsibility, scheduling, and budget management.

Who to contact

The assigned CCS; provider agencies and FMCS organizations answer model-specific operational questions.

Step by step

  1. Review what a provider-managed agency organizes and controls.
  2. Review the participant’s common-law employer responsibilities in self-direction, the required FMCS role, and optional support-broker help.
  3. Ask the CCS to explain how each responsibility would work for the person’s approved services.
  4. Document unresolved employer, staffing, budget, FMCS, and support-broker questions before choosing.

Expected next

A documented delivery-model decision or a focused list of questions that must be resolved first.

Save this proof

The model decision, responsibilities reviewed, and unanswered questions.

If this stalls or the answer is no

Ask the CCS to document who would hold employer, staffing, budget, FMCS, and support-broker responsibilities under each option.

Beyond Childhood planning aid

Responsibility comparison

Neither model guarantees workers, provider capacity, or a service start.

  • Who recruits staff?
  • Who is the common-law employer?
  • Who handles payroll and tax functions?
  • Who manages schedules and backup coverage?
  • Who monitors the budget?
  • Is support-broker help wanted?

Derived from Provider-Managed Service Model, Self-Directed Service Model

Official resources

Limits

Choice and responsibility differ by model; neither model guarantees workers or capacity.

Beyond Childhood’s checklists and prompts are planning aids derived from the linked sources. They are not official forms, legal advice, eligibility decisions, or guarantees of funding, capacity, or service.

Checked sources

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