Maryland § 15-1204

§ 15-1204.

    (a)    (1)    The Department shall establish standardized procedures for the administration of the Advisory Group and make the procedures available to the public on a dedicated page of the Department’s website.

        (2)    The dedicated page on the Department’s website shall also include:

            (i)    A list of current Advisory Group members;

            (ii)    The application process and selection criteria for Advisory Group members;

            (iii)    The location, date, and time of each Advisory Group meeting with at least 30 calendar days’ advance notice;

            (iv)    Options for virtual participation in meetings of the Advisory Group;

            (v)    Procedures to ensure meaningful participation for individuals with disabilities and limited English proficiency;

            (vi)    A notation of at which meetings the general public will have an opportunity to testify or make comments; and

            (vii)    In accordance with the Open Meetings Act, the agenda and meeting minutes of the previous meeting of the Advisory Group, including a list of meeting attendees.

    (b)    The Department shall provide sufficient data and resources at least 30 days in advance of a meeting to support informed participation in Advisory Group discussions, including:

        (1)    Current and proposed payment rates;

        (2)    Federally required information, including:

            (i)    Home– and community–based services payment transparency reports;

            (ii)    Payment adequacy reports as required under 42 C.F.R. § 441.311(e); and

            (iii)    Access–to–care data, as required under 42 C.F.R. § 441.311(d)(2);

        (3)    Bureau of Labor Statistics publicly available wage data and other labor market and workforce data;

        (4)    Benchmarking and rate studies for home– and community–based services conducted by the Department;

        (5)    Rate information from neighboring or similarly situated states; and

        (6)    Access–to–care metrics, including:

            (i)    The number of consumers receiving applicable services; and

            (ii)    The number of utilization hours for applicable service categories.