SOAR Program Maryland: Eligibility, Services, and How to Apply

What SOAR Replaced and Why It Matters

Effective July 1, 2026, the Maryland Department of Aging consolidated three separate state-funded programs — Senior Care, the Senior Assisted Living Subsidy (SALS), and Congregate Housing Services — into a single program called Supporting Older Adults with Resources (SOAR).

If you have been searching for the old Senior Care Program or SALS and finding outdated information, this is why. Those programs no longer exist as separate entities. SOAR absorbed their functions and standardized eligibility criteria across all 24 Maryland jurisdictions.

SOAR fills a gap that Medicaid does not cover. It serves moderate-income seniors who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid long-term care benefits but cannot afford to pay privately for the help they need to stay at home or in assisted living. If your parent falls into this middle-income category, SOAR may be their most realistic source of funded support.

Eligibility Requirements

SOAR uses uniform eligibility criteria across all Maryland counties:

Age: The applicant must be a Maryland resident aged 62 or older.

Income (FY 2027): Gross monthly income must be less than 60% of the state median income. For an individual, that threshold is $4,358 per month. For a couple, it is $4,953 per month.

Assets (FY 2027): Countable resources must fall below $20,064 for an individual and $26,400 for a couple. The primary home, one vehicle, and personal belongings are typically exempt — similar to Medicaid asset rules, though SOAR's asset ceiling is significantly more generous than Medicaid's $2,500 limit.

Functional need: The applicant must require hands-on assistance or cognitive supervision to perform activities of daily living. This is assessed during the intake process but does not require the same nursing facility level of care that Medicaid waiver programs demand.

These thresholds are adjusted annually on July 1 based on state median income figures and local funding availability.

What SOAR Covers

SOAR provides a targeted set of community-based services designed to keep seniors living safely outside of nursing facilities:

• Targeted case management — a SOAR coordinator assesses your parent's needs and connects them with appropriate services
• Home-delivered meals — regular meal delivery for seniors who cannot cook safely or access food independently
• Minor home repairs and modifications — safety improvements like grab bars, handrails, and threshold ramps
• Emergency response systems — personal alert devices that connect to 24/7 monitoring
• Medical day care subsidies — partial funding for daytime clinical supervision programs
• Assisted living subsidies — partial financial support for monthly residency fees at approved assisted living facilities

SOAR does not cover 24/7 in-home care, skilled nursing, or full nursing home costs. It is a gap-filling program, not a comprehensive care funding source.

How to Apply

SOAR is administered locally by each county's Area Agency on Aging. The application process starts with a call to Maryland Access Point at 1-844-627-5465, which routes you to your county's AAA. The AAA intake coordinator will:

1. Screen your parent's income, assets, and living situation
2. Assess their functional care needs
3. Determine which SOAR services are available in your county
4. Develop a service plan if your parent qualifies

Processing times vary by county. Some jurisdictions maintain waitlists for specific services — particularly assisted living subsidies — when demand exceeds the local budget allocation. Ask your AAA directly about current wait times for each service category.

SOAR vs. Medicaid: When to Pursue Each

If your parent's income is below $350 per month (or they can meet the medically needy spend-down), and their assets are below $2,500, Medicaid programs like Community First Choice (CFC) offer more comprehensive coverage with no waitlist. CFC covers ongoing personal care hours, nurse monitoring, and home modifications.

If your parent's income or assets exceed Medicaid limits but fall within SOAR thresholds, SOAR is the primary alternative. Many families apply for both simultaneously — SOAR for immediate gap-filling support while working through the longer Medicaid eligibility process.

The Community Options Waiver (COW) sits between these options, with a $2,982/month income cap and more services than SOAR, but a waitlist of over 20,000 people. Getting on the COW registry while using SOAR services is a common strategy.

The Longevity Ready Maryland Act

SOAR's consolidation aligns with the broader Longevity Ready Maryland Act, which directs the state to build community infrastructure that supports independent living for an aging population. The Act drives investment in neighborhood-based support structures, transportation access, and workforce development for home care — addressing the systemic barriers that make aging in place difficult even when funding is available.

For a complete comparison of SOAR, CFC, the COW, and other Maryland home care programs — including eligibility worksheets and application checklists — the Maryland Home Care, Waivers & Support Guide covers every pathway in one reference.

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