By Baltimore Senior Advisor Care Team · October 20, 2026
Maryland requires every assisted living program to provide a completed Uniform Disclosure Statement on request. Use it to compare staffing, services and fees line by line; if a program will not provide one, OHCQ asks families to report it.
What is the Uniform Disclosure Statement?
It is a standard form, set by the state, that each licensed assisted living program completes to describe itself in the same categories -- staffing, services, fees and policies -- so families can compare programs on equal terms. OHCQ's consumer page is blunt about it: each provider is required by Maryland law to make a completed copy available on request, and if a program fails to provide it with its marketing materials or when asked, families should contact OHCQ.
In a market like Baltimore's, where hundreds of small homes rarely publish anything online, the disclosure statement is often the only written description you will get before signing a resident agreement.
Which sections matter most?
| Section | What to look for | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| Staffing | Staff on each shift, awake overnight staff, delegating nurse schedule | Vague answers such as "as needed" |
| Level of care | The licensed level and how needs above it are handled | No mention of level-of-care waivers |
| Services | Medication administration, bathing frequency, laundry, transport | Core services listed as extras |
| Fees | Base rate, care-level charges, community fee, increases | No written fee schedule |
| Discharge | Reasons and notice | Broad reasons such as "at our discretion" |
Compare at least two programs' statements side by side. The differences jump out once the same questions are answered on the same form.
How does it relate to the resident agreement?
The disclosure statement describes the program; the resident agreement is the contract. Maryland's regulations set required content for both the nonfinancial and financial parts of the resident agreement, including how fees are set and changed. Read them together: if the disclosure statement says medication administration is included and the agreement lists it as an extra charge, ask which one governs before signing.
Ask for blank copies of both before move-in day, not at the table on move-in day.
What about memory care units?
A program with an Alzheimer's Special Care Unit has a second document: the written description OHCQ approves before the unit can operate or be marketed. It must cover 24-hour staffing ratios, awake overnight staff, at least six hours of advanced dementia training for direct-care staff, activities, admission and discharge criteria and the unit's fees. Families must receive it before admission to the unit.
How should you compare fees using the statement?
Fees are where disclosure statements earn their keep. Look for four numbers: the base monthly rate, the charge for each care level or service package, any one-time community or admission fee, and the policy on increases -- how much notice, how often, and whether increases are tied to reassessment.
Then build a sample month for your parent. If the statement says bathing assistance beyond twice a week is extra, and your parent needs daily help, add it. If medication administration is billed per medication pass, count the passes. Small homes in Baltimore often quote a single all-inclusive rate; large communities often quote a base rate that a Level 3 resident will not actually pay. The statement lets you turn both into a comparable total.
MHCC-reported daily rates are a useful sanity check for larger programs, but they are self-reported list prices. The disclosure statement and the resident agreement are the documents that bind the program.
What does the statement say about staffing, and how do you test it?
The staffing section should say how many staff are on each shift, whether overnight staff are awake, and how the delegating nurse is reached. Test it on a second visit at a different time of day: count the staff you see, ask who is in charge, and ask the caregiver -- not the manager -- how many residents they are responsible for.
Discrepancies are not always bad faith; staffing changes. But a program whose statement says two awake staff overnight and whose evening shift clearly has one person should explain the difference before you sign.
Keep the statement you were given with the date. If the program's staffing or fees later differ from what was disclosed, that document is the starting point for a conversation with the manager, the ombudsman or OHCQ.
What other documents should you request alongside it?
Ask for the resident agreement, the program's discharge policy, any care-level or assessment tool used to set fees, and the house rules on visiting, smoking, alcohol and personal furniture. If the program has an Alzheimer's Special Care Unit, ask for the OHCQ-approved unit description. If it participates in the Medicaid Community Options Waiver or the Senior Assisted Living Subsidy, ask how a resident's fees change if they move onto either program.
It is reasonable to ask for the program's most recent OHCQ survey and plan of correction as well. OHCQ does not publish assisted living survey reports in bulk, so the program itself is the most direct source.
Put all of these in one folder for each program you are considering. When a decision has to be made quickly -- after a hospital stay, for example -- having the documents already in hand is the difference between choosing and settling.
What if a program won't provide it?
Ask once more in writing. If it still does not arrive, contact OHCQ's assisted living unit at (410) 402-8217 or use OHCQ's online complaint form. A program that cannot produce its own disclosure statement is telling you something about how it will handle paperwork after move-in.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Uniform Disclosure Statement required in Maryland?
Yes. Every licensed assisted living program must provide a completed copy on request.
Who do I contact if a program won't provide it?
OHCQ's assisted living unit, (410) 402-8217, or OHCQ's online complaint form.
Is the disclosure statement a contract?
No. The resident agreement is the contract; the disclosure statement describes the program in standard categories.
Do memory care units have extra disclosures?
Yes. An Alzheimer's Special Care Unit's OHCQ-approved written description must be given to the family before admission.
