Montgomery County Isn’t Processing Care for Kids or Senior Dental Applications, Council Staff Say

Montgomery County is not currently processing applications for two county-funded health programs for low-income, uninsured residents, Care for Kids and Senior Dental, because there are no staff to process them, according to a Montgomery County Council staff report prepared for the council’s Oct. 20 meeting.

“Applications are not currently being processed for CFK and Senior Dental because there aren’t staff to process them,” council legislative analyst Tara Clemons Johnson wrote. “State funded Office of Eligibility and Support Services eligibility staff are not authorized to process applications for County funded programs.”

County Executive Marc Elrich has asked the council for $487,096 from the county’s General Fund Undesignated Reserves to pay for seven “broker positions” for the remaining 10 months of the fiscal year, which ends June 30, 2027. The council introduced the request, Supplemental Appropriation #27-39, on Oct. 20, according to the council’s session summary. A public hearing is scheduled for Nov. 10 at 1:30 p.m.

A backlog projected at 1,899 applications

Elrich’s Oct. 8 memo to Council President Natali Fani-González says that without the money, “the existing backlog is projected to grow significantly, reaching approximately 1,899 applications by year’s end.” The memo does not say how many applications are waiting now, how the projection was calculated, or whether “year’s end” means the calendar year or the fiscal year.

The memo says 9,226 people are currently enrolled in the two programs, 8,002 in Care for Kids and 1,224 in Senior Dental. Without the appropriation, those enrollees “would be left without essential benefits-related support, further compromising timely access to critical health services for children and seniors across the County,” according to the memo.

The Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has posted a notice on its application page and its Care for Kids page saying the department “is currently experiencing a backlog and processing delays for all new Care for Kids applications submitted on or after July 1, 2026.” The notice says the department is “actively working to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.” The notice describes a backlog and delays; it does not say applications have stopped being processed. The notice does not mention Senior Dental, and the county’s dental services page carried no similar notice when we checked on Oct. 22.

What the programs cover and who qualifies

Care for Kids is funded by Montgomery County and administered by the Primary Care Coalition. According to the county’s program page, it covers well-child visits, sick visits, prescription medicines, optometry, dental and “other limited specialty care services,” through community providers and school-based health and wellness centers. Care for Kids does not cover hospitalization or emergency room care.

To qualify, a child must be uninsured, live in Montgomery County, be “newborn through 18” and have family income no greater than 250% of the federal poverty level, according to the eligibility list on the county’s Care for Kids page. Elrich’s memo describes the program as serving uninsured children “from birth to age 19,” and the council staff report describes it as serving “children aged 0-19 who do not qualify for the Maryland Children’s Health Program (MCHIP) or Medical Assistance.”

The Senior Dental program offers low-cost dental services to county residents 60 and older who have no dental insurance and whose family income is at or below 250% of the federal poverty level, according to Elrich’s memo.

What the documents say about staffing

The council packet does not say why no staff are available to process the applications, or whether the seven broker positions were filled before. Elrich’s memo says the money would allow the county “to immediately rebuild operational capacity and stabilize service delivery.” The draft resolution lists the full $487,096 as operating expenses, with $0 in personnel costs.

The county’s approved fiscal 2027 operating budget describes the Office of Eligibility and Support Services as the office that “determines eligibility for the County’s healthcare for the uninsured services (Care for Kids and Senior Dental Program).”

How to weigh in

The council’s public hearing on the request is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 1:30 p.m. Residents can sign up by 2 p.m. Nov. 9 to testify live, in person or on Zoom, through the council’s live testimony page, or submit written, audio or video testimony online.

Part of a larger batch of reserve-funded requests

The Care for Kids and Senior Dental request was one of eight operating budget supplementals funded from General Fund Undesignated Reserves that the council introduced on Oct. 20, according to the meeting agenda. All eight are scheduled for the Nov. 10 hearing. By our count, the eight amounts listed on the agenda total $4,567,760.

The largest, Supplemental Appropriation #27-29, is $1.2 million. Elrich’s memo says the money would continue “essential support services (residential and personal support)” for high-need DHHS Aging and Disability Services clients who receive Medicaid waiver services through the Maryland Department of Health and are losing Medicaid coverage. “Effective October 1, 2026, changes to federal Medicaid eligibility under H.R. 1 have resulted in the loss of Medicaid coverage for certain noncitizens, refugees, asylees, and humanitarian parolees,” council staff wrote in the report on that request.

After a DHHS briefing to the council on Nov. 4, 2025, Bethesda Magazine reported that county health officials hoped many residents who lose Medicaid under the federal law could turn to county programs such as Montgomery Cares and Care for Kids. Nina Ashford, the county’s chief of public health services, said the programs are not a substitute for insurance, the magazine reported. The magazine also reported that the programs had the capacity to support everyone who might lose Medicaid coverage under the new law, but not enough money in their budgets to do so.

Still unanswered

• How many Care for Kids and Senior Dental applications are pending today, and on what date did the county stop processing them?
• Were the seven broker positions previously filled or funded, and if so, what happened to them?
• Are applicants who applied after July 1 able to get care while they wait, and will coverage be retroactive once approved?
• Is the 1,899-application projection for the end of calendar 2026 or the end of fiscal 2027?
• When did the Senior Dental backlog begin, and why does the county’s notice mention only Care for Kids?

We have not yet put these questions to the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services; this story will be updated with any response.

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