Maryland Launches One-Stop Online Portal for Food, Cash and Health Benefits

Maryland has rolled out an integrated online portal that lets residents use a single application to seek food, cash, health-care and energy assistance. The site, branded “Maryland Benefits” and hosted at marylandbenefits.gov, brings programs such as SNAP, WIC, portions of Medicaid and cash aid under one digital form available in English and Spanish and accessible by phone or computer. Governor Wes Moore unveiled the upgrade at an event in Prince George’s County on 15 July, saying the goal is to reduce repetitive paperwork and match applicants with all the programs for which they qualify. The state’s information-technology department now manages the platform, while human-services and health officials focus on program administration. Since a quiet soft launch two weeks ago, more than 22,000 Marylanders have used the portal. State data show the average time to complete an application has fallen to 28 minutes from about 80 minutes previously needed just for SNAP, and users no longer have to re-enter the same personal and financial information for each program. Officials plan to add further Medicaid enrollment options, including coverage for additional low-income adults and long-term-care beneficiaries. They say the streamlined system is part of a broader effort to make public benefits more accessible and to deliver assistance faster to households in need.