DSP training in Maine is regulated by the Department of Health and Human Services through the Office of Aging and Disability Services (OADS), which administers Maine's home and community based services for adults with intellectual disabilities, autism, brain injury, and related conditions. The requirements sit in the MaineCare Benefits Manual — Chapter II, Section 21 (Home and Community Benefits for Members with Intellectual Disabilities or Autism Spectrum Disorder, § 21.10-1) — with parallel provisions in Sections 18, 20, and 29. These rules govern staff of agencies delivering waiver-funded residential, community, and support services.

Maine is unusual among the New England states: the rule names the curriculum itself. Direct support staff must complete the DHHS-adopted DSP training curriculum — the College of Direct Support (part of the DirectCourse online platform) — within six months of hire. Before working alone with individuals, new staff must first complete four designated College of Direct Support modules. There is no state hour count layered on top; the mandate is completion of the adopted curriculum on the adopted timeline.

Ongoing requirements follow the same structure: staff complete retraining on the DHHS-adopted curriculum on a triennial cycle. Because the requirement is curriculum-based rather than hour-based, agencies track module completion dates and the three-year refresh clock rather than accumulating annual in-service hours.

Medication administration is a separate, state-defined credential. Unlicensed staff who administer medication in Maine's residential and community programs must complete the 40-hour Certified Residential Medication Aide (CRMA) course, a state-standardized program delivered by approved trainers. CRMA certification is maintained on the state's recertification schedule and cannot be met through a general-market medication course.

Delivery in Maine is state-run and effectively vendor-locked for the core requirement. The State of Maine holds the statewide DirectCourse/College of Direct Support license and provisions access for provider agencies — providers do not shop for the core curriculum, and there is no approval pathway through which another vendor's courses can substitute for it. The single alternative is individual: an experienced staff person may test out of the curriculum through the Assessment of Prior Learning process. Any page or vendor claiming a third-party course satisfies Maine's core DSP mandate is wrong, and administrators should treat such claims as a red flag.

Where does that leave provider agencies? The College of Direct Support covers the state minimum — it does not cover everything a Maine agency must train and document. Training and eTracking Solutions supports Maine providers around the locked core: supplemental and role-specific training beyond the CDS baseline (documentation practices, workplace safety, professionalism, condition-specific supports), onboarding content for the areas the state curriculum does not reach, and compliance tracking that holds CDS module completions, the six-month and triennial deadlines, and CRMA certification dates in one auditable record for licensing and MaineCare reviews.