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APD > Planning Resources

The agency implemented the legislatively-mandated provider rate cut of $43.5 million on July 1. Also, APD will be implementing the required four Medicaid wavier tiers on October 15 of this year. Waiver Support Coordinators are the primary points of contact for customers in securing new providers. We want individuals with disabilities, their families, and waiver support coordinators to be aware of options if service providers decide not to continue doing business as Medicaid waiver providers in the future. We will update this Web site regularly with the latest information that may help customers develop contingency plans, if needed.

If you would like to review additional placement options or locate a specific facility, please visit the Agency for Health Care Administration Web site at: www.floridahealthfinder.gov

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) and Other Information

• Frequently Asked Questions
• Tier Talking Points

APD Resource Directory

Resource Search

A searchable directory of local, state, and national resources and services.

• Searchable Resource Directory

Suggest a resource

If you or your organization has a suggestion for a resource opportunity, please complete the following form

• Suggest a Resource form

Provider Search

• Florida Developmental Disabilities Resources - Provider Search

You should work with your Support Coordinator to identify additional providers. This link provides information about services and indicators of each provider's performance in your local area.

Information is updated regularly and includes provider name, contact person, address, telephone number, services offered and geographical area served for all providers reviewed in the past 18 months. The site is sponsored by APD, the Agency on Health Care Administration and the Delmarva Foundation.

If you want to find out more information about selecting and living in a group home, view the below presentations.

• Choosing an APD-Licensed Home: A Guide for Families, Guardians and Individuals with Developmental Disabilities
  • PowerPoint Presentation
  • PDF Document
• Living in an APD-Licensed Home: A Guide for Families, Guardians and Individuals with Developmental Disabilities
  • PowerPoint Presentation
  • PDF Document

Supported Living Tips

If a customer is receiving supported living assistance and needs to develop a possible contingency plan, here are a few tips that may be helpful.

• Select a Roommate with or without In Home Support Services (IHSS) (if necessary and share IHSS worker if acceptable)
• Review a Roommate Matching List provided by the local APD office
• Reduce Supported Living Coaching and Add In Home Support Services
• Work with the local APD office to identify Supported Living Coaches/Agencies who have the skills, potential and availability to increase caseloads
• Work with the local APD office to identify In Home Support Services workers/Agencies who have the potential and availability to increase caseloads
• Review Personal Disaster Plans and Identify emergency backups while services are being rearranged

Please contact the local area Supported Living Liaison for additional assistance

Group Home and Intermediate Care Facility Vacancy Information

Select an area to view contacts, staff, and other useful information

Area Offices

• Area 1 - Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton
• Area 2 - Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Liberty, Leon, Madison, Taylor, Wakulla, Washington
• Area 3 - Alachua, Bradford, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Levy, Putnam, Suwannee, Union
• Area 4 - Baker, Clay, Duval, St Johns, Nassau
• Area 7 - Brevard, Orange, Osceola, Seminole
• Area 8 - Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, Lee
• Area 9 - Palm Beach
• Area 10 - Broward
• Area 11 - Dade, Monroe
• Area 12 - Flagler, Volusia
• Area 13 - Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Marion, Sumter
• - Hardee, Highlands, Polk
• Area 15 - Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, St Lucie
• Suncoast - De Soto, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota

Information on Opening a Group Home

There are a number of different residential options available for persons with developmental disabilities in Florida. Many individuals choose to live in their own homes or apartments where various services and supports are provided to them in order to allow them to live as independently as possible. There are also 1,500 APD-licensed residential facilities which serve individuals who choose to live within those types of settings. The four types of Agency-licensed homes are foster care facilities, group homes, residential habilitation centers, and comprehensive transitional education programs. In addition, individuals receiving services from our Agency also live in other settings (such as Assisted Living Facilities and Intermediate Care Facilities for the Developmentally Disabled) which are licensed by other state agencies.

Below are the statutory descriptions of the four types of APD-licensed homes from s. 393.063, F.S.

• "Foster care facility" means a residential facility which provides a family living environment including supervision and care necessary to meet the physical, emotional, and social needs of its residents. The capacity of such a facility shall not be more than three residents.
• "Group home facility" means a residential facility which provides a family living environment including supervision and care necessary to meet the physical, emotional, and social needs of its residents. The capacity of such a facility shall be at least 4 but not more than 15 residents. For the purposes of this chapter, group home facilities shall not be considered commercial enterprises.
• "Residential habilitation center" means a community residential facility that provides residential habilitation. The capacity of such a facility shall not be fewer than nine residents. After October 1, 1989, no new residential habilitation centers shall be licensed and the licensed capacity shall not be increased for any existing residential habilitation center.
• "Comprehensive transitional education program" means a group of jointly operating centers or units, the collective purpose of which is to provide a sequential series of educational care, training, treatment, habilitation, and rehabilitation services to persons who have developmental disabilities and who have severe or moderate maladaptive behaviors. However, nothing in this subsection shall require such programs to provide services only to persons with developmental disabilities. All such services shall be temporary in nature and delivered in a structured residential setting with the primary goal of incorporating the normalization principle to establish permanent residence for persons with maladaptive behaviors in facilities not associated with the comprehensive transitional education program. The staff shall include psychologists and teachers who shall be available to provide services in each component center or unit of the program.

APD staff conduct on-site reviews of all our licensed homes on at least a monthly basis in order to ensure compliance with the licensure requirements and standards. This monitoring function is one of the means by which we are able to assess the health, safety, and welfare of the residents of those homes.

There are several resources available that you should review before applying for a license. First, Chapter 65G-2 of the Florida Administrative Code outlines the requirements for the licensure of residential facilities.

You may also wish to review Chapter 393.067 of the Florida Statutes for additional information regarding the provision of residential services to individuals with developmental disabilities.

We also recommend that you review the Developmental Disabilities Services Coverage and Limitations Handbook.

The handbook is a reference guide to the services that may be purchased for individuals eligible for the Developmental Services Home and Community Based Services waiver. The handbook describes consumer eligibility and enrollment on the waiver, provider enrollment through the waiver, each service, qualifications required for providers of each service, how services may be delivered, documentation requirements, how the provider is paid, and many other important details. The majority of our residential providers are also enrolled Medicaid waiver providers.

After you have had the opportunity to review this information, you can obtain application forms for enrollment as a Medicaid waiver provider and licensure as an APD-licensed residential facility by contacting your local APD office. Please visit http://apdcares.org/area/ to locate your local office information.

After you receive a license, your ability to fill the vacant beds is largely dependent upon the following two factors:

1. the type of APD clients you are willing to serve and
2. the part of the state in which your home is located. For these reasons, it is best to contact your area APD office prior to establishing a home in order to determine where the greatest need exists for residential services at any given point in time.

If you would like to talk to other families about options and choices, you may call the Family Care Council Toll-Free line: 1-800-470-8101

For additional information, you may contact the following office:

• Agency for Persons with Disabilities Headquarters
  1-866-APD-CARES (1-866-273-2273) or (850) 488-4257
  www.apdcares.org