News & Information > News Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 23, 2015

CONTACT: Melanie Mowry Etters
Communication Director
850-414-7551

APD Offers Waiver Enrollment to 2,499 Individuals

TALLAHASSEE, FL — The Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) is offering Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Medicaid waiver enrollment to 2,499 individuals on the waiver waiting list. Everyone on the waiting list with critical needs as of November 1, plus students transitioning out of school will be receiving waiver enrollment offer letters within the next two weeks.

These individuals will join more than 2,800 people who were offered waiver services over the past two years. Additionally, the agency will continue to enroll foster children with developmental disabilities into the waiver that are adopted or reunified with family members.

Governor Rick Scott recommended funding and the Florida Legislature supported including $40 million in the budget to serve all people with critical needs and young people transitioning out of school that are currently on the APD waiver waiting list.

Governor Rick Scott said, “Florida has made important investments to help people with disabilities, and I am proud that we have been able to allocate funding to serve people on the waiting list for the past three years. This funding will also help individuals receive the support they need to get a great job and work toward fulfilling their dreams here in Florida.”

APD Director Barbara Palmer said, "With the continued support of Governor Rick Scott and the Legislature, we have been able to change people’s lives for the better. With the substantial appropriation for the waiting list, APD is able to provide services to about 2,500 additional individuals through the Medicaid waiver. This money allows them to stay in their family homes and participate in their local communities.”

After individuals accept the HCBS Medicaid waiver enrollment, they must select a waiver support coordinator who will work with them to develop a plan to address their service needs. APD customers will also select waiver providers to deliver their selected services.

APD supports people with developmental disabilities to live, learn, and work in their communities. The agency annually serves more than 50,000 Floridians with autism, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, intellectual disabilities, Down syndrome, and Prader-Willi syndrome. For more information about the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, visit APDcares.org or call toll-free 1 866 APD CARES (1 866 273 2273).

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