How to Get on the Florida Medicaid Waiver Wait List

In Florida, the Medicaid program that helps pay for long-term care in an assisted living facility or at home is called the Long-Term Care Diversion Waiver. There is a waitlist for this program. In order to get on the waitlist, you will need to do the following:

1. Call your local Area Agency on Aging and request a “screening for home and community-based services.” Each county in Florida is assigned to an Area Agency on Aging. Your local agency can be found here.

The representative will collect some preliminary information and will schedule a time for the phone screening with the individual requiring assistance, primary caregiver ,or closest family member.

2. Complete the screening interview. The interview usually lasts about 30 to 40 minutes. The interview covers basic demographic information for the applicant, as well as information regarding the applicant’s income and assets. The interviewer will also ask about the applicant’s needs for care, including the applicant’s ability to perform Activities of Daily Living. It is important to be honest and provide the interviewer with all health and care issues no matter the extent of the issue.
3. Following the interview, you should receive a prioritization decision. This letter indicates the applicant’s priority score, which determines their place on the waitlist. The higher the score, the higher the priority the applicant receives on the waitlist.
4. At this point, you do not actually need to submit a Medicaid application, so you do not need to be technically asset or income qualified for Medicaid. However, it is important to have a plan in place to become income and asset qualified for Medicaid, so that you are ready to apply when the applicant receives a spot off the waitlist. If the applicants’ condition deteriorates while on the waitlist, you can request a re-assessment to move higher up on the waitlist.
5. Once you receive notification that the applicant has received a spot off the waitlist, you will be provided with a deadline to submit the Medicaid application.

If you have specific questions regarding preserving your Medicaid eligibility, the experienced elder law attorneys of Bach, Jacobs & Byrne, P.A. are here to assist you. Call us at (941)906-1231 to set up a consultation.