APD Receives iBudget Florida Approval

APD Receives iBudget Florida Approval

TALLAHASSEE — The Agency for Persons with Disabilities has

received federal approval of its new Medicaid waiver called iBudget

Florida. iBudget Florida will pay for supports and services for

people with developmental disabilities so they may live in their

local community.

The agency has selected several North Florida counties for the

initial implementation of the new system which will occur later this

year. APD plans to begin iBudget Florida in Franklin, Leon, Wakulla,

Gadsden, Liberty, Madison, Taylor, and Jefferson counties. APD

serves approximately 1,000 waiver-enrolled customers in this region.

The agency will begin transitioning a few families now in the

Big Bend area to iBudget Florida. This group will allow the agency

to monitor the program and make necessary adjustments before more

people are enrolled.

iBudget Florida was approved by the 2010 Legislature as the

new direction for delivering services to people through APD’s

Medicaid waiver.

iBudget Florida is designed to make the funding process fair

and equitable for all Medicaid waiver customers. It will provide for

more opportunities for customers to direct their own care. The new

system will also allow the agency to have more budget control and

financial predictability.

Some of the customer benefits of iBudget are:

· Greater ability to choose services that matter to them, given
their unique situations.
· Greater flexibility for customers to respond to changing needs.
· Reduced bureaucracy and “red tape.”
· Support coordinators freed to focus on providing help that
makes a real difference.
· Confidence that funding is fair compared to other customers who
are similarly situated.
· Reduced likelihood of policy changes that cause significant
disruption due to budget deficits.
· Security of a financially stable system that will be there to
serve customers down the road.
· Greater control over their lives.
· Greater opportunity for APD to use new funds to serve people on
the waiting list rather than resolve deficits.


The agency annually serves about 35,000 Floridians with

developmental disabilities of autism, cerebral palsy, intellectual

disabilities, spina bifida, and Prader-Willi syndrome. For more

information on the agency, call 1-866-APD-CARES or visit

APDCares.org.