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Agency Revises Waiver Tier Implementation Date

TALLAHASSEE, FL - The Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) announced today it has revised its implementation date for the legislatively-mandated Medicaid waiver tiers from October 1 to October 15.

Director of the Agency for Persons with Disabilities Jim DeBeaugrine said, "While Tropical Storm Fay came across Florida, our staff was focused on the health and safety of our customers. This important effort has taken our attention away from the tier implementation. In addition, we have listened and heard the requests from various groups for additional time to prepare for the new waiver tiers."

The agency is moving forward with notifying APD customers and their waiver support coordinators of the new start date. Letters will be mailed within the next few days to notify each customer of the waiver for which they qualify.

In 2007, the Florida Legislature required APD to create four new Medicaid developmental disability waivers called tiers. The Legislature established criteria for each of the four waiver tiers. The criteria cover the individual’s needed level of service, along with other important characteristics, and the person’s current living situation. The new tier system establishes financial limits for three of the tiers.

• Tier One – No cap
• Tier Two – Cap of $55,000
• Tier Three – Cap of $35,000
• Tier Four – Cap of $14,792

The agency projects that about 7,500 people will need to reduce their services due to being placed into a tier with a cap. Those customers are urged to immediately contact their waiver support coordinator to begin the process. Those APD customers affected by a cap will select the services that are most important to them, and then work with their waiver support coordinator to update their service plan.

The agency annually serves about 35,000 Floridians with developmental disabilities of mental retardation, autism, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, and Prader-Willi syndrome. For more information on the agency, call 1-866-APD-CARES or visit www.apdcares.org.

REMINDER FOR MEDIA---When reporting on stories about people with disabilities, remember to use language that puts the person first, rather than the disability. For example, use phrases such as "persons with disabilities" (instead of "the disabled") and "person who uses a wheelchair" (rather than "wheelchair bound").