iBudget > Frequently Asked Questions


Question Answer
What is iBudget Florida? iBudget Florida is a way for APD to better manage the waiver system, while giving customers more flexibility. Individuals will get an allocation of funds, or iBudget, at the beginning of the service plan year. They will choose how to spend it on waiver services. Waiver support coordinators will still help. When they use the iBudget application to develop and review cost plans, in many cases service approval will take as little as one day. Customers will have a lot of flexibility in how they use waiver money as long as their health and safety needs are covered. In return, they will need to make their budget last the whole year.
Is everything going to be different under iBudget Florida? In iBudget Florida, a lot will stay the same for customers and their families. Waiver support coordinators will still be there to help, and there will be the same providers for customers to choose from. Available services will be the same or very similar. In addition, customers who have been in Tier 4 will have more services to choose from, including Adult Dental.
What is the goal of iBudget Florida? iBudget Florida is designed to give individuals more self-direction and to be simpler, more equitable, and sustainable. The goal of iBudget Florida is to help APD serve individuals with developmental disabilities far into the future!
Why is iBudget Florida replacing the Tiers? iBudget Florida was created because the Florida Legislature asked APD to develop a new plan to serve persons with developmental disabilities, and then the Legislature passed a law in 2010 requiring APD to implement this plan.
Who helped to create the iBudget Florida plan? APD worked with a diverse group of 16 stakeholders—individuals with developmental disabilities, family members, waiver support coordinators, large and small providers, and advocates—to put together the iBudget Florida plan.
Will iBudget Florida fix the funding problems due to Florida's tough economy? While iBudget Florida will benefit you, it will also help the waiver system be more sustainable and stable. iBudget Florida will not fix the funding problems due to Florida's tough economy, but it will help APD to spend exactly the amount of funds the Legislature gives it for waiver services.
Should I depend entirely on the waiver for my services and supports? iBudget Florida is part of the overall solution to serving people with developmental disabilities fairly. An individual's needs will continue to be met through the waiver, Medicaid state plan, natural supports, and community resources. This new system will free waiver support coordinators from a good deal of paperwork so they may help find additional resources.
When will iBudget Florida be implemented in my area? See the Update section on the iBudgetFlorida.org homepage to get the latest information on what areas are participating in iBudget Florida, and what areas are next. Click here for the homepage.
Can I choose between the tiers and iBudget Florida? No. Individuals will move from their tier waiver to the iBudget Florida waiver. Once everyone transitions to iBudget Florida, the tiers will be eliminated.
Why not keep the current tier waivers and make them better? Keeping the tiers and trying to make them better will not achieve the improvements in equity, simplicity, sustainability, and self-direction that APD and the Legislature believe are possible under iBudget Florida.
What other states are using waivers like iBudget Florida? Some examples are Connecticut, Louisiana, Georgia, Colorado, and Minnesota. APD talked with experts in several of these states to learn how they implemented their individual budgeting waivers.
How will my funding be determined? APD will determine your new iBudget after considering several factors, including a formula that looks at your age, your living situation (whether you live with family, in your own home or in a group home) and the kind of support that you need according to the agency-approved assessment—the Questionnaire for Situational Information (QSI). All of this information will be used to help the APD determine the amount of money that can be approved to assist you in meeting your needs, especially those involving health and safety.
Will I still have a support coordinator or consultant? Yes, you will still have a waiver support coordinator, or, if you are in Consumer-Directed Care Plus (CDC+), you will still have a consultant. That person will help you in ways that are similar to how he or she helps you now. However, with the new iBudget Florida system, he or she will be able to help you more by looking for supports and services in your local community because they will have less paperwork to complete.
When you talk about budgets, are you talking about yearly budgets? Yes.
Can budgets be changed or increased if there is a significant life change? Budget amounts will be able to be changed only if there is a dramatic change in an individual's situation which leads him or her to be unable to meet critical health and safety needs.
Is iBudget Florida only for those in family homes? No, everyone on a waiver would have his or her budget determined through iBudget Florida.
If an individual gets an increase in their budget through iBudget—and they don't need it—what happens to that money that was allocated to them? By Florida law, all monies not spent by the end of the fiscal year (which runs from July 1 to June 30) must go back to the general treasury, meaning they may not be kept by the person to spend in the next fiscal year. However, iBudget Florida is based on individual need and there will not be a rebasing process to lower a person's budget because some of the budget is not used. For example, if an individual's budget amount is $30,000, and he or she spends $29,000 by using that amount of services during that fiscal year, in the next fiscal year, the person's budget amount will probably be $30,000 again. That's assuming that there are no changes in appropriations or in the person's situation. The individual does not get to add the $1,000 savings to the next year's budget; however, he or she will not have a reduced budget of $29,000 just because that is what was spent in the previous year.
Will a new QSI assessment be conducted on all individuals or will the results of the prior QSI be used to help determine the iBudget? The QSI is conducted every three years. An individual's most recent QSI results will be used.
What if we think the current QSI (subjective portion) doesn't reflect the person's current situation? Your local APD area office can review individual situations regarding the QSI, and if appropriate, a new QSI can be conducted.
Is this just a way for APD to cut people's services? iBudget Florida is not designed to be a way to cut services. iBudget Florida is designed to make it easier for customers to choose the services that best meet their needs within the agency's limited budget. iBudget Florida will allow customers to receive their services faster, with greater choice, and APD will be a better manager of the waiver system. If the waiver system continues to spend more than the Legislature sets aside for waiver services, the Legislature may choose another approach to managing the waiver system, such as through for-profit managed care companies or cutting more waiver services.
Will I still have due process rights? Yes. You will get more information on due process rights as iBudget Florida nears implementation in your area.
I'm a participant in Consumer-Directed Care Plus. Will CDC+ continue? Yes. It will continue to be an option. If you are on CDC+, you will continue to manage your budget like you do now. 
Will iBudget Florida have the same or less flexibility as CDC+? It will have less. Under a new individual budgeting system, customers would be required to use Medicaid-waiver-enrolled providers. In CDC+, customers may use workers who are not Medicaid-waiver-enrolled providers.
Will I get to use the same providers? APD will be working with Medicaid-waiver-enrolled providers to help them transition easily and smoothly to providing services under iBudget Florida.
Must a provider be enrolled with Medicaid to provide services under iBudget Florida? Yes, for iBudget Florida, a provider must be an approved Medicaid waiver provider in order to conduct and bill for iBudget Florida services.
When there are no Medicaid providers, can customers use others? All providers in iBudget Florida who are paid with waiver funds must be Medicaid providers, with the exception of those serving CDC+ participants.
What extra work is there for me in iBudget Florida? Only what you wish to do. Your support coordinator or consultant can help you in the same ways he or she helps you now if you choose. However, if you want, you can be more involved in planning and coordinating your services.
What help will I get if I want to be more involved in managing my budget? When you are brought into iBudget Florida, your waiver support coordinator will be able to log into the iBudget application to create your budgets and track your spending. This will help you change your budget to meet your changing needs. It will also help automate service review and approval to help you get services faster. 
Are you going to restore services that were previously eliminated? Not at this time.
What are the new and renamed services in iBudget Florida? There is a new Personal Supports service (for adults living in their family or own home) that combines respite, personal care, companion, and in-home supports services. Respite Care will remain as a stand-alone service for individuals under 21. A new category called Life Skills Development will include adult day training, companion, and supported employment services. Click here to visit the iBudget Florida Services page, or from the homepage, choose iBudget Florida Basics.
What will happen with the waiver handbook that now governs services? The Agency for Persons with Disabilities and the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) are creating a new handbook to clarify all aspects of iBudget Florida, including the eight service families.
What is a service family? These are groups of similar services.
What are the eight service families? The eight service families include: Life Skills Development, Supplies and Equipment, Personal Supports, Residential Services, Support Coordination, Therapeutic Supports and Wellness, Transportation, and Dental Services. Click here to visit the iBudget Florida Services page, or from the homepage, choose iBudget Florida Basics.
Will there be more respite options? iBudget Florida features a new, broader service for adults called Personal Supports. This service will encompass the current services of personal care, companion, in-home supports, and respite. It will offer individuals flexibility in what tasks a worker may perform for them.
Will the reductions in overhead put more money to provide services? This will be the Legislature's decision. However, the agency already operates with very low overhead and we are not projecting a significant reduction. We are anticipating an increase in quality and cost-effectiveness within these resources.

What does iBudget Florida mean for me?

 In iBudget Florida, you can choose from your current providers. You can keep your current waiver support coordinator. You can change providers and services faster, in most cases.
How will the iBudget impact the current waiting list? iBudget Florida is for current waiver enrollees, who will transition from the tier waivers into the new system. However, iBudget Florida is intended to offer more financial stability in the waiver system so that additional funding appropriated in the future by the Legislature may fund individuals now waiting for waiver services.