Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability
Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability

Florida's Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Waivers

Report 09-32, July 2009




Report Summary

This resource provides information for individuals interested in Florida's Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waivers. Medicaid HCBS waivers are authorized by Section 2176 of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 and incorporated into Title XIX of the Social Security Act as Section 1915(c). States can use this authority to offer a broad array of services intended to prevent or delay institutional placement but that are not otherwise available through Medicaid. Florida implemented its first HCBS waiver, the Aged and Disabled Adult waiver, in 1982. Since that time, Florida has implemented 14 HCBS additional waivers, with the two most recent waivers implemented in 2008. These two waivers, combined with the existing Developmental Disabilities and Family and Supported Living waivers, create a four-tier system for assigning persons with developmental disabilities to a funding level that matches their assessed needs to the expected annual costs to meet those needs. Florida's HCBS waivers vary on a number of dimensions. Some waivers are limited to persons with specific disease states or physical conditions (such as persons with Alzheimer's disease); others serve broader groups (such as persons who are elderly and/or have disabilities). Waivers also differ with respect to the number and types of services provided, payment method, and whether available statewide or limited to a few counties. Overall, in Fiscal Year 2007-08, Florida spent approximately $1.34 billion to serve nearly 67,000 beneficiaries in these 15 waivers.


Related Reports
  1. Profile of Florida's Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Waivers
    Report 13-07 March 2013
  2. Profile of Florida's Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Waivers
    Report 11-03 January 2011
  3. Profile of Florida's Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Waivers
    Report 10-10 January 2010
Copies of this report in print or alternate accessible format may be obtained by email OPPAGA@oppaga.fl.gov, telephone (850) 488-0021, or mail 111 W. Madison St., Room 312 Tallahassee, FL 32399-1475.
Copies of this report in print or alternate accessible format may be obtained by email OPPAGA@oppaga.fl.gov, telephone (850) 488-0021, or mail 111 W. Madison St., Room 312 Tallahassee, FL 32399-1475.
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