How to get on Florida Medicaid Long-Term Care for care at home

Who qualifies

Florida law sets three tests. You must be:

• 65 or older, or 18 or older and eligible for Medicaid because of a disability.
• Found by CARES, the state's assessment program, to need nursing facility level of care (or hospital level of care for cystic fibrosis).
• Financially eligible for Medicaid, which DCF decides.

The 2026 money limits

These are AHCA's figures from September 2026, based on 300 percent of the federal SSI rate. If your income is over the limit, Florida rules allow you to qualify by setting up a qualified income trust. An elder law attorney can tell you whether that fits your situation.

The steps, in order

1. Get screened by phone. Call your Aging and Disability Resource Center through the Elder Helpline. AHCA says the screening asks about health and daily needs. There is no way around this step for most people.
2. Get your priority score. The screening produces a score based on frailty. Higher priority people go on the statewide pre-enrollment list. Lower priority people stay in state records and can ask for a new screening if things change.
3. Wait for release. Elder Affairs releases people by priority score as funding allows. When scores tie, the person who has been on the list longest goes first. Waiting longer does not raise your score, so call for a rescreening if the person's health changes.
4. Return Form 5000-3008. When you are released and say you want to enroll, the ADRC mails this medical form. A Florida-licensed physician, advanced practice registered nurse or physician assistant fills it out and it goes back to the ADRC.
5. Apply for Medicaid if you have not. DCF needs your financial documents. Apply at myflfamilies.com or 1-866-762-2237.
6. Have the CARES visit. A CARES nurse or assessor usually visits at home at no cost, and a doctor or nurse reviews the result.
7. Pick a plan. AHCA mails a welcome packet. Choice Counseling at 1-877-711-3662 can compare plans. See the plans in your county.

Who can skip the list

The statute gives priority enrollment, without screening or the list, to people age 18 to 20 with a chronic, debilitating condition needing round-the-clock medical supervision; nursing home residents who want to move home after at least 60 straight days in a Florida-licensed facility; and certain high-risk adults referred by Adult Protective Services.

What the program can pay for at home

Services are authorized in your plan of care and include personal care, homemaker, adult companion care, respite, attendant nursing care, intermittent and skilled nursing, medication administration, home delivered meals, caregiver training, home accessibility adaptation, medical equipment and supplies, therapies and case management. If you would rather choose your own worker, ask about the Participant Direction Option.

Who to call in your county

About this page. Aster Care LLC is a private home care agency, not a government agency. Eligibility decisions are made by the state offices named here. This is general information, not legal or benefits advice, and program rules change, so please confirm details with those offices.

Questions families ask