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Florida Medicaid Nursing Home Diversion Waiver
What are Medicaid Waivers?
Medicaid pays for long term care services in nursing homes. For nursing home qualified persons that choose to live at home or in a residential community, Medicaid will pay for those services if they can be obtained at a lower cost. These are called Home and Community Based Services, Waiver Funded Services, Medicaid Waivers or simply Waivers.
Florida Nursing Home Diversion Waiver Overview
This Florida Medicaid waiver is designed to help frail seniors stay at home instead of moving into nursing homes. Participants select a case manager and a county-approved managed care organization (or HMO) to provide services. Note this waiver was formerly referred to as the Long-Term Care Community Diversion waiver.
Qualifications for the Nursing Home Diversion Waiver
In addition to being 65 years or older, candidates must be dually eligible for Medicare A & B and be financially qualified for Medicaid.
Qualifying for Medicaid is a complicated process involving a review of a family’s income, assets and asset transfers as far back as 5 years. The rules change in each state but typically monthly income cannot exceed $2,000 and one's countable assets must be valued at less $1,000 - $8,000. IMPORTANT* Even though, one's income or assets may exceed these limits, most individuals can still qualify for Medicaid.
Many families find themselves in an awkward position where their loved one has enough income and assets that they do not qualify for Medicaid but not enough so that they can afford to pay for their care. Fortunately, there are many exceptions to what is considered income and countable assets. For example, one's car and home can be considered exempt from their countable assets. Income in excess of the limit can be allocated to a pooled income trust thereby enabling the individual to meet the Medicaid limit and qualify for assistance.
Creating a funeral trust is another simple and common technique used to help qualify for Medicaid. Given the expense of funerals and the fact that everyone will eventually require one, it makes sense to allocate money in advance to cover the funeral and associated expenses. A funeral trust is considered an exempt asset from Medicaid, therefore by creating one, a family can prepare for an inevitable need without having to plan the details and lower their countable assets to help qualify for Medicaid. Learn more about establishing a funeral trust.
Not qualifying for Medicaid can be devastating to the comfort of an individual, their family’s finances and even their health. For these reasons, Medicaid planners exist to ensure families have the best chance of acceptance into the program. With care costing $1000’s / month, there is a strong incentive to use a Medicaid Planner. Find assistance applying for Medicaid.
Qualifying for Medicaid is a complicated process involving a review of a family’s income, assets and asset transfers as far back as 5 years. The rules change in each state but typically monthly income cannot exceed $2,000 and one's countable assets must be valued at less $1,000 - $8,000. IMPORTANT* Even though, one's income or assets may exceed these limits, most individuals can still qualify for Medicaid.
Many families find themselves in an awkward position where their loved one has enough income and assets that they do not qualify for Medicaid but not enough so that they can afford to pay for their care. Fortunately, there are many exceptions to what is considered income and countable assets. For example, one's car and home can be considered exempt from their countable assets. Income in excess of the limit can be allocated to a pooled income trust thereby enabling the individual to meet the Medicaid limit and qualify for assistance.
Creating a funeral trust is another simple and common technique used to help qualify for Medicaid. Given the expense of funerals and the fact that everyone will eventually require one, it makes sense to allocate money in advance to cover the funeral and associated expenses. A funeral trust is considered an exempt asset from Medicaid, therefore by creating one, a family can prepare for an inevitable need without having to plan the details and lower their countable assets to help qualify for Medicaid. Learn more about establishing a funeral trust.
Not qualifying for Medicaid can be devastating to the comfort of an individual, their family’s finances and even their health. For these reasons, Medicaid planners exist to ensure families have the best chance of acceptance into the program. With care costing $1000’s / month, there is a strong incentive to use a Medicaid Planner. Find assistance applying for Medicaid.
Services Provided under the Nursing Home Diversion Waiver
- Adult Day Health
- Assisted Living Services
- Case Management
- Chore Services
- Consumable Medical Supplies
- Environmental Accessibility Adaptation
- Home-Delivered Meals
- Homemaker
- Nutritional Assessment/Risk Reduction
- Personal Care
- Personal Emergency Response Systems
- Respite Care
- Nursing Facility Services
- Transportation
Nursing Home Diversion Waiver Program Availability
This program is currently available in 33 counties including:
| Alachua Brevard Broward Charlotte Citrus Clay Collier Duval Flagler Hendry Hernando | Highlands Hillsborough Indian River Lake Lee Manatee Marion Martin Miami-Dade Nassau Okeechobee | Orange Osceola Palm Beach Pasco Pinellas Polk Saint Lucie Sarasota Seminole St. Johns Volusia |
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