Florida Medicaid Help in North Florida and the Big Bend

Counties: Leon, Bay, Gadsden, Jackson, Wakulla, Jefferson, Madison, Taylor, Franklin, Gulf, Calhoun, Liberty, Holmes and Washington.

Communities include: Tallahassee, Panama City, Panama City Beach, Marianna, Quincy, Apalachicola, Port St. Joe, Crawfordville, Chipley.

Nursing homes and assisted living facilities anywhere in these counties. Florida Medicaid is administered by Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) under one set of rules statewide, and a Medicaid application is the same application whether the facility is in Tallahassee or in Bonita Springs.

Much of this region is rural, with fewer nursing homes and long driving distances. Families here are more likely to be keeping a parent at home with paid help, which makes the SMMC Long-Term Care program and its wait list, rather than nursing home Medicaid, the benefit that matters. Timber and farmland holdings are also common and raise asset questions that most Medicaid guides never mention.

• Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF): takes the financial application through ACCESS Florida (online) or by phone at 1-866-762-2237.
• Department of Elder Affairs, CARES program: makes the medical level-of-care determination for this region.
• Area Agency on Aging for North Florida: the Aging and Disability Resource Center for North Florida and the Big Bend, reached through the statewide Elder Helpline at 1-800-96-ELDER (1-800-963-5337). It screens applicants for the assisted living and home care wait list.
• Senior Care Resources: manages the application, coordinates with all three, and involves our affiliated elder law firm when a case needs legal work.

• Income cap: $2,982 a month (a Qualified Income Trust above that).
• Countable assets: $2,000 for a single applicant.
• Community spouse resource allowance: up to $162,660.
• Community spouse income allowance: $2,705 to $4,066.50 a month.
• Transfer penalty divisor: $10,645 per month.
• Home equity limit: $752,000.

All of these are explained in the Florida Medicaid limits guide.

1. A free screening by phone or online tells us the applicant's income, assets, marital status, and care setting.
2. We give you a written plan: what is exempt, what must be spent down and how, whether a Qualified Income Trust is needed, what a spouse at home keeps, and whether anything needs an attorney.
3. We gather the documents with you, including the five years of statements Florida requires.
4. We file with DCF, serve as designated representative, coordinate the CARES assessment, and answer every request for information until the case is approved.
5. After approval we set up the monthly trust deposits if there are any, explain the patient responsibility, and prepare you for the renewal.

Read more about how the process works and what to expect from the application.