Waiting for help: More than 21K of Floridians with developmental disabilities stuck in backlog
The Brief
Over 21,000 of Florida's most vulnerable citizens have been waitlisted despite needing critical care.
Many with developmental disabilities qualify for home support services through a program called the iBudget Waiver.
The agency that runs the service blames the backlog on a lack of funds.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - More than 21,000 of Florida's most vulnerable citizens need help but do not receive it due to a backlog in the state government.
The backstory
They have developmental disabilities and qualify for home support services through Medicaid under a program called the iBudget Waiver.
It currently serves more than 35,000 enrollees but has a waitlist of more than 21,000 others. The average wait has been eight and a half years.
Florida's Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) manages the backlog, tying it to a lack of funds.
READ: Pasco County Animal Services suspends dog adoptions after respiratory disease outbreak
It would cost around $1.2 billion to get everyone off the waitlist. Families on the waitlist note they have waited for help as the state received large surpluses in revenue and placed billions of dollars in reserve.
At the same time, the legislature specifically allocated millions to APD to reduce the waitlist. However, it has not gone down and APD did not spend much of the money it received.
What they're saying
"$360 million is being recommended to revert reappropriate this year when we've appropriated an average of $88 million over the past four years to pull people off the waitlist," said Escambia State Rep. Alex Andrade during a Florida House subcommittee hearing on March 12.
READ: Controversial gun bill moves through Florida legislature following deadly FSU shooting
APD did not spend $360 million, and it was allocated to reduce the backlog because managers say that people already being served may have growing needs and they don't want to run out of money.
Dig deeper
Former APD leader Jim DeBeaugrine said APD should not be concerned about that because the state projects the needs of current enrollees for the future and accordingly budgets for those needs.
If APD had spent the $360 million as lawmakers intended, there would also have been a larger share of matching federal funds, totaling more than $800 million.
"At some point, you need some services to help you, and I'm doing the job of a lot of people," said Yasmina Halim.
CLICK HERE:>>>Follow FOX 13 on YouTube
Her 12-year-old daughter Lily is developmentally disabled and terminally ill. Struggling as she waited, Halim made the painful decision to give up her place in line and place her daughter in institutional care (which could cost taxpayers more than the home-based support she was waiting for).
However, due to the complexity of Lily's health, the scale of her disabilities and a shortage of service providers, they were unable to find an institution that would accept her.
Big picture view
The state then agreed to provide home-based services based on her crisis.
Other families with pressing needs fail to get out of the queue due to the crisis.
The Source
FOX 13 Chief Political Investigator Craig Patrick collected the information in this story.
WATCH FOX 13 NEWS:
STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA:
Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV
Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android
Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines
Download the SkyTower Radar app
Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Axios
an hour ago
- Axios
Former, current CDC employees call on RFK Jr. to resign
Current and former employees of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are calling on Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to resign, warning that job cuts and proposed funding reductions will hurt the agency's ability to protect the public from future health outbreaks. Why it matters: The Atlanta-based CDC has long been the unbiased hub Americans turn to for facts about health topics, including sexually transmitted infections, maternal and infant health and respiratory infections. Driving the news: Carrying a large American flag, dozens of current employees at the facility walked out in protest of the cuts and joined people rallying in support of the department. Tuesday's protest attracted more than 100 people who packed the sidewalk along Clifton Road across from the CDC's headquarters. What they're saying: Sarah Boim, a member of Fired But Fighting, a grassroots group of former CDC employees who were terminated this year, told Axios the organization holds rallies each Tuesday in support of people who still work at the agency. "It's really hard to put into words how horrible this experience has been, not just for us, but it's going to really affect everybody in America," she said. Eric Mintz, another former CDC employee, told Axios proposed cuts to the CDC, National Institutes for Health, Food and Drug Administration and Medicaid will take away resources needed to protect people from illnesses. "It's not waste, it's not abuse, it's not fraud," Mintz said. "It's hard-working people with expertise trying to protect the American citizens." Catch up quick: The Health and Human Services Department in March announced about 2,400 positions would be eliminated from the CDC. HHS has said reducing its workforce from 82,000 to 62,000 full-time employees will cut costs from the agency's nearly $2 trillion budget. On Monday, RFK. Jr. removed all 17 members from the expert panel that makes vaccine policy recommendations to the CDC. He said in a statement the agency is "prioritizing the restoration of public trust above any specific pro- or anti-vaccine agenda." Questions are still being raised on who runs the CDC, as there is no public health official or designated point person leading the agency. State of play: Trump's fiscal year 2026 budget also recommends cutting $3.59 billion from the CDC. The budget, which was approved by the U.S. House, is still lingering in the U.S. Senate. Threat level: Anna Yousaf, an infectious diseases doctor at the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, called Kennedy a "domestic health threat" who has dismantled programs ranging from lead poisoning prevention to maternal and infant health monitoring.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Historic Win for Foster Youth and Families: A New Medicaid Benefit Becomes Reality
Los Angeles, CA, June 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Special Needs Network is proud to announce a major policy victory that will change lives across California. Thanks to our leadership and collaboration with state partners, a brand-new Medicaid benefit – the Fee-for-Service Behavioral Health Treatment (FFS BHT) benefit – will launch statewide on July 1, 2025. The new provider enrollment portal is open so providers can be ready to serve patients day one. SNN will be ready. 'This is a monumental step forward for California's foster youth and families,' said Areva Martin, President of Special Needs Network. 'Creating a brand-new Medicaid benefit in record time shows what's possible when community advocates, policymakers, and government agencies work together. We are proud that Special Needs Network's leadership helped drive this historic change — and we remain committed to ensuring that every child gets the care and support they deserve.' This breakthrough ensures that foster youth and all other children needing behavioral health therapy will finally have direct access to services under Medi-Cal, with more providers available and fewer barriers to care.,. Access will no longer be determined by whether a child has a managed care plan or FFS Medi-Cal or whether they are served by a regional center or not. Creating this new benefit involved: Securing federal approval for a new Medicaid State Plan. Building a statewide provider enrollment system. Establishing new billing codes and payment systems. Ensuring access for smaller community organizations and paraprofessionals. Eliminating referral barriers for families, physicians, and courts. SNN played a critical role at every step, providing technical expertise, real-world feedback, and advocacy that state officials have called 'invaluable.' Although the benefit launches July 1, work continues to refine the system and fully support providers, youth, and families. SNN will remain deeply involved in training, communications, system improvements, and monitoring to ensure a smooth rollout and lasting success. Priority processing is available through June 30. See the FAQs for providers here 'This win represents one of the fastest and most significant Medicaid benefit developments in California history — and it was fueled by SNN's dedication to children, families, and equitable access to care,' said Kristin Jacobson, a policy expert and long-time advocate who participated in this effort on behalf of SNN. To submit a PAVE application, agencies need to visit the PAVE (Provider Application and Validation for Enrollment) system portal: _________________________________________________________________________ (SNN) is a nonprofit grassroots organization responding to the crisis of autism and other developmental disabilities in underserved communities. We recognize the intersectionality of individuals with disabilities and that their fight for disability rights is inextricably tied to the fight for racial justice and the civil rights of all people. CONTACT: Special Needs Network communications@
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
House GOP secures four key witnesses in Biden mental-decline probe as former aides agree to talk
Four former Biden aides have agreed to voluntarily testify in House Oversight Republican's investigation into an alleged cover-up of former President Joe Biden's mental decline and potentially unauthorized issuance of sweeping pardons and other executive actions. The four voluntary, transcribed interviews, confirmed today by a GOP Oversight Committee aide, will include the director of Biden's former Domestic Policy Council, Neera Tanden, Biden's assistant and senior advisor to the first lady, Anthony Bernal, former special assistant to Biden and Deputy Director of Oval Office Operations, Ashley Williams, and Biden's Deputy Chief of Staff, Annie Tomasini. Comer Widens Biden 'Cover-up' Probe, Seeks Interviews With Anita Dunn And Ron Klain Tanden will appear before the House Oversight Committee on June 24, Bernal two days later on June 26, while Williams will testify July 11 and Tomasini on July 18. News of the voluntary testimonies comes after Biden's former White House doctor, Kevin O'Connor, declined to sit for a transcribed interview on June 27, according to Oversight Committee Republicans leading the probe. As a result of O'Connor's refusal to voluntarily testify, House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., served him with a subpoena to compel his testimony. Read On The Fox News App Biden's Personal Doctor Summoned As Republicans Dig Deeper Into Alleged Cognitive Decline Cover-up Comer began an investigation into whether those comprising Biden's inner-circle knowingly colluded to hide the former president's declining mental acuity and used methods to circumvent the former president when it came to the issuance of important orders, particularly through the use of an autopen tool used to mimic the president's signature. Last week, President Donald Trump also ordered the Department of Justice to open an investigation into the matter. The president directed Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House counsel David Warrington to handle the investigation. In response to the Trump administration's call for an investigation, Biden declared he was the only one who "made the decisions" during his presidency and called Trump's efforts a "distraction." "Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency. I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn't is ridiculous and false," Biden said. "This is nothing more than a distraction by Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans who are working to push disastrous legislation that would cut essential programs like Medicaid and raise costs on American families, all to pay for tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy and big corporations." Fox News Digital reached out to the former president's office for comment on this new development, but did not hear back in time for article source: House GOP secures four key witnesses in Biden mental-decline probe as former aides agree to talk
