Bill > H1335

This bill requires the Department of Elderly Affairs (DEA) to establish and manage a statewide waitlist for individuals seeking home and community-based services through Florida's Medicaid long-term care managed care program. To determine priority for enrollment, the DEA will use a frailty-based screening tool that assigns a priority score, with older individuals on the waitlist receiving preference if scores are tied. The bill also defines terms like "authorized representative" (someone legally allowed to make decisions for a Medicaid recipient), "rescreening" (annual or change-triggered re-evaluations for waitlist placement), "screening" (the initial process to get a priority score), and "significant change" (events like illness, changes in living situation, or loss of a caregiver that might warrant a re-evaluation). Importantly, certain individuals, including those aged 18-20 with severe chronic conditions, nursing facility residents seeking to move to the community, and those referred by Adult Protective Services, will be given priority enrollment and will not need to go through the screening or waitlist process if they meet other eligibility requirements.