State Assistance Programs for SSI Recipients, January 2004

Florida

State Supplementation

Mandatory Minimum Supplementation

No recipients.

Optional State Supplementation

Administration: State Department of Children and Families.

Effective date: January 1, 1974.

Statutory basis for payment: Florida Statutes, chapter 409.212.

Funding

Administration: State funds.

Assistance: State funds.

Passalong method: Maintaining payment levels at the March 1983 level.

Place of application: Local offices of the state Department of Children and Families.

Scope of coverage: Under the community care programs, an optional state supplement is provided to all aged, blind, or disabled persons who either receive SSI payments or meet all SSI criteria except for income and whose income does not exceed $623.40.

Resource limitations: Federal SSI regulations apply.

Income exclusions: Federal SSI regulations apply.

Recoveries, liens, and assignments: Amount of public assistance received after August 31, 1967, creates a debt against the estate of the aged, blind, or disabled recipient, and the state can file a claim after death. Homestead exempt during life of spouse or dependent children if occupied as a homestead. Claims are filed against the estate of individuals who received Medicaid on or after their 55th birthday.

Financial responsibility of relatives: None.

Interim assistance: State participates.

Payment levels: See Table 1.

Table 1. Optional state supplementation payment levels, January 2004 (in dollars)
Living arrangement	Combined federal and state		State supplementation
Living arrangement	Individual	Couple	Individual	Couple
Community care programs
Adult family care home ^a	642.40	. . .	78.40	. . .
Assisted living facility	642.40	b	78.40	b
Medicaid facility ^c	35.00	70.00	5.00	10.00
NOTE: . . . = not applicable.
a. Payments include $54 personal needs allowance. Recipients who lose SSI eligibility because of Social Security (Title II) benefit increases may continue to be eligible for state supplementation if they reside in a specific living arrangement and have income below income limits.
b. Couples are treated as two individuals the month after leaving an independent living arrangement.
c. Community providers enrolled to provide assistive care services can receive an additional payment from Medicaid recipients residing in their facilities.
DEFINITIONS: Adult family care home Serves up to five persons aged 18 or older, providing housing, food, and personal services. Assisted living facility Serves four or more persons aged 18 or older, providing housing, food, and personal services. Medicaid facility Includes recipients residing in a federal Code D living arrangement.

Number of recipients: See Table 2.

Table 2. Number of persons receiving optional state supplementation, January 2004
Living arrangement	Total	Aged	Blind	Disabled
All recipients	15,246	6,441	7	8,798
Community care programs
Adult family care home	432	144	0	288
Assisted living facility	9,474	3,827	5	5,642
Medicaid facility	5,340	2,470	2	2,868
NOTE: Includes certain grandfathered, non-SSI recipients who meet state eligibility criteria.

State Assistance for Special Needs

State does not provide assistance for special needs.

Medicaid

Eligibility

Criteria: SSI program guidelines (Title XVI).

Determined by: Social Security Administration.

Medically Needy Program

State provides a program for the aged, blind, and disabled medically needy.

Unpaid Medical Expenses

The Social Security Administration does not obtain this information.