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Florida · checked September 2026
How Florida helps pay for long-term care, who to call when you need help or something's wrong, and how to check a facility before you sign.
The first question
Yes, for the care. Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Long-Term Care Program (SMMC LTC) helps pay for care in assisted living. Rent and meals are usually still paid by the resident, often from Social Security. There can be a waitlist, so ask to be screened early, before savings run out.
Florida's Medicaid rules for long-term care, and the programs that pay for care outside a nursing home.
$2,982
2026
300% of the 2026 SSI federal benefit rate ($994). Florida counts gross income. Above this amount a person needs a Qualified Income Trust (Miller trust) to qualify for nursing home care, the SMMC Long-Term Care program, or PACE. The $2,982 figure is from the federal CMS 2026 bulletin; DCF can confirm the current amount.
$2,000
2025
$2,000 for a single applicant ($5,000 if monthly income is $1,105 or less, per DCF fact sheet updated July 2025). A spouse living at home may keep more: in 2026 the community spouse resource allowance is up to $162,660 (federal maximum). The home is usually exempt up to the 2026 home equity limit.
Florida uses a hard income cap. People over it can still qualify by putting the extra income into a Qualified Income Trust (a "Miller trust") each month.
Look-back on gifts and transfers: 60 months.
Apply for Florida Medicaid
Florida Department of Children and Families (eligibility) and Agency for Health Care Administration (program)
This is how Florida Medicaid pays for care outside a nursing home, including assisted living, adult day care, respite and in-home help, through a private managed care plan. It pays for the care part of assisted living, not rent and meals, and it has a waitlist based on how frail the person is. Call the Elder Helpline to start the screening.
Waitlist: Yes. Everyone starts with a phone screening (about 45 to 60 minutes) through the local Aging and Disability Resource Center, reached at 1-800-963-5337. The screening gives a priority score. Scores 0 to 29 (Ranks 1 and 2) are Low Priority and are NOT placed on the waitlist; they get referred to other local help and can ask to be rescreened yearly or when things change. Scores 30 and up (Ranks 3 to 5) go on the waitlist. Release is by score and frailty, not by how long you have waited. Rank 6 (aging out), Rank 7 (Imminent Risk: nursing home placement likely within 1 to 3 months) and Rank 8 (Adult Protective Services high-risk referral) get expedited consideration. If your parent lives in a nursing home and wants to move back to the community, ask the Aging and Disability Resource Center whether they can skip the screening. People already in a nursing home on Medicaid are not on this waitlist. Get your screening results or rescreen whenever health gets worse, because the score drives release.
Florida's Optional State Supplementation (OSS) is a small monthly cash payment for low-income adults living in an assisted living facility, adult family care home or mental health residential facility, to help cover room and board. Apply through DCF, and ask DCF for the current payment amounts and how much the resident keeps for personal needs.
Free, and on your side. Start with the aging office if you don't know where to begin.
The state's aging office and its local agencies explain your options, screen for programs and help with applications.
A free, independent advocate for residents of nursing homes and assisted living. Call about any problem with care, rights, billing or a discharge.
You don't need proof to report. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.
24/7
Unbiased Medicare help from counselors who don't sell anything: plans, bills, appeals, and programs that lower costs.
Help spotting and reporting Medicare fraud, billing errors and scams.
In Florida, assisted living is licensed as: Assisted Living Facility (ALF). Read inspection reports before you sign anything.
Look up any licensed community and read its inspection reports online.
File a complaint
Medicare rates every nursing home on staffing, inspections and quality, with full inspection reports.
State veterans homes are often far cheaper than private care for eligible veterans and, in many states, their spouses.
Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs
Lake City
assisted living, domiciliary
Land O' Lakes
skilled nursing, memory care
Pembroke Pines
skilled nursing, memory care
Panama City
skilled nursing, memory care
Port Charlotte
skilled nursing, memory care
St. Augustine
skilled nursing, memory care
Port St. Lucie
skilled nursing, memory care
Free legal help for older adults on issues like benefits, housing, powers of attorney and elder abuse.
Can a family member be paid to provide care? Yes, in some programs.
Florida's Home Care for the Elderly program pays a live-in family caregiver a $160 monthly subsidy. For the SMMC Long-Term Care program, ask the managed care plan's case manager whether family members can be hired to give in-home care.
Pays a $160 monthly basic subsidy to help a family caregiver keep a low-income person 60 or older at home, plus possible extra help for supplies, medicines or equipment. The caregiver must live in the home. Apply through your local Aging and Disability Resource Center.
State-funded in-home help for people 60 and older who need help with daily tasks, including respite, adult day care, personal care, homemaker and meals. It is not Medicaid. Local agencies decide who is served first, and APS referrals get priority.
Respite care at home or in a facility (including emergency respite), plus caregiver training, counseling and support groups for families caring for someone with Alzheimer's or a related dementia. Ask how long a respite stay can last.
Trained volunteers give family caregivers a break at home, including evenings and weekends, especially for caregivers of homebound elders with Alzheimer's.
17 state-funded memory disorder clinics give diagnosis, referrals and caregiver training. Reach them through your local Aging and Disability Resource Center.
Statewide effort that builds dementia-friendly communities through local task forces tied to the Area Agencies on Aging and Memory Disorder Clinics.
Once released from the waitlist and found eligible, you choose a Long-Term Care plan. Choice counselors explain which plans cover your area and which assisted living facilities each plan contracts with.
Yes, for the care part. In Florida, Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Long-Term Care Program (SMMC LTC) can pay for care in assisted living. Rent and meals are generally paid by the resident. There can be a waitlist.
$2,000 for a single person (2025). $2,000 for a single applicant ($5,000 if monthly income is $1,105 or less, per DCF fact sheet updated July 2025). A spouse living at home may keep more: in 2026 the community spouse resource allowance is up to $162,660 (federal maximum). The home is usually exempt up to the 2026 home equity limit.
The Florida Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program: 1-888-831-0404. It's free and independent.
Researched from 35 sources, official pages first. Last checked .