The short answer: Florida's Medicaid long-term care program can help pay for care in assisted living, but people living at home or in assisted living usually can't enroll straight away. They first call their local Aging and Disability Resource Center at 1-800-96-ELDER (1-800-963-5337) for a screening, receive a priority score, and wait to be released from the list. Release is based on that score, not on how long you have waited. Since July 2026, Florida law calls it a "pre-enrollment list," but most state pages and families still say waitlist.
Here is how it works, who qualifies, and what to do while you wait.
What is the Medicaid long-term care program?
The Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Long-Term Care program (SMMC LTC) delivers long-term care through private health plans that contract with the state. By law, those plans must cover, at a minimum, "nursing facility care" and "services provided in assisted living facilities" (s. 409.98).
In assisted living, Medicaid pays for services such as personal care, not rent: the state's coverage policy excludes "room and board payments to ALFs or adult family care homes" (rule 59G-4.192). The program is large; as of April 30, 2026, 166,181 people were enrolled, 116,521 of them receiving care at home or in the community rather than in a nursing home (Florida House bill analysis).
Who qualifies?
There are three tests (s. 409.979):
- Age or disability: 65 or older, or 18 or older and eligible for Medicaid because of a disability.
- Medical need: the state's CARES program must find that the person needs nursing facility level of care.
- Money: the person must qualify for Medicaid financially.
For 2026, Florida's limits for an individual in this program are $2,982 a month in income (300% of the 2026 federal SSI rate of $994) and $2,000 in countable assets (DCF standards, July 2026; SSA). People whose income is above the cap can still qualify by setting up a Qualified Income Trust, an irrevocable trust that receives the extra income (DCF fact sheet). Spouses who stay at home are protected by separate allowances. Because the financial rules are detailed, many families talk to an elder law attorney before applying.
How do you get on the list?
Step 1: Call for a screening. Contact your local Aging and Disability Resource Center at 1-800-96-ELDER. The screening takes about 45 minutes to an hour and covers your parent's health and day-to-day needs.
Step 2: Get a priority score. Florida's Department of Elder Affairs ranks people with "a frailty-based screening tool that results in a priority score" (s. 409.979). Under rule 59G-4.193, scores fall into ranks:
| Rank | Priority score or category | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | 0–29 | Low priority; not placed on the list |
| 3 | 30–39 | Placed on the list |
| 4 | 40–45 | Placed on the list |
| 5 | 46 or higher | Placed on the list, highest score band |
| 6–8 | Aging out of a children's program, imminent risk, or a high-risk Adult Protective Services referral | Special priority categories |
Step 3: Keep the screening current. People with higher scores are rescreened every year or when their situation changes significantly. Call the ADRC again whenever your parent's health or living situation changes, such as a fall, a hospital stay, a new dementia diagnosis or a caregiver who can no longer help. A higher score moves them up.
How does release from the list work?
People are released in priority order. As the state puts it, release "is not based on how long a person's name is on the wait list." When scores are tied, whoever was placed on the list first goes first.
After release, the timeline is tight, according to the Department of Elder Affairs:
- The local Area Agency on Aging has 14 days to contact you.
- You have 30 days to return a physician's form, and 30 days to apply for Medicaid through the Department of Children and Families.
- A CARES assessor completes a face-to-face assessment to confirm nursing facility level of care.
- Once DCF approves financial eligibility, your parent chooses a long-term care plan.
If the agency can't reach you, you have 30 days to respond before being removed from the list. Make sure the ADRC has a phone number that someone actually answers.
Is anyone exempt from the waitlist?
Yes, a few groups skip the screening and list entirely (s. 409.979(3)(f)):
- Nursing home residents who have lived in a nursing home for at least 60 consecutive days and want to move back to the community, including to assisted living.
- Young adults aged 18 to 20 who depend on 24-hour medical, nursing or health supervision.
- High-risk Adult Protective Services referrals placed in an assisted living facility with DCF funding.
There is no general exemption for people leaving the hospital. If your parent has been in a nursing home for 60 consecutive days or more, for example after a hospital stay, ask the nursing home's social worker about the transition exemption.
What can families do while waiting?
- Optional State Supplementation (OSS): a monthly payment from DCF for low-income residents of assisted living facilities and adult family-care homes, meant for room and board.
- Community Care for the Elderly (CCE): state-funded services at home for people "age 60 or older and functionally impaired" (DOEA).
- Home Care for the Elderly (HCE): support for families caring for an older relative at home, including "a basic subsidy of $160 per month" (DOEA).
- PACE: in areas where it's available, a person "may be served by PACE while on the waitlist for another program" (DOEA).
- VA Aid and Attendance: monthly payments added to a VA pension for wartime veterans and surviving spouses who need help with daily activities. See our guide to VA Aid and Attendance for assisted living.
Many families pay privately in the meantime. Our guides to how to pay for assisted living in Florida and whether Medicare helps cover the other options.
Tips that make a difference
- Call early. Screening is free and doesn't commit you to anything. A place on the list can only help.
- Be complete on the screening call. Mention every difficulty: falls, memory problems, help needed with bathing or medications, and how much care family members are providing.
- Report every change. A new diagnosis or a caregiver's own health problems can raise the score.
- Check that the assisted living facility accepts Medicaid long-term care plans. Not all do, and room and board will still be due. Ask which plans the facility works with before you commit.
To find licensed facilities near your parent, browse our Florida directory, which lists 3,006 licensed assisted living facilities across 54 counties as of October 2026. For how Medicaid fits with the rest of the system, see Does Medicaid pay for assisted living in Florida?
