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APD Wins Medicaid Grant

TALLAHASSEE, FL - The Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) has been awarded a Medicaid Infrastructure Grant (MIG) from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) within the federal Department of Health and Human Services. The $650,000 grant will be used for a statewide initiative to improve competitive employment for people with disabilities. APD is eligible to receive the MIG grant for the next three years.

One of the APD initiatives supported by the funding is a work incentive program that allows people with disabilities to remain eligible for Medicaid while they are working. Losing healthcare coverage is one of the biggest deterrents for people with disabilities to go to work. The high cost of personal care assistance is also a deterrent to work. Another effort involves expanding the state’s funding of personal care assistant (PCA) services to people who are working. Some people need a PCA to help them get out of bed, shower, dress, and eat breakfast so they can go to work each morning.

APD Director Jane Johnson said, "Helping people with disabilities go to work is a top priority for our agency. We are thrilled to have been selected to win this federal grant providing us with funding to promote this important initiative. More than 60 percent of people with disabilities who want to work cannot find employment. APD is working to change that statistic and this money will help us achieve that goal."

The Agency for Persons with Disabilities currently serves more than 35,000 Floridians with the developmental disabilities of autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation, Prader-Willi syndrome, and spina bifida. For more information about the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, call 1-866-APD-CARES (1-866-273-2273) or visit apd.myflorida.com.