The Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) is a model of home-based care that allows Medicaid-qualified individuals to recruit, hire, train, and supervise their own personal assistants, including certain family members or friends. This approach grants recipients significant control over their care schedule, moving away from traditional agency-managed services. Many people searching for this model in Florida seek the flexibility to pay a trusted loved one for care. Understanding whether this program, or an equivalent, is available requires a look at Florida’s specific Medicaid structure.
The Direct Answer: Why CDPAP is Not Available in Florida
The Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) is a specific program name tied exclusively to New York State’s Medicaid structure. Because each state administers its Medicaid system differently, the exact name and program structure are not transferable to Florida. Florida does not offer a program officially named CDPAP.
Despite the name being unique to New York, the fundamental concept of self-directed personal assistance is available to eligible Florida residents. Florida’s Medicaid system provides options that allow for the hiring and payment of family members, including spouses and adult children, to act as caregivers. This framework preserves the core benefit of the CDPAP model—consumer control over caregiver selection—under a different state-specific system.
Florida’s Alternative: The Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Program
Long-term care services in Florida are primarily administered through the Statewide Medicaid Managed Care (SMMC) Long-Term Care (LTC) program. This system is designed to provide home and community-based services to eligible individuals who require a nursing facility level of care, allowing them to remain in their homes. Participation in the SMMC-LTC program is mandatory for most Medicaid recipients needing these long-term services.
The SMMC-LTC program operates by having the state contract with various private Managed Care Organizations (MCOs), such as Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) or Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs). Eligible recipients must enroll in one of these MCOs, which then become responsible for coordinating and delivering the full range of approved services. This structure delegates the administration of care to private health plans.
These managed care plans are required to offer various long-term care services, including personal care, homemaker services, and respite care. Crucially, the plans must also include a self-directed option, providing the functional equivalent of the CDPAP model. This option allows the recipient to manage certain services themselves, choosing their own provider rather than relying on an agency network.
Accessing Self-Directed Care Options in Florida
Within the Statewide Medicaid Managed Care framework, the self-directed option is officially known as the Participant-Directed Option (PDO). This choice empowers the enrollee, or a representative acting on their behalf, to recruit, hire, train, schedule, and supervise their own direct service workers. The PDO allows for the hiring of specific family members, including a spouse or an adult child, to be paid for providing care services like personal care and homemaking.
Eligibility Requirements
To access the SMMC-LTC program and the PDO, individuals must meet several eligibility requirements. Applicants must be Florida residents. They must also be either 65 or older, or between 18 and 64 and designated as disabled by the Social Security Administration. A medical assessment must confirm the applicant requires a “nursing facility level of care,” which is determined by the Comprehensive Assessment and Review for Long-Term Care Services (CARES) unit.
Application Process
The application process begins with contacting the local Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) for an initial screening. This screening places the applicant on a waitlist based on their priority score. Once a slot becomes available and medical eligibility is confirmed by the Department of Elder Affairs (DOEA), the applicant must also meet the financial eligibility criteria set by the Department of Children and Families (DCF). After approval, the recipient selects a Managed Care Plan and then opts for the Participant-Directed Option (PDO) during the care planning process.