Moving here
Moving to Florida with an adult son or daughter
A Medicaid waiver does not move with you. Home and community-based waivers are run state by state, and a place on one state's waiver does not carry to another. Arriving in Florida means applying to the Agency for Persons with Disabilities here, as a Florida resident, and being considered on Florida's own terms.
That is the hard part, and we would rather you heard it from us now than found it out in March. The rest of this page is what actually helps — including one exemption and one piece of paperwork that most families are never told about.
Adults only. Our homes are for adults — 18 or older. APD serves children as well, but a Skycrest Place home is an adult home.
Three things Florida's rules actually say
All three are from Chapter 65G-4 of the Florida Administrative Code — the rules APD applies when it decides eligibility. Two of them are good news, and the first one changes how you plan the move.
You have to be here first
An applicant must “be a resident of and domiciled in the state of Florida.” You cannot get this settled from your current state and arrive with it done — which is the plan most families assume they can make. The application follows the move.
Rule 65G-4.015(2), F.A.C.
Unless you are a military family
“Dependents of active duty military personnel stationed in the state of Florida are exempt from residency and domicile requirements.” That is written into the same rule. If it describes your family, say so early and plainly when you apply — it is an exemption people miss because nobody mentions it.
Rule 65G-4.015(2), F.A.C.
Your existing evaluations may count
“Collateral information received from another state may be accepted if the evaluator is licensed through the same credentials required for licensure in Florida.” The psychological and medical documentation you have already paid for is worth gathering before you pack, not writing off. APD decides what it accepts.
Rule 65G-4.017(1)(e), F.A.C.
What to do before you move
- Get copies of every evaluation, not summaries. Names, credentials and dates on the reports themselves — that is what the rule above turns on.
- Ask your current evaluator what license they hold. Florida accepts out-of-state collateral information when the credentials match its own, so the answer is worth having in writing.
- Do not close out anything in your current state before you have to. You are not transferring a waiver, you are starting one, and the gap is real.
- Once you are here, establish residency and apply to APD straight away. Eligibility and funding are two decisions and both take time.
- Get a Waiver Support Coordinator as soon as you are able to. They are the person who can tell you which preenrollment category applies to you.
- Start looking at homes while you wait, not after. Visiting unhurried is the whole advantage of planning ahead — and we are glad to show you around long before anything is settled.
The rest of the picture
Rule text read from the adopted chapter on September 20, 2026; Chapter 65G-4 was last amended 30 August 2026. This explains what Florida's published rules say — it is not legal advice, and nothing here can tell you whether your family will qualify or how long you will wait. APD determines eligibility.
Questions families moving here ask us
Can you transfer a Medicaid waiver to another state?
No. Home and community-based Medicaid waivers are run state by state, and a place on one state's waiver does not carry to another. Moving to Florida means applying to Florida's Agency for Persons with Disabilities as a Florida resident and being considered here on Florida's own terms. Florida's rules say the same thing in the other direction: a client enrolled in the iBudget waiver is disenrolled when they move out of state.
Can I apply to Florida's APD before we move?
Generally no. Rule 65G-4.015(2), F.A.C. requires an applicant to be a resident of and domiciled in the state of Florida, in accordance with Sections 222.17(1) and (2), Florida Statutes. That means the application follows the move rather than preparing the ground for it — which is the single most common surprise for families planning a relocation. There is one exception, below.
Is there an exception for military families?
Yes, and it is written into the rule. Rule 65G-4.015(2), F.A.C. states that dependents of active duty military personnel stationed in the state of Florida are exempt from residency and domicile requirements. If that describes your family, say so early and clearly when you apply.
Will Florida accept the evaluations we already have from another state?
They may. Rule 65G-4.017(1)(e), F.A.C. provides that collateral information received from another state may be accepted if the evaluator is licensed through the same credentials required for licensure in Florida. So the psychological and medical documentation a family has already paid for is worth gathering before the move rather than assuming it is wasted. APD makes the call on what it accepts.
How long does it take once we get to Florida?
Nobody can honestly tell you, and be wary of anyone who does. Two separate decisions are involved — being found eligible, and being enrolled for waiver services — and the second runs through preenrollment categories that depend on your family's circumstances. A Waiver Support Coordinator can tell you which category applies once you are here.
Can my adult son or daughter move into your home while we wait for the waiver?
Talk to us rather than assume either way. Most residents are funded through the iBudget Medicaid Waiver, and what is possible before that is in place depends entirely on the individual situation. Call 727.254.1196 and tell us where you are in the process — we would rather give you a straight answer early than leave you guessing.
Do you take children?
No. Our homes are for adults, 18 or older. APD serves children as well, but a Skycrest Place home is an adult home.
Call us from wherever you are
You do not have to be in Florida to start the conversation, and we will not pretend the wait is shorter than it is. Call 727.254.1196 and tell us where you are in the process.