Real Choice Systems Change

FLORIDA

Grant Information


Name of Grantee

Florida Department of Management Services, Americans with Disabilities Act Working Group

Title of Grant

Real Choice Partnership Project

Type of Grant

Real Choice Systems Change

Amount of Grant

$2,000,000

Year Original Funding Received

2001

Completed

Contact Information


Lloyd J. Tribley, Program Director
4050 Esplanade Way, Suite 160
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0950

850-922-4103
lloyd.tribley@myflorida.com

Subcontractor(s)

Health Management Associates (Medicaid Waiver Analysis)

United Way of Palm Beach County—Model Community (Healthy Community) pilot site serving Palm Beach County (urban/rural mix)

Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services, Inc.—Model Community (Healthy Community) pilot sites (2) serving Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties (urban) and Pasco County (rural)

University of Florida, Shimberg Center for Affordable Housing—Affordable and Accessible Housing Demographic Research (a component of a comprehensive coalition-driven research agenda)

Target Population(s)


Children and adults of any age who have a disability or long-term illness, who currently rely on long-term support systems, and who may be at risk due to insufficient community supports and/or who may be inappropriately placed in a restrictive setting.

Individuals of any age residing in three regional pilot project sites who have a disability or long-term illness, and who are eligible for services or at risk of institutionalization.

Goals


  • Create operational linkages among key stakeholders that result in improved communication, and better coordination of services for people with disabilities and long-term illnesses.
  • Improve the delivery of services to consumers by increasing access to providers and streamlining Medicaid services provided through four major waiver programs: the Aged and Disabled Adult Waiver, the Project AIDS Care Waiver, the Traumatic Brain Injury and Spinal Cord Waiver, and the Assisted Living for the Elderly Waiver.
  • Create a comprehensive single point of contact/inquiry to obtain information and links to state and local resources (Clearinghouse on Disability Information).
  • Implement three pilot projects to develop community capacity to assist people with disabilities and long-term illnesses to live in integrated community settings of their choice when appropriate.

Activities


  • Identify unnecessary barriers in state or federal policies and regulations that hinder or limit the effectiveness of waiver programs, and develop recommendations and implement strategies to address these barriers.
  • Expand the implementation of Florida's statewide Clearinghouse on Disability Information to function as the single point of data collection and information access on all aspects of the project.
  • Establish a statewide educational campaign on the Clearinghouse program, and develop a consumer feedback mechanism to track consumer satisfaction with the Clearinghouse services.
  • Analyze the benefits and costs of a statewide automated and accessible benefits screening program for professionals and consumers.
  • Create local grassroots long-term care resource networks in three demonstration areas, which will provide technical assistance and local community resources to address barriers and share best practices.
  • Create a housing initiative involving the disability and aging communities, housing administrators, and providers to increase housing choices for people with disabilities and long-term illnesses. This initiative will
    • establish partnerships and cross-train on the housing needs of people with disabilities and long-term illnesses and how to access housing resources;
    • develop an effective tool to assess the need for home modifications and assistive technology;
    • work with public housing agencies to submit mainstream voucher applications to HUD to increase the number of Section 8 vouchers available for people with disabilities and long-term illnesses; and
    • coordinate existing housing education initiatives to ensure that people with disabilities and long-term illnesses are included.

Abstract


Florida's Real Choice Partnership Project is designed to implement improvements in community long-term support systems that will enable people of all ages with disabilities or long-term illnesses to live and participate in their communities. The project is organized around four primary goals or objectives: create operational linkages among the key state agency stakeholders and service providers; streamline the delivery of services to consumers by increasing access to providers and coordinating services covered under Medicaid Waiver Programs; create a comprehensive single point of contact/inquiry for people with disabilities and/or long-term illnesses, caregivers, and service providers to obtain information and links to state and local resources (Clearinghouse on Disability Information); and develop community support networks and resources to assist people with disabilities and long-term illnesses to live in an integrated community setting.

Note: This Compendium form was not reviewed by the Grantee prior to publication.