- The Villages Newcomers Series
- Florida Identification
- Federal & State Special Needs Assistance Programs
- The Villages Special Needs Community
There are many special needs programs available in Florida. We cannot list them all here, but we have compiled a list of many such agencies, advocates and services your fellow special needs residents and families are associated with and recommend. Go to our AFINS Services page and search the table for an agency, advocate or service that meets your needs.
Medicare
Medicare is federal health insurance for people 65 or older, and some people under 65 with certain disabilities or conditions. A federal agency called the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services runs Medicare. Because it’s a federal program, Medicare has set standards for costs and coverage. This means a person’s Medicare coverage will be the same no matter what state they live in.
If you currently have Medicare, your basic coverage will stay the same when you relocate to The Villages. It will not end or change, but you will need to find new healthcare providers who participate in Medicare. Please refer to the Medical Referrals page on our website for a list of healthcare providers recommended by fellow special needs Villages residents and their families.
Click here to learn how to apply for Medicare. Talk to a live agent Monday through Friday between 8:00am and 8:00pm Eastern Time (except federal holidays) at (844) 872-4681.
Medicaid/Florida Department of Children & Families
Applications for Medicaid are made through the Florida Department of Children & Families (DCF). Medicaid offers assistance for food (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)), health coverage (Medicaid), Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA), Optional State Supplementation (OSS), and more.
You cannot transfer your Medicaid benefits from one state to another, nor can you receive Medicaid benefits simultaneously in two states. You must close your Medicaid case, and hence your benefits, in your original state and then reapply for Medicaid here in Florida.
Lake County
- Local Office: 1300 Duncan Drive, Tavares, FL, 32778
- Phone: (352) 742-6330
Marion County
- Local Office: 3895 SW 13th St, Ocala, FL 34474
- Phone: (866) 762-2237
Sumter County
- Local Office: 901 Industrial Drive, Suite #110, Wildwood, FL 34785
- Phone: (352) 330-2162
Social Security Administration
If you are currently receiving Social Security benefits, you must update your address, telephone number, and bank account for direct deposit. If you have a Social Security Administration login account, you can make these changes online using the My Profile tab in your personal my Social Security account. Offices are busiest Mondays, the morning after a Federal holiday, and the first week of the month.
Lake & Sumter County
- Local Office: 900 N. 14th Street, Suite 100, Leesburg, FL 34748
- Phone: (866) 836-3623
Marion County
- Local Office: 933 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, FL 34470
- Phone: (877) 626-9911
Agency for Persons with Disabilities
In Florida the Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) is the agency that funds services for all intellectual and developmental disabilities. To be eligible for their services the applicant must be a Florida resident and have one of the following seven (7) developmental disabilities: autism, cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities, Down syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, Phelan Mcdermid syndrome, or spina bifida. The intellectual or developmental disability must have manifested itself before the age of 18 and be a substantial handicap that can reasonably be expected to continue indefinitely.
APD maintains a Wait List of individuals requesting services under the Medicaid Developmental Disabilities Home and Community-Based Services Waiver (known as “iBudget”). The Wait List includes seven (7) categories of crisis level. Category 1 is the highest priority and category 7 is the lowest priority. You can review the Wait List category crisis levels and qualifications here.
You must apply for APD services even if you received services elsewhere. You will initially need to provide documented proof of intellectual or developmental disability, such as school records, testing, or medical records. In completing the application describe the worst day as an every day occurrence to help push your case into the priority crisis level. You should also write your personal story to submit with the application.
As part of their eligibility evaluation APD will perform a Questionnaire for Situational Information (QSI) test to assess the applicant’s abilities, behaviors, self-care, life safety and so on. The information provided in your application, along with the provided documentation, and the QSI test results determine if the applicant is eligible for APD services and which Wait List category the applicant will be placed. You can review the Pre-enrollment Prioritization Tool ADP uses to determine eligibility and Wait List placement here.
Once on the Wait List, the applicant can receive limited services with state-funded programs. Clinical eligibility has been determined so that when funding becomes available, or the applicant or family encounter a crisis event, a full array of services can be made available.
You can learn more about APD by attending AFINS meetings every other Tuesday. See the calendar at afins.group for details. For complete details on how to apply for the iBudget Waiver you may also want to read our series Navigating The Medicaid iBudget Waiver.
APD applications are now available for download online. You can drop off your completed application at the APD Field Office 13, listed below, or mail it directly to the Central Region Office at 400 West Robinson Street, Suite S430, Orlando, FL 32801.
APD Field Office 13 services Lake, Marion and Sumter counties.
- Location: 901 Industrial Drive, Suite 100, Wildwood, FL 34785
- Phone: (407) 245-0440
