Florida Budget Highlights: Items Impacting the I/DD Community

FY 2026-27 Florida Budget Highlights: Items Impacting the I/DD Community

Click here to read

Click here to subscribe

The Florida Legislature has passed the fiscal year 2026-27 General Appropriations Act which includes several items that will affect services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, their families, providers, and advocates. The budget now heads to the Governor. He will have 15 days to act once he receives it and may use line-item veto authority to remove specific appropriations while leaving the rest of the bill intact.

What’s in the Budget

Important: These highlights reflect the budget as passed by the Florida Legislature. The Governor has not yet acted on any of the items below.

iBudget Waiver:

• $2.3 billion total (note that this figure includes estimated Federal Medicaid matching funds based on Social Services Estimating Conference FMAP estimate).
• $10 million to expand the iBudget waiver.
• $22.8 million for a uniform provider rate increase (total includes estimated Federal Medicaid matching funds based on Social Services Estimating Conference FMAP estimate).
• Any unspent funds from the current year are reappropriated into a lump sum category. The agency can submit budget amendments to request release of funds.
• Conforming bill language requires transfer of funds from AHCA to APD to cover costs of people who transfer from the Managed Care Pilot program (ICMC) to the iBudget waiver (HB 5301E, section 20).Managed Care Pilot Program (ICMC):
• $141.4 million total budget. This is a $28.8 million increase over the current year operating budget.
• The above amount does not include funds in the current year budget for the program that will revert and will be reappropriated per section 68 of the General Appropriations Act.
• Conforming bill language requires transfer of funds from APD to AHCA to cover costs of people who transfer from the iBudget waiver to the Managed Care Pilot program (ICMC) (HB 5301E, section 20).

iConnect Replacement:

• $33.5 million to procure and replace iConnect; $31.5 million of this initially placed in reserve.
• Remaining $2 million released to competitively procure assistance to develop system architecture and business process design; develop functional and technical requirements; develop implementation roadmap with milestones; identify project risks and develop mitigation strategies; and provide procurement support.
• Project will be subject to oversight by a certified project management professional from the Florida Digital Service.
  $1.6 million non-recurring to continue iConnect during procurement of new system.
• Proviso language included in budget to prohibit agency from monitoring for iConnect compliance or pursuing associated recoupments.
• Language that allows providers to maintain documentation in their own data systems and electronically transfer to APD in lieu of direct entry into iConnect was readopted.Institutions:
• $27.5 million from prior year surplus funds in the iBudget waiver which were reappropriated into a lump sum category transferred to the civil institutions to support salary payments.
• $2 million for fixed capital outlay for civil institutions.
• $5 million to continue project to design and construct a new forensic facility to replace the current facility at Chattahoochee.

Other Key Budget and Policy Changes:

• Proviso language provides for a roughly 2.8% increase to the personal needs allowance for individuals who receive a room and board subsidy payment from APD, from $174.06 to $178.92.
• $150 million General Revenue from prior year surplus funds in the iBudget waiver which were reappropriated to APD in a lump sum were swept back into the state General Revenue fund. Combined with the additional $27.5 million transferred from the lump sum to the institutions, this will leave an estimated $278.5 million in General Revenue plus the amount that will revert and be reappropriated at the end of the current fiscal year in the lump sum.
• Unspent funds in Individual and Family Supports, Room and Board Payments, the incident management system, the managed care pilot program, and the iBudget waiver are reappropriated for FY 2026-27.
• The conforming bill (HB 5301E, section 4) establishes monthly reimbursement for Life Skills Development 3 and 4 (ADT) for clients who attend for 80 or more hours in the month and an hourly rate for people who attend for less than 80 hours.
• The conforming bill also establishes a program within the Department of Children and Family Services to provide assistance to people with disabilities in becoming Medicaid eligible (HB 5301E, section 16).