SpectrumBeaconSource check: September 12, 2026. This review covers the Model Waiver distinction and the coverage routes below. Florida’s current TEFRA state-plan status remains unconfirmed. Next review planned: October 12, 2026. This guide provides navigation, not an individual eligibility decision.
Florida’s Model Waiver
Model Waiver conditions
Florida DCF describes a Model Waiver formerly known as the Katie Beckett Waiver. Its listed scope is people under 21 with degenerative spinocerebellar disease who need hospital-level care. This is not a general autism eligibility route. The separate TEFRA state-plan question needs current confirmation from Florida Medicaid.
VerifiedSource: Florida DCF, July 2025 SSI-Related Medicaid Fact Sheet · How we verify
An autism diagnosis alone does not establish the listed Model Waiver conditions. Ask DCF or AHCA about the program appropriate to the child’s circumstances.
The separate TEFRA question
The TEFRA state-plan option and a home and community-based services waiver are different Medicaid authorities. Their financial, care-level and enrollment rules need a program-specific check.
Unconfirmed: this review did not establish Florida’s current TEFRA state-plan status from a current primary source. The earlier blanket statement that Katie Beckett is not a Florida waiver has been corrected because DCF identifies a Model Waiver that formerly used that name.
Other coverage routes to check
Ask DCF or KidCare to assess the available coverage routes. MediKids and Healthy Kids also offer full-pay options. SSI has separate disability and financial rules. For iBudget, parental deeming does not apply, but the applicant’s own financial and other eligibility conditions still do. An APD application does not guarantee a waiver place.
- KidCare: age and financial conditions differ by program. MediKids and Healthy Kids also offer full-pay options.
- SSI: ask SSA to assess disability and household finances. A single income example is not a universal cutoff.
- APD and iBudget: establish APD eligibility, then confirm waiver requirements and enrollment status. See DCF’s financial eligibility manual for the parental-deeming distinction.
- Early Steps: request an evaluation for a child under 3. Early intervention access is a separate question from Medicaid enrollment.
Questions to bring to the agency
- What is the exact program name and current application?
- Which age, financial and care-level rules apply?
- Does the program count parental income? What applicant income and resource rules remain?
- Is there a separate enrollment or funding limit after eligibility?
- Which written decision and appeal instructions will we receive?
Common questions
Does Florida have Katie Beckett Medicaid?
Florida DCF describes a Model Waiver formerly known as the Katie Beckett Waiver. Its listed scope is people under 21 with degenerative spinocerebellar disease who need hospital-level care. This is not a general autism eligibility route. The separate TEFRA state-plan question needs current confirmation from Florida Medicaid.
Florida DCF, July 2025 SSI-Related Medicaid Fact Sheet. Checked September 12, 2026.
Is the Model Waiver the same as iBudget?
No. DCF lists the Model Waiver separately from iBudget. Model Waiver eligibility includes degenerative spinocerebellar disease and hospital-level care. iBudget has its own developmental-disability, financial and enrollment conditions.
Florida DCF, July 2025 SSI-Related Medicaid Fact Sheet. Checked September 12, 2026.
What if our income is above a subsidized coverage limit?
Ask KidCare which coverage routes fit the child’s age and household finances. MediKids and Healthy Kids offer full-pay options as well as subsidized coverage for eligible children.
Florida KidCare program descriptions. Checked September 12, 2026.