[Music] so you're considering opening a home to help people with disabilities and you have questions this video will help answer some of your questions and probably generate some additional ones to ask it will cover what life looks like in a group home information on being an owner operator of an APD foster or group home how to get approved to provide services to those we serve so let's get started this next part is a description of facilities and who we serve so where our group homes located group homes are located within everyday neighborhoods and residential communities
throughout Florida they are not located in clusters of other group homes or near other locations where individuals with developmental disabilities receive other services in order to meet licensing requirements a home must meet the city or county zoning building and fire safety requirements and regulations the home can be owned or leased a home can be licensed for one to three people called the foster home or four to 15 people called a group home although most homes are licensed for no more than six people it is critical to contact your local APD office early on to talk
with them about the needs in your area they can help you understand what those needs are as each area does have its own unique needs whom do we serve in order to live in an APD licensed home a person must have one of the following developmental disabilities autism cerebral palsy spina bifida intellectual disabilities Down syndrome prader-willi syndrome and Phelan McDermid syndrome these disabilities must have occurred prior to age 18 and the person determined eligible by APD additionally children aged 3 to 5 who are at a high risk of developmental disability may also be served by
the agency the home could be licensed to serve children adults individuals with challenging behaviors or individuals with complex medical NEADS next we'll describe how a group or foster home is a family-like environment people living in group homes have all the comforts that you and I enjoy in our own homes their bedrooms reflect hobbies and preferences and allow them to enjoy their right to privacy there's nothing institutional about these home-like environments and you can utilize live-in caregivers too which can really make the facility feel like home now we want to introduce you to group home life
to some of the staff that work in this home and a great group of guys because we get more freedom we get into a lot of tivities and stuff like that and do things we normally don't do in a regular facility we must to get excited because we get to go on different places and do things you know like that and I love it here because the staff here are very great to us they treat us right I love doing help because I love this place because they were teaching me some new things that I
ain't never learned in my past in my life so they kind of helped me get up in the in the new world the next part is about the group home business before going into details about the application process it is important to know how you will get paid one form of payment is room and board for the apd client which covers our housing utilities and food apd clients generally receive a monthly third-party benefit such as Supplemental Security income or social security disability benefits from the Social Security Administration the monthly room and board payment is calculated
by taking out the clients personal needs allowance from their third party benefit first and then the allowable amount for room and board the current room and board payment information can be found on our website please see the address on the screen you will also receive payments for providing services to the clients such as residential habilitation and transportation and other services that you enroll to provide these services are built through the Medicaid Waiver and are paid to you the provider you can find the provider rate table on our website please see the address on the screen
when opening a group home there are four main tasks to complete apply for a facility license apply as a Medicaid Waiver provider provider enrollment apply for your Medicaid ID number so that you can build for services and ensure that your home meets the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services or CMS requirements it is very important that the license and waiver provider applications happen at the same time the application for a medicaid number is a step within the Medicaid Waiver provider application process please be aware that these processes can take six months or longer to get
everything completed so let's talk about the APD facility license application the following is a high-level overview of what is needed in the facility license application process establish your business will it be an LLC or a corporation for-profit or not-for-profit and who will be involved in your business and here's a tip when thinking about whether to have a partner in your business consider that it can be very beneficial to have someone help with the workload and also for secession planning also nonprofit organizations may be more likely to be eligible for grants and loans you'll need to
prove that you are financially able to operate the facility and business before you start to receive income from the new business since individuals choose their provider it could be months before you start receiving income while at the same time experiencing upfront costs of opening the home you'll need to complete successful background screenings create a budget that reflects projected income and expenses for the new facility you'll need to acquire a property will you Lisa home or purchase one the home can't be a mobile or manufactured home and consider the setting and neighborhood of the home before
selecting a property and talk with your local APD office for guidance early in the process work with your city and/or county officials regarding regulations zoning and permits and you will also need to work with the fire marshal for fire and safety requirements and there may be a sprinkler system and fire alarm required for the group home read and follow regulations that govern the business such as Florida administrative codes chapter 65 G to 65 G 7 and 65 G 8 and Florida Statutes chapter 393 utilize organizational skills to run a business and manage personnel hire a
good manager or you may choose to take on the role yourself and a very important one is hiring good staff this will require employee applicants to pass background screening and provide references checking references is very important to determine whether the applicant has the temperament good work ethic and ability to work with the apd clients Martha Harris is the program supervisor for celebration group pumps she has 20 years of experience and is going to share how to make your group home business a success so I decided to get in this career because I have family members
that have certain disabilities and because it was I was used to working already with my family members so it was easy to transition into it as a career and I have not regretted it and I've been doing it for over 20 years and it's a passion that I really really enjoy so if you're thinking about becoming a provider I think you should ask your questions ask yourself questions like this do I have the patience am I willing to go through the process that it takes to become a provider am I able to understand what my
clients need am I able to understand that what they need on a daily basis so we need to stop and ask that's their questions and sometimes I think we make decision based on the money it's not about the money it's about your passion and your compassion for your clients if you do not have that you won't be successful we're here to serve our clients because we love them we have a passion for them and we want to see them do better we want to see them transition into the community that's the whole priority next we'll
talk about waiver provider enrollment but first what does the term Medicaid Waiver mean Medicaid Waiver programs help provide services to people who would otherwise be in an institution nursing home or hospital to receive long-term care in the community the approval of federal medicaid waiver programs allows States to provide services to consumers in their homes and in their communities let's talk about the waiver provider enrollment application package the following is a high-level overview of what is needed in the process become familiar with the apd website and the I budget waiver handbook submit a completed APD waiver
provider application to include all applicable required elements visit the website on the screen for more details you will need a personal or business computer have basic computer skills and be able to navigate the internet you will need to successfully obtain an HCBS Medicaid provider number from the agency for health care administration or acha this is a step in the provider enrollment process and complete all applicable trainings next we'll talk about the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services or CMS certification the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have specific standards in which all a PD licensed
homes must be in compliance before the license is approved these standards ensure that the settings are home and community-based and fully support the person's rights within the home and with accessing the greater community additionally these standards promote individual choice in decision-making and ensuring the person's rights of privacy dignity respect and freedom are fully supported each region has a CMS compliance specialist who will work with you in making sure that your home meets the CMS standards before licensure is completed and please note that the previous lists are not a complete list of requirements for approval so
the next step is to contact your regional APD office and to find contact information you can go to our website at WWE do so our G and follow along on the screen you'll select locations select your region and find provider enrollment information for email and/or a telephone number and then get in touch to get started there's also some other helpful links here on the page that you might want to take advantage of we thank you for viewing this today and we hope to hear from you soon
