Life Skills Development 1 — still called Companion by most providers — is non-medical care, supervision and socialization for adults 21 and older, aimed at the goals in their support plan and at independent access to the community. It's billed by the quarter hour, needs no EVV, and is capped along with the other Life Skills Development services at 56 hours a week. Its hardest rule is on paper: every service log has to describe that day's actual, person-centered work.
At a glance
- Formerly called
- Companion services
- Who can receive it
- Adults 21 and older
- Where
- The person's own home, the family home, or the community
- Never
- In your home or your relative's or friend's home
- Ratio
- 1:1, 1:2 or 1:3 (never more than the authorization or three)
- Units
- Quarter hours — up to 64 a day; no day rate
- Weekly cap
- 56 hours of all Life Skills Development services combined
- EVV
- Not an EVV service — document it in iConnect
Where it fits — and where it doesn't
Companion happens in the person's home, the family home, or the community. Residents of licensed facilities can receive it only during community activities, and only when it doesn't duplicate what the facility's license already requires. Transportation is part of the rate. Like every iBudget service, it can't be billed at the same time as another service unless APD authorizes it. It belongs to the Life Skills Development family alongside supported employment, adult day training and prevocational services — see all iBudget services.
Who can deliver it
Solo providers, agencies, and licensed home health or hospice agencies can offer Companion; no license is required. Staff meet the same bar as Personal Supports: 18 or older, a high school diploma or GED, and one year of relevant experience or the college or vocational substitute. Relatives can't be paid for it. Training is the core set plus medication administration or behavioral emergency procedures when the person needs them, and 4 hours of annual in-service — see staff training requirements.
Documentation
A service log for each date, entered in iConnect before you bill: worker, person, service, date, time in and out, what you did, and any health or safety follow-up. There's no implementation plan or quarterly summary for Companion (those belong to adult day training and prevocational services). Because it's not an EVV service, the log goes on the person's Provider Documentation tab — one record per person per ratio each day.
The rule that matters most: Qlarant never accepts duplicate Companion logs. Each one should show what the person chose, what goal you worked on, what happened in the community, and how it went. A log that could have been written for any day, or any person, fails.
Billing and rates
Quarter hours only — there's no day rate — up to 64 a day, inside the 56-hour weekly cap for all Life Skills Development. The agency rate needs two or more W-2 employees, shown by payroll.
| Ratio | Palm Beach, Broward, Dade solo / agency | All other counties solo / agency | Monroe solo / agency |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:1 | $5.31 / $5.69 | $5.31 / $5.69 | $5.31 / $5.69 |
| 1:2 | $3.33 / $4.44 | $3.27 / $4.20 | $3.94 / $5.22 |
| 1:3 | $2.77 / $3.67 | $2.71 / $3.50 | $3.27 / $4.34 |
APD iBudget rates effective July 1, 2026. Every service and region is in the searchable rate table.
The 14 standards Qlarant scores
From Qlarant's Life Skills Development 1 record review tool (version 5, July 2026). For the review, the September 2026 checklist asks for service logs, support plans, six months of payroll if you bill the agency rate, and evidence of choices, goal progress, community participation, rights, and health.
- A complete service log for every billed date, including any health and safety follow-up, with units matching claims
- Approved authorizations covering the period at the correct rate
- The correct rate: solo vs. agency (backed by payroll), the right region, a group no larger than the authorization or three, and no more than 56 hours a week of all Life Skills Development
- Services billed only after they were delivered
- The person was 21 or older for the whole review period
- The right setting — community only for residents of licensed facilities; never the provider's, a relative's or a friend's home
- The person's choices and preferences
- Support-plan goals are addressed — and if the work drifts to a different goal, there's evidence of talking with the person and the WSC
- Progress toward goals is documented
- Community participation
- Rights
- Physical health
- Behavioral and emotional health, when there are concerns
- Varied, person-centered logs — duplicate logs are never acceptable for Companion
Writing logs that pass
The easiest way to get varied, person-centered logs is to write them at the end of each outing, while the details are fresh — not in a batch at the end of the week. Waiversoft's caregiver portal has staff clock in and out of each shift and write the visit note right there, tied to the person, the date and the authorization, so the record reflects the day it describes. For the other services in-home agencies offer, see Personal Supports and Respite.
Frequently asked questions
What is Life Skills Development 1 (Companion)?
Non-medical care, supervision, and socialization for adults 21 and older, tied directly to goals in their support plan. It gives access to community activities the person's natural supports can't provide — including volunteer and pre-work activities — with the aim of building independent community access. It can be scheduled regularly and long-term.
Does Companion (LSD 1) require EVV?
No. APD's iConnect FAQ lists Life Skills Development 1 as a non-EVV service. Document it in the person's Provider Documentation tab in iConnect — one record per person per ratio for each day.
How many hours of Companion can someone get?
What the support plan and cost plan authorize, within two caps: 64 quarter hours (16 hours) a day under the rate table, and 56 hours a week for all Life Skills Development services combined.
Can a relative provide Companion services?
No. The iBudget Handbook's exception that lets relatives who aren't legally responsible be paid covers only Personal Supports, Respite, and transportation. Companion has to come from a qualified provider who isn't a relative.
What's the difference between Companion and Personal Supports?
Personal Supports is hands-on help and training with daily living in the home, for adults (21+ in the family home, 18+ in their own home), and needs EVV in the home. Companion is supervision and socialization aimed at community access and support-plan goals, for adults 21+, with no EVV — and Qlarant never accepts duplicate Companion logs, while routine Personal Supports care can repeat.