The short version: sign the Waiver Services Agreement, get every user into iConnect, make yourself findable to families and support coordinators, and never deliver a service without an authorization in iConnect. Document every service date, bill weekly, and build your records from day one — your first Provider Discovery Review arrives after six months of billing and looks back a full year.
The first 90 days, in order
Sign your agreement with APD
After your Medicaid provider number (Full enrollment) and pre-service training, you sign the Medicaid Waiver Services Agreement. Have your Medicaid number, proof of pre-service training, and your insurance declarations page ready. The agreement runs up to five years; either side can end it on 30 days' notice without cause, overpayments must be refunded within 60 days, and a change of ownership needs 60 days' notice.
Get into iConnect
APD's information security team creates accounts for business owners and sole proprietors; you then request logins for employees and assign roles through ID PASS, with identity proofing and multi-factor sign-in for every user. The ID PASS email expires after five days — resending takes a support ticket. There's no limit on users, but the Service Provider Worker role can't see claims. Before you serve anyone, owners and managers complete APD's “Requirements for All Waiver Providers” iConnect courses on TRAIN Florida.
Get found by families and support coordinators
Enrollment doesn't guarantee a single client — recipients choose among enrolled providers and can change at any time, with their waiver support coordinator (WSC) helping them locate options. You'll show up in APD's Provider Search (built from iConnect data), and in Qlarant's provider search once claims start flowing. You can market yourself, professionally and ethically — but not with lists that identify recipients, and never through pressure or undue influence. WSCs, for their part, must not steer choices.
Have the authorization, the plan, and a trained, screened worker
A service authorization must be in iConnect before you deliver the service — it's never approved retroactively. You'll see new and changed authorizations when you log in; the WSC sends the support plan within 30 days of its effective date. Every worker needs Level 2 screening and Zero Tolerance before serving anyone, HIPAA within 30 days, and the rest of the required courses within 90. Personal Supports and Respite workers also need EVV training and a device — you supply it.
Document it
A service log is required for each date of service, and documentation must be in iConnect before you bill. For Personal Supports and Respite, the worker's EVV clock-in and clock-out on the iConnect mobile site creates the service log; Companion isn't an EVV service. There's no fixed daily entry deadline, but a claim can't go out until the documentation is complete.
Submit your first claims
Claims are entered in iConnect, checked against your authorizations and cost plan, and sent to Florida Medicaid (FMMIS), which pays on a weekly cycle. Solo providers submit and see their own claims. You can bill up to a year from the date of service — but every week you wait is payroll you're carrying.
Expect your first Qlarant review
You become eligible for a Provider Discovery Review once you've rendered and billed services for at least six months. Qlarant sends a letter that a review will happen within 90 days and calls up to 30 days ahead; the review looks back 12 months. Everything you did in your first 90 days is in scope.
The mistakes that cost new providers the most
- Serving before the authorization is in iConnect. It can't be billed, and it won't be approved after the fact.
- Letting a new hire work before screening and Zero Tolerance. Both come before any service; the other trainings run on 30- and 90-day clocks.
- Documentation that trails the service. No log, no claim — and reviewers check timeliness too (see late documentation rules).
- Running past the authorized units. Track what's left on each authorization before you schedule.
- Building the files later. The staff file and consumer record your first review pulls are the ones you start this month.
Set up the system while it's small
Your first 90 days are the cheapest time to get organized — one or two clients, a handful of staff. Waiversoft is built for new Florida APD agencies: the staff-file and consumer-record checklists built in, training expiration tracking, authorization and unit tracking, caregiver scheduling with clock-in, and visit notes written at the visit — for $20 per consumer per month. Still deciding how to start? Compare solo vs. agency and what it costs to start.
Frequently asked questions
How do new APD providers get clients?
Recipients choose their providers, with their waiver support coordinator helping them find options — so new providers get chosen by being findable and reputable. You'll appear in APD's Provider Search once you're enrolled, and in Qlarant's provider search once you're billing. Professional, ethical marketing is allowed; using lists that identify recipients, pressure, or undue influence is not. You can't search iConnect for clients — you only see people you hold an authorization for.
Can I start services before the authorization is in iConnect?
No. The iBudget Handbook requires the service authorization before service delivery, and authorizations aren't approved retroactively. Services delivered without one can't be billed.
How long do I have to enter service logs in iConnect?
APD sets no fixed daily deadline — providers add documentation when it works for them — but documentation must be complete before you bill, and claims must be filed within a year of the service date. In practice, same-day entry is what keeps payroll and billing in step.
When will Qlarant review a new APD provider?
Once you've rendered and billed services for at least six months, you become eligible for a Provider Discovery Review. Qlarant sends a letter that the review will happen within the next 90 days and calls up to 30 days before, and the review covers the prior 12 months.
Does Companion (LSD 1) require EVV?
No. APD's iConnect FAQ lists Companion as a non-EVV service. EVV is required for Personal Supports, Respite, and nursing in non-licensed settings.