The iBudget Waiver Handbook is the Florida Medicaid Developmental Disabilities Individual Budgeting Waiver Services Coverage and Limitations Handbook. The current version is dated May 2023, and it has the force of rule: Rule 59G-13.070, F.A.C., incorporates it by reference. It defines every service the iBudget waiver covers, who may provide it, how it must be documented and billed, and what training providers need. If a reviewer cites you, the standard almost always lives here.
Quick facts
- Official title
- Florida Medicaid Developmental Disabilities Individual Budgeting Waiver Services Coverage and Limitations Handbook
- Current version
- May 2023
- Adopted by
- Rule 59G-13.070, F.A.C. (AHCA) — last amended April 30, 2025, still incorporating the May 2023 handbook
- Where to download it
- AHCA's Medicaid “Adopted Rules – Service-Specific Policies” page, under Rule 59G-13.070
- Earlier versions
- September 2015 (new), then revised July 2017, June 2018, September 2020, September 2021, and May 2023
- Newer version pending?
- None found as of September 27, 2026 — no rule-development or proposed-rule notice for a new handbook
What's in the handbook
Introduction to the Handbook
The handbook's purpose and scope within Florida Medicaid policy.
Chapter 1 — Qualifications and Enrollment
Who may provide iBudget services and how to enroll, along with the definitions (APD, AHCA, service families and more) used throughout the book.
Chapter 2 — Covered, Limited, and Excluded Services
The service-by-service core of the book: each service's definition, limits, exclusions, and provider requirements, organized into eight service families.
Chapter 3 — Reimbursement and Fee Schedule
How services are reimbursed. The rates themselves live in a separate rate table adopted under Rule 59G-13.081.
Appendix A — Billing and Documentation Requirements
The per-service documentation and billing rules — the appendix auditors and billing staff reach for most.
Appendices B and C — Training Requirements
The training every iBudget waiver provider needs (B) and the additional service-specific training (C).
Appendix D — APD Regional Offices
The regional offices that handle provider enrollment and local oversight.
Appendices E–I — Incorporated forms
The AHCA forms the rule adopts by reference alongside the handbook.
Appendix J — Minimum Technical Requirements for iConnect
What a provider needs to use APD iConnect, the state's documentation and EVV system.
The eight service families
Chapter 2 sorts every covered service into eight families: Life Skills Development, Supplies and Equipment, Personal Supports, Residential Services, Support Coordination, Wellness and Therapeutic Supports, Transportation, Dental Services. The family names come up in training quizzes and in review tools, and they're the fastest way to find a service in the book. For what each service actually is, in plain language, see iBudget waiver services, explained.
The iBudget waiver in brief
The iBudget waiver is Florida's Medicaid home and community-based services waiver for people with developmental disabilities, established by section 393.0662, F.S. AHCA is the state Medicaid agency responsible for it; APD runs it day to day. APD's August 2026 enrollment report counted 37,812 people enrolled and 15,401 on the pre-enrollment list as of August 3, 2026.
Each person gets an individual budget. APD sets it with an allocation algorithm (Rule 65G-4.0214, F.A.C.) that weighs age, living setting, and specific items from the QSI assessment, plus any approved significant-additional-needs funding. The budget becomes a cost plan and service authorizations, and providers deliver and bill against those — paid at the rates in the iBudget rate table.
The parts providers use most
Owners and compliance leads live in four places. Chapter 1 for qualifications when you add a service or hire. Your services' Chapter 2 entries for limits and provider requirements. Appendix A for what each service's documentation must contain — the standard behind most Provider Discovery Review record findings. And Appendices B and C for staff training, the source of most personnel-file findings.
Turning the handbook into daily practice
The handbook tells you what every file must hold; the hard part is keeping hundreds of files that way. Waiversoft is the EHR for Florida APD iBudget agencies built around those requirements: the staff file and consumer record checklists built in, expiration tracking on every training, and visit notes written at the visit.
Frequently asked questions
What is the current iBudget Waiver Handbook?
The Florida Medicaid Developmental Disabilities Individual Budgeting Waiver Services Coverage and Limitations Handbook, May 2023. It's adopted by Rule 59G-13.070, F.A.C.; the rule was last amended April 30, 2025, but that amendment kept the May 2023 handbook. As of September 27, 2026 no newer version has been proposed.
Where can I download the iBudget Handbook?
From AHCA's Florida Medicaid “Adopted Rules – Service-Specific Policies” page, listed under Rule 59G-13.070. The same document is also linked from the rule's page on flrules.org. Check the version date on the cover — May 2023 is current.
What are the eight iBudget service families?
Life Skills Development, Supplies and Equipment, Personal Supports, Residential Services, Support Coordination, Wellness and Therapeutic Supports, Transportation, and Dental Services — the grouping Chapter 2 of the handbook uses for every covered service.
Who is in charge of the iBudget waiver — APD or AHCA?
Both, with different roles. AHCA is the single state Medicaid agency, responsible for administering the waiver and with final authority over its policies and handbooks. APD runs the waiver day to day. Section 393.0662, F.S., directs APD to administer the iBudget system in consultation with AHCA.
Is the CDC+ program covered by the iBudget Handbook?
No. Consumer-Directed Care Plus has its own handbook — the CDC+ Coverage, Limitations, and Reimbursement Handbook (October 2015), adopted by Rule 59G-13.088, F.A.C. A person must be an iBudget recipient before enrolling in CDC+.