A Guide for Families Navigating the APD Referral and Transition Process
If you're exploring group home placement for your loved one through Florida's Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD), the process can feel like a black box. You know your family member needs a safe, supportive place to live — but how does the system actually match them with the right home? Who decides what options are available? And what should you expect along the way?
Based on recent APD guidance, here is a clear look at how the referral and placement process works from start to finish.
It Starts with a Referral
When your loved one is ready for group home placement, their Waiver Support Coordinator (WSC) works with APD's residential referral team to initiate the process. APD sends the referral to all available group homes in the county where your loved one is requesting placement. This is an important detail: referrals are sent based on where the individual wants to live — not based on where a particular provider happens to have openings.
If there is not enough interest from homes in the requested area, the WSC can work with APD to expand the search to additional locations — but only through the proper process and with the family's input. Referrals cannot be shared outside the requested area without authorization first. This is a privacy protection built into the system.
How Referrals Are Matched
Referrals are matched based on several factors to help ensure the home can genuinely meet your loved one's needs:
- Behavioral designation — Standard clients are referred to standard group homes. Individuals with behavioral needs are matched to behavioral-focused or intensive behavioral homes, depending on the level of support required.
- Mobility needs — APD sends referrals broadly within the appropriate designation, including both ambulatory and non-ambulatory/nursing homes.
- Gender and age group — Group homes serve specific populations. If a provider wants to accept someone outside their licensed age range, a formal accommodation must be approved through licensing.
How Providers Respond — and What It Means for You
When a group home receives a referral, they review it and, if interested, reply to the referral email with specific information: the name and address of the home, a contact name and phone number, and details about how they can accommodate the individual. The WSC then shares that information with the family or guardian, who reaches out directly to the group home to schedule a visit.
APD's guidance to providers is clear: the more specific and informative the response, the faster the WSC can connect the family. A home that responds with its full details — location, accommodations, contact — is the one the family hears from first.
A meet-and-greet or tour is a standard part of the process. Your loved one deserves to see where they will be living and to feel comfortable with the people who will be providing their care before any decision is made.
The Transition Call
Once a home is selected and both parties confirm mutual acceptance, APD schedules a transition call — a planning meeting that brings together the group home, the WSC, APD staff, and in many cases the family or guardian. If the home is a behavioral-focused facility, the behavioral oversight staff must also be included.
During the transition call, the team works through:
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- Medications, health needs, and any changes in doctors
- The approved residential habilitation level
- Whether the individual will receive ADT (Adult Day Training) or companion services
- Behavioral support needs and strategies
- Room arrangements — private room, shared room, or room and board
- Items the individual will bring to the home (furniture, TV, personal belongings)
- The planned admission date
After the call, APD's residential referral coordinator sends out an admission form, and the WSC submits the service authorization. The move does not happen before the service authorization is in place.
Private Pay and Managed Care
Not everyone enters a group home through the standard APD referral process. Private pay clients can also be placed in a group home, but they must still meet qualification standards — that information is reviewed and approved through APD. Some individuals come through Florida's managed care programs (such as iACCMC). These clients have already been approved as APD-eligible, but their placement is coordinated through the managed care organization. In all cases, the individual must match the residential support level of the home they're entering.
What Families Should Keep in Mind
- Ask your WSC which homes responded to the referral and request their contact details.
- Schedule a visit before agreeing to placement. You and your loved one should see the home in person.
- During the transition call, ask questions about medications, staffing, daily routines, and how the home handles emergencies.
- Make sure the proposed move form is signed by you (or the legal guardian) and the WSC before the move takes place.
At Audubon Gardens Group, we respond to every referral with full details — because we believe a family's first impression of a home should be one of clarity and confidence, not uncertainty.
Related Articles
- What Happens When APD Monitors Visit a Group Home? — Understand the oversight system that keeps group homes accountable.
- Incident Reporting in Florida Group Homes — How incidents are reported, investigated, and resolved under APD rules.
About Audubon Gardens Group
Audubon Gardens Group operates two licensed 24-hour nursing residential care homes in Orlando, Florida — The Garden at Bennett and The Garden at Ibis. We serve medically acute and complex adults under Florida's APD iBudget Waiver, providing not just care, but a life genuinely worth living.
To learn more about our homes or begin a conversation about placement, visit aggcares.com or contact our team directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does group home placement take in Florida?
The timeline varies. Once a referral is issued, providers typically respond within days. The transition call and service authorization can take one to several weeks depending on how quickly a compatible home is found and whether documentation is current.
Can my loved one visit a group home before moving in?
Yes — and they should. A meet-and-greet or tour is standard. After the WSC shares a home's contact information, the consumer and guardian reach out directly to schedule a visit before any final decision is made.
What if my loved one is unhappy after moving in?
Your loved one or their guardian can request a change of placement. Contact your WSC, who will initiate the referral and transition process again. A proposed move form must be completed and signed by the consumer or legal guardian and the WSC.
What is the difference between standard, behavioral, and intensive behavioral group homes?
These designations reflect the level of support a resident needs. Standard homes serve individuals with general care needs. Behavior-focused homes provide structured behavioral intervention with oversight from a board-certified behavior analyst. Intensive behavioral homes serve individuals with the most complex needs, requiring nursing and psychiatric oversight and higher staffing ratios.
Can a family switch from the iBudget Waiver to managed care and switch back?
According to APD Central Region guidance shared at a recent provider meeting, families who transition from the iBudget Waiver to a managed care plan (such as iACCMC) have up to 12 months to return to the iBudget Waiver if needed. Confirm the current policy and any applicable conditions with your WSC or APD regional office before deciding.
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