Florida Senate - 2021 CS for CS for SB 714
By the Committees on Rules; and Children, Families, and Elder
Affairs; and Senator Taddeo
595-03812-21 2021714c2
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to resource information for
3 individuals with disabilities; amending s. 393.065,
4 F.S.; requiring the Agency for Persons with
5 Disabilities to provide specified information to
6 persons applying for certain waiver services;
7 requiring the agency to provide a certain disclosure
8 statement along with such information; requiring the
9 agency to publish such information and statement on
10 its website and provide such information and statement
11 to certain persons annually; providing an effective
12 date.
13
14 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
15
16 Section 1. Present subsection (10) of section 393.065,
17 Florida Statutes, is redesignated as subsection (11), and a new
18 subsection (10) is added to that section, to read:
19 393.065 Application and eligibility determination.—
20 (10)(a) The agency shall provide the following information
21 to all applicants or their parents, legal guardians, or family
22 members:
23 1. A brief overview of the vocational rehabilitation
24 services offered through the Division of Vocational
25 Rehabilitation of the Department of Education, including a
26 hyperlink or website address that provides access to the
27 application for such services;
28 2. A brief overview of the Florida ABLE program as
29 established under s. 1009.986, including a hyperlink or website
30 address that provides access to the application for establishing
31 an ABLE account as defined in s. 1009.986(2);
32 3. A brief overview of the supplemental security income
33 benefits and social security disability income benefits
34 available under Title XVI of the Social Security Act, as
35 amended, including a hyperlink or website address that provides
36 access to the application for such benefits;
37 4. A statement indicating that the applicant’s local public
38 school district may provide specialized instructional services,
39 including transition programs, for students with special
40 education needs;
41 5. A brief overview of programs and services funded through
42 the Florida Center for Students with Unique Abilities, including
43 contact information for each state-approved Florida
44 Postsecondary Comprehensive Transition Program;
45 6. A brief overview of decisionmaking options for
46 individuals with disabilities, guardianship under chapter 744,
47 and alternatives to guardianship as defined in s. 744.334(1),
48 which may include contact information for organizations that the
49 agency believes would be helpful in assisting with such
50 decisions;
51 7. A brief overview of the referral tools made available
52 through the agency, including a hyperlink or website address
53 that provides access to such tools; and
54 8. A statement indicating that some waiver providers may
55 serve private-pay individuals.
56 (b) The agency must provide the information required in
57 paragraph (a) in writing to an applicant or his or her parent,
58 legal guardian, or family member along with a written disclosure
59 statement in substantially the following form:
60
61 DISCLOSURE STATEMENT
62
63 Each program and service has its own eligibility requirements.
64 By providing the information specified in section
65 393.065(10)(a), Florida Statutes, the agency does not guarantee
66 an applicant’s eligibility for or enrollment in any program or
67 service.
68 (c) The agency shall also publish the information required
69 in paragraph (a) and the disclosure statement in paragraph (b)
70 on its website, and shall provide that information and statement
71 annually to each applicant placed on the waiting list or to the
72 parent, legal guardian, or family member of such applicant.
73 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2021.