Florida Senate - 2026                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 794
       
       
       
       
       
       
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                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                  Comm: RCS            .                                
                  02/10/2026           .                                
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       The Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs (Jones)
       recommended the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Delete lines 51 - 102
    4  and insert:
    5         Section 2. (1)(a) For purposes of enhancing the quality,
    6  capacity, and consistency of waiver support coordination
    7  services, the Agency for Persons with Disabilities shall
    8  contract with a state university to develop and administer
    9  surveys regarding waiver support coordination services. The
   10  university shall administer surveys to owners and operators of
   11  all qualified organizations in this state; support coordinators
   12  currently employed by a qualified organization; and iBudget
   13  clients and their parents, caregivers, or legal guardians.
   14         1. The surveys must, at a minimum, solicit data and input
   15  regarding:
   16         a. The quality, consistency, and accessibility of services
   17  provided by support coordinators.
   18         b. Attributes and behaviors that define high-quality
   19  support coordination.
   20         c. Best practices and areas for improvement.
   21         d. Quantitative and qualitative metrics suitable for
   22  assessing support coordinator performance.
   23         e. Any other factors deemed pertinent by the university or
   24  the agency to improve service delivery.
   25         2. Surveys of qualified organizations must also
   26  specifically address:
   27         a. Professional and educational prerequisites established
   28  by the organization for employment as a support coordinator.
   29         b. Methods used to assess core competencies.
   30         c. The efficacy of the mentoring program required under s.
   31  393.0663(2)(b), Florida Statutes.
   32         d. Operational and systemic challenges with recruitment and
   33  retention of qualified support coordinators.
   34         3. Surveys of individual waiver support coordinators must
   35  also specifically address:
   36         a. Individual caseload ratios, capacity, and geographic
   37  service areas.
   38         b. The efficacy of the mentoring program required under s.
   39  393.0663(2)(b), Florida Statutes.
   40         c. Operational and systemic challenges to delivery of
   41  effective support coordination.
   42         4. Surveys of iBudget clients and their parents,
   43  caregivers, or legal guardians must also specifically address
   44  satisfaction with support coordination services.
   45         (b) By October 1, 2026, the state university must submit a
   46  final report to the agency, including a compilation and analysis
   47  of the survey results.
   48         (2) The agency shall solicit input on enhancing support
   49  coordinator quality, capacity and consistency from the whole
   50  community of waiver program stakeholders, and shall conduct at
   51  least one publicly noticed hearing for this purpose in each
   52  service region.
   53         (3) The agency shall conduct or contract for a gap analysis
   54  to assess the geographic distribution and caseload capacity of
   55  waiver support coordinators across this state.
   56         (4) Using the information gathered under this section, the
   57  agency shall identify specific core competencies for waiver
   58  support coordinators, identify specific performance metrics to
   59  assess those core competencies, and make recommendations on how
   60  to standardize their assessment. By February 15, 2027, the
   61  agency shall submit a report to the Governor, the President of
   62  the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives on
   63  its findings and recommendations, and include the full report
   64  submitted by the state university under paragraph (1).
   65         Section 3. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.
   66  
   67  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   68  And the title is amended as follows:
   69         Delete lines 7 - 12
   70  and insert:
   71         for such employees; requiring the agency to contract
   72         with a state university to develop and administer
   73         certain surveys; providing requirements for such
   74         surveys; requiring the state university to submit a
   75         certain report to the agency by a specified date;
   76         requiring the agency to conduct public hearings on
   77         specified information; conduct or contract for a gap
   78         analysis for specified purposes; identify core
   79         competencies and performance metrics and make
   80         recommendations for standardizing assessments; and
   81         submit a certain report to the Governor and the
   82         Legislature by a specified date;