♿ Miami-Dade Disability & Autism Newsletter 🧩

Good morning, my fellow Miamians 🦩

A mom in Colorado is raising six kids. Four of them have disabilities. She doesn't hold a regular job because she doesn't have to. That's because Colorado pays her to care for her own children, and that paycheck keeps her household running. As a special needs dad, I've watched parents do everything right and still come up short, and unfortunately nobody is handing them the answers they need.

So let me hand you one. What that mom did, a parent here in Miami-Dade can do too. I laid out the Florida steps below.

Here's the thing, though. Steps like these only work when they reach the person who needs them. If a family already came to mind while you were reading, forward them this issue when you're done. A link from a stranger gets ignored. The same link from you, the person they trust, gets opened and used.

How to Get Paid to Care for Your Own Child (the Florida Version)

That Colorado family moved across the country for this. But you don't have to leave Miami-Dade because Florida runs its own version, though it comes with one big asterisk.

The short of it: Florida will pay a parent to be their disabled child's caregiver. The money runs through Medicaid, and for a lot of families it becomes real household income.

The main door is the iBudget waiver, run by the Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD). This is the route for developmental disabilities like autism. You can apply online or check the eligibility and how-to page first. Fair warning: this waiver's waitlist runs years, not weeks, and the clock only starts once you apply. So apply now: 1-866-273-2273.

Once you're on iBudget, choose the self-directed option, CDC+.Consumer Directed Care Plus lets you hire yourself as the paid caregiver instead of an outside agency. Helpline: 1-866-761-7043.

Feeding tube or trach at home? There's a quicker track: the Family Home Health Aide program pays parents for skilled care after a training course.

You don't have to do the paperwork alone. Some companies handle the training, the Medicaid filing, and payroll for you. Abby Care does this right here in Miami-Dade for families whose child needs skilled nursing care, and it's free to the family, since Abby Care is paid by Medicaid, not by you. This is a separate track from iBudget that skips that waitlist, so a family can start getting paid without the years-long wait. To find and compare other licensed agencies near you, use the state's Facility Locator or search paid-caregiving programs by ZIP on findhelp, then call a few and ask which ones run the family-caregiver program.

Your paycheck won't disqualify your child. The iBudget waiver doesn't count parental income when it decides if your child qualifies, so earning a living won't shut the door.

The honest part: Florida isn't Colorado. The programs are real, but the wait is the obstacle. A 2026 state expansion (HB 1103) is meant to open enrollment to families stuck on the iBudget list, which is exactly why getting your name on it today matters.

One last thing before you go. I know the families you work with, because I'm raising one of these kids myself, so I've seen how rarely this kind of help reaches the people who need it most. If someone came to mind while you were reading, there's a reason for that. Forward this to them. You could be the reason a family finally gets paid for the care they've been giving all along.

Victor Antunez • 305.401.6224

Real Estate Professional 🔑 Autism Dadvocate

🖇️ FREE BOOK DOWNLOADS​​

1. ​Future-Proofing Your Special Needs Child: Essential Legal, Financial, and Life Strategies for Florida Families​
2. ​Miami-Dade Special Needs Resource Directory​
3. ​The Ultimate Home Buying Guide: For Families with Special Needs​

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