Family HHA Caregivers – House Bill 391 Initiative
HB 391: Home Health Aide for Medically Fragile Children Program
No one knows your loved one like you. Take advantage of this new program and become trained and compensated while caring for your own child.
About the Program
Caring for your child.
A new Florida law allows parents to be trained and compensated for caring for their children. As part of the program, Family First will provide the necessary training to become a Family Home Health Aide so you can be employed by us as a caregiver for your own child. Contact us to learn more about becoming a family caregiver and find out if you qualify.
Program Benefits
Keeping your children home.
Financial Support
Earn competitive wages for up to 8 hours per day while caring for your child who needs medical support.
Reduced Hospitalizations
Provide quality care to your child and help decrease the likelihood of hospital visits.
Peace of Mind
You can feel confident that you have the training and skills to fully care for your child’s medical needs.
Comfort of Home
Give your child and family the best quality of life in the comfort and safety of home.
What Sets Us Apart
Home is where you have everything you need.
At Family First, we live by the values of telling the truth, owning the details, and raising the bar. We work hard to make sure you feel supported every step of the way. From providing comprehensive education to cultivating a family culture, we will be there for you as you begin this new journey.
Program Eligibility
What you need to know.
Family Caregivers are available to start training now. The official start date for this program has not yet been determined by the Agency for Healthcare Administration and our partnering Managed Care Organizations (MCOs). We will ensure Family Caregiver training has been completed prior to the program’s official go-live date.
Caregiver & Child Requirements
Caregivers must be 18 or older.
The child must be 21 or younger, eligible for Medicaid, and must qualify for PDN services.
Training Requirements
Caregivers must complete 86 hours of training, plus HIV/AIDS and cardiopulmonary resuscitation training, and 12 hours of additional training annually.
Training Information
Family First’s 48.5 hour Healthstream training is immediately available to start. Our 46 hour hands-on training will be available prior to the start of the go-live date for HB 391, pending hiring process is complete.
Frequently Asked Questions
The answers to your questions.
No, the $25 is the Medicaid fee for schedule reimbursement rate that will be paid to the agency that you are employed through. However, each agency in Florida has the ability to negotiate a higher reimbursement rate with each managed care organization. Due to this process, agencies may be paying different hourly rates based on their individual contracts.
No, each agency can decide whether they want to participate.
A parent, guardian or family member must complete a minimum of 86 hours. This is broken down into three sections. The first section requires 40 hours of theoretical training and instruction by a qualified RN with a minimum of 2 years nursing experience, with at least one year of pediatric nursing. This portion may be done virtually through an online training platform provided by the agency you will be employed through. The second section requires 30 hours of skills training in nursing specific to the care of medically fragile pediatric patients. It must be done by a qualified RN with a minimum of two years nursing experience, with one year in pediatric nursing. This must be done in person and may not be done through online learning. The remaining 16 hours is clinical competency training and validation. Validation of medication routes pursuant to Rule 59A-8.0097, F.A.C., does not count toward the 16 hours required by this section. Validation must be conducted on-site with an actual patient and supervised by a qualified RN with a minimum of two years nursing experience, with one year in pediatric nursing. Medication administration will require additional hours to meet the state regulation.
A parent, legal guardian, or family member that is at least 18 years old.
Yes, depending on the number of authorized hours, you may have more than one person providing care.
A family HHA can work up to 40 hours a week. The recipient can receive a total of 56 hours, based on 8 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is why you may have more than one caregiver working under the program.
Yes, your income will become part of your annual household income and, therefore, will count when determining your Medicaid eligibility. Due to this, if you participate, you may lose your Medicaid benefit.
AHCA must strictly follow the language in HB 391. Due to how the bill was written, AHCA was not instructed to create a waiver specifically for this program. Unfortunately, until this is changed through the legislative process, AHCA cannot make any changes and will have to develop and implement the program based on the bill language.
No, due to state regulations, the Florida Healthy Kids insurance plan cannot participate in the AMFC program.
Under statute 409.815, section 2, subsection J- Home health services.—Covered services include prescribed home visits by both registered and licensed practical nurses to provide skilled nursing services on a part-time intermittent basis, subject to the following limitations:
- Coverage may be limited to include skilled nursing services only;
- Meals, housekeeping, and personal comfort items may be excluded; and
- Private duty nursing is limited to circumstances where such care is medically necessary.
No, you must currently be receiving PDN services provided by an agency to be eligible to participate in the AMFC program.
AHCA has given a tentative timeframe of 2-3 months as of July 31st, but it is still undetermined at this time. While we understand parents’ frustrations, we know AHCA is working hard to complete this program as quickly as possible.
We are completing all the necessary steps for the onboarding and training requirements, and we will start hiring Family HHAs as soon as this process is complete. We will be sending out an announcement to our families, so please continue to check your emails or contact us.