Program
Florida local aging office (Elder Helpline) services
Your local Florida aging office screens you for in-home help and a small monthly payment to family caregivers.
What it can pay for
- a home care aide
- personal care
- homemaker help
- adult day care
- respite care
- caregiver pay
- meals
- rides
- ramps
- grab bars
- wider doors
- bathroom changes
- assistive devices
- medical equipment
- a medical alert button
- Official name
- Florida Area Agencies on Aging / ADRCs: CCE, HCE, ADI and Local Services
- Where
- Florida
- Status
- Program running
- Most it pays
- $160 monthly
- About the amount
- HCE (Home Care for the Elderly) pays $160/month to the family/friend who lives with and cares for a low-income elder, plus an uncapped 'special subsidy' for items like ramps and home-accessibility modifications, wheelchairs, incontinence supplies and medications. CCE and ADI are service-based with no stated statewide dollar cap on Housing Improvement.
- Housing rules
- CCE/ADI serve you wherever you live. HCE requires a 'family-type' private home with an approved live-in caregiver, not necessarily one you own.
- How long it takes
- Same day for information/referral; 3 business days for ADRC contact after a referral; 14 business days for a screening appointment; 72 hours for APS high-risk cases. Everyone else: an unpublished wait on the priority list.
- How to apply
- Call the Elder Helpline and ask to be screened for CCE, HCE and ADI at the same time (and SMMC LTC if money is tight). The 701S phone screen gives a priority score and rank on the APCL waitlist; when funds open, the lead agency does an in-home 701B assessment and builds a care plan.
- Does not pay for
- No statewide dollar cap on Housing Improvement, but it's funded only 'as funds are available' and only when 'no one else capable of or responsible' — the AAA is the payer of last resort. EHEAP (energy-bill emergency help) moved to FloridaCommerce, not the AAA anymore.
- Official source
- elderaffairs.org
- Last checked
- September 29, 2026