Recipient Resources

Information related to COVID-19

The Agency for Health Care Administration and Department of Children and Families have been working together to ensure current Medicaid recipients maintain benefits during the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) state of emergency. To that end, we are taking the following actions.

Mental Health Support Opportunities

Beginning March 15, 2021, the Agency for Health Care Administration is pleased to provide a toll-free telephone helpline for immediate short-term mental health support and counseling services that will be in addition to the behavioral health services Medicaid recipients already receive. The helpline is available at no cost to eligible Medicaid recipients who are not currently in a managed care plan, ages 18 and over. Recipients may call 1.844.503.1140 for immediate help or to schedule a counseling session.

The Agency is making the new telephone helpline available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Mental health services offered via the telephone helpline include the following:

Short-Term Support: Includes an initial assessment and one to three telephone or virtual counseling services with follow-up as needed.
Long-Term Care/Treatment: If the initial assessment indicates that a recipient is in need of long-term care/treatment, the recipient will be connected to appropriate resources such as a behavioral health Medicaid provider in the recipient’s community or another appropriate referral based on their need.
Emergent/Urgent: If the initial assessment indicates an emergent potentially life-threatening situation is emerging, the recipient will be immediately connected to local emergency services. Until emergency services have arrived, the recipient will remain actively engaged with a KEPRO counselor on the line until services have arrived

Medicaid Eligibility is Extended

Florida Medicaid Coverage has been extended until the end of the public health emergency. This means no Medicaid recipient will lose Medicaid eligibility during the public health emergency*.

*Exceptions include individuals who voluntarily request termination, those who have passed away, or those who are no longer considered residents of Florida.

Extend Time to Complete Medicaid Application

During this state of emergency, individuals applying for Medicaid may be unable to submit all the documentation required to process their application. Beginning with applications received in February 2020, we are extending the timeframe for individuals to submit any necessary paperwork to 120 days from the date the application was received. If the Medicaid application is approved, the individual’s Medicaid eligibility effective date will still be the first day of the month that the initial application was received. See example below.

Date Initial Application Received	Deadline to submit all Paperwork	Medicaid eligibility effective date
March 7, 2020	July 4, 2020	March 1, 2020

For updates on implementing these policy initiatives, please visit our COVID-19 information site at https://floridahealthcovid19.gov or contact the Department of Children and Families at 850-300-4323 (TTY 1-800-955-8771).

Sample Letters to Recipients

Fee-for-Service Recipients	English	Spanish	Creole
Managed Care Recipients	English	Spanish	Creole