Across Florida, families of medically fragile children depend on consistent in-home nursing care. The Family Home Health Aide (FHHA) program was designed to expand access to care by allowing trained family members to provide certain home health aide services under licensed provider oversight.
As a provider serving hundreds of medically fragile children across Florida each week, we understand how even small policy details can have a significant impact on families.
Recent legislative action in Florida clarified that income earned under the FHHA program is intended to be disregarded in Medicaid eligibility determinations. Proper implementation of this clarification is critical for families who rely on Medicaid coverage to access private duty nursing and in-home support.
At Team Select Home Care, we are actively engaging with state leaders and agency partners to support accurate implementation of Florida’s FHHA policies, ensuring the program works as intended for the families it serves.
Meeting with Florida House Leadership
As part of our continued advocacy efforts, Team Select’s Vice President and Manager of Government Relations recently met with members of the Florida House of Representatives to discuss the implementation of the Family Home Health Aide (FHHA) program and its impact on medically fragile children across the state.
These conversations focused on ensuring clarity in Medicaid eligibility protections, strengthening workforce stability, and supporting safe, practical care delivery for Florida families.
During this visit, our team met with Representatives Josie Tomkow, Kaylee Tuck, Chase Tramont, and Sam Garrison to discuss pediatric home health policy implementation in Florida.
Protecting Medicaid Eligibility for Florida Families
Recent legislative efforts in Florida aim to clarify and strengthen the Family Home Health Aide (FHHA) program for medically fragile children.
The goal is simple but critical:
Ensure that when a parent or family member is trained and employed under the FHHA program, earned income is appropriately excluded from Medicaid eligibility calculations. For many families, Medicaid coverage is what makes private duty nursing and in-home support possible. Any uncertainty around eligibility can create fear, and hesitation to participate in programs designed to help.
Team Select has been actively engaging with Florida legislators and agency partners to support proper implementation of these clarifications, ensuring the program functions as intended and protects the children it was designed to serve.
Because when policy is clear, families feel secure.
Expanding Safe, Practical Care at Home
Many medically fragile children require daily, time-sensitive medication administration, including medications that are classified as controlled substances, such as certain seizure treatments. As Florida continues refining its approach to family caregiver programs, we believe policies should reflect the real-life needs of children receiving care at home. This includes evaluating how medication administration rules align with the clinical needs of medically fragile children.
With appropriate training, oversight, and safety guardrails, expanding practical care options strengthens continuity, stability, and access; especially in a healthcare workforce environment facing nationwide shortages.
Advocacy in pediatric home health isn’t political, it’s personal. It’s about ensuring children can safely remain at home, surrounded by family, while receiving the clinical care they require.
Real Families. Real Impact.
Luke’s story is one example of why this work matters.
Luke joined Team Select in 2018 following a 170-day NICU and ICU stay after being diagnosed at birth with sepsis and bacterial meningitis. His early complications led to a complex medical journey, including perinatal anoxic ischemic brain injury, hydrocephalus, a VP shunt, G-tube dependence, cerebral palsy, and seizure disorders.
Today, despite significant challenges, Luke walks independently, says a few words, and fills every room with his smile. He loves singing, watching television, and playing with his toys. His resilience is a daily reminder of what consistent, coordinated care at home can make possible.
Families like Luke’s depend on stability, not uncertainty. They depend on care systems that work. And they deserve policies that support them, not complicate their journey.
Visit here to learn more about Luke and his family’s story here.
The Team Select Difference in Florida
Advocacy is part of how we serve.
The Team Select Difference means:
- Partnering with families navigating complex medical systems
- Supporting continuity of care at home
- Engaging with state leaders and agencies to strengthen pediatric programs
- Focusing on safe, high-quality, coordinated care
We believe medically fragile children in Florida deserve:
- Clear eligibility protections
- Expanded access to trained caregivers
- Strong oversight and safety standards
- Stability in their care plans
When families feel confident in their child’s coverage and support system, they can focus on what matters most, helping their child grow stronger every day.
Supporting Pediatric Home Health Across Florida
As Florida continues to refine and implement its Family Home Health Aide program, we remain committed to collaborating with ACHA on the new eligibility standards and the income disregard for the FHHA Program, as we both await Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) approval of these changes.
Our goal as a leading pediatric private duty nursing agency is simple:
Ensure the strongest possible pediatric home health care framework for families across the state.
Because at the end of the day, advocacy is about one thing, protecting access to care at home for children who depend on it.
That’s the Team Select Difference. If you are interested in learning more about our services and about state programs available to you, fill out the form below and a local care expert will contact you!
Frequently Asked Questions About Pediatric Private Duty Nursing in Florida
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