Fort Myers Senior AdvisorWhat is Optional State Supplementation in Florida?
Optional State Supplementation (OSS) is a Florida cash assistance program, run by the Department of Children and Families under rule 65A-2.036, that adds to a low-income person's income so he or she can pay for room and board in a licensed ALF, adult family care home or mental health residential treatment facility.
The payment goes to the resident, who pays the facility. A facility accepting an OSS resident agrees to accept the OSS rate as full payment for room, board and personal services, apart from any separately contracted extras.
Who qualifies for OSS in Lee County?
Applicants must be 65 or older, or blind or disabled, meet the income and asset tests DCF sets each year, need the supervision and help an ALF provides, and live in or be moving to a facility that will accept the OSS rate.
OSS residents keep a personal needs allowance, currently $160 a month, for clothing, toiletries and personal costs. Apply through DCF's ACCESS Florida system or with help from the facility's administrator.
Which Lee County ALFs accept OSS residents?
AHCA profiles show 3 Lee County ALFs reporting beds designated for OSS residents, 38 beds in all: Dornoch Place Del Prado in Cape Coral (24), Cape West LLC in Cape Coral (8), Joyful Life Assisted Living, Inc in Cape Coral (6).
A facility can accept OSS residents without designating beds, so call. Expect OSS openings to be limited and to be in smaller or older buildings rather than new communities.
Can OSS and Medicaid be used together in an ALF?
Yes: a resident can receive OSS toward room and board and also be enrolled in a Medicaid long-term care plan that pays the facility for care services, which is the most common way a very low-income Floridian affords assisted living.
Both depend on the facility: it must accept the OSS rate and be contracted with the resident's long-term care plan. Ask about both in the first phone call.
What if a Lee County resident on OSS needs more care?
If needs grow beyond what the facility's license allows, the resident must move under the 45-day notice rule, and the OSS payment follows the resident to another eligible facility or ends if the person enters a nursing home, where Medicaid's institutional rules apply instead.
Plan ahead by choosing an OSS-accepting facility with an ECC or LNS license where possible, so a resident can stay longer.
The short version
| OSS is | OSS is not | |
|---|---|---|
| Payment | Cash added to the resident's income | A direct payment from the state to the facility |
| Use | Room, board and personal services | Medical or nursing care |
| Access | Accepted only by willing facilities | Accepted everywhere |
Built from Chapters 400, 408, 429 and 651 of the Florida Statutes, Fla. Admin. Code chapters 59A-4, 59A-36 and 65A-2, and AHCA, DCF, OIR, Elder Affairs, CMS, VA and CareScout publications cited on the page; see our editorial standards.
