Clearing a Waitlist Roadblock: Turning a Closed Door into a Path Forward

Charli’s mom reached out to Disability Rights Florida after hitting roadblocks getting help from the Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD). Even though Charli had an official autism diagnosis, APD wouldn’t put her on the waitlist, saying they couldn’t confirm eligibility before age five with a developmental disability label.

After talking with Charli’s mom, Disability Rights Florida discovered Charli was marked as high-risk by APD back in 2022. But despite this, she still wasn’t put on the waitlist or offered any services. DRF dug into the case and found big problems with how APD handled the eligibility rules and explained their decision to the family.

Disability Rights Florida engaged APD’s legal counsel to address concerns with the agency’s decision and advocated for corrective action. APD subsequently agreed to review Charli’s application under both autism and developmental disability criteria and to issue an updated notice. We also stepped up to represent the family in a fair hearing. We kept the conversation going, and APD eventually agreed to do another eligibility evaluation. A month later, APD finally confirmed Charli’s eligibility based on her intellectual disability.

After that win, we made sure Charli’s family had all the info they needed about the APD waitlist and support funding. With eligibility finally locked in and a clear path forward, we closed the case, knowing the family could now get the support they need.