Serving North Florida and the Big Bend

Senior Care Resources helps families in Leon, Bay, Gadsden, Jackson, Wakulla, Jefferson, Madison, Taylor, Franklin, Gulf, Calhoun, Liberty, Holmes and Washington counties qualify for and obtain Florida long-term care Medicaid. Mostly rural, with long driving distances to the nearest nursing home and farmland or timber holdings that raise asset questions most Medicaid guides skip. We work with North Florida and the Big Bend families by phone, video, and secure document upload — see what we do for our founding and fee.

Where we serve in north Florida and the big bend

Counties: Leon, Bay, Gadsden, Jackson, Wakulla, Jefferson, Madison, Taylor, Franklin, Gulf, Calhoun, Liberty, Holmes and Washington.

Communities include: Tallahassee, Panama City, Panama City Beach, Marianna, Quincy, Apalachicola, Port St. Joe, Crawfordville, Chipley.

What is different about north Florida and the big bend

Much of this region is rural, with fewer nursing homes and long driving distances. Families here are more likely to be keeping a parent at home with paid help, which makes the SMMC Long-Term Care program and its wait list, rather than nursing home Medicaid, the benefit that matters. Timber and farmland holdings are also common and raise asset questions that most Medicaid guides never mention.

More about north Florida and the big bend

Outside Tallahassee and Panama City, many counties in this fourteen-county region have few or no skilled nursing facilities. Hurricane Michael's 2018 evacuation of two Panama City hospitals and fourteen area nursing homes is a reminder of how thin the region's facility capacity can run. Because of this, the SMMC Long-Term Care waiver's home and community-based services — in-home aides, case management, respite care — are often the more realistic path for keeping a parent close to family rather than transferring them hours away.

Applications here often run into land the family has held for generations: farmland, hunting land, or timber acreage common throughout Liberty, Calhoun, and the surrounding counties. Florida Medicaid rules can exclude income-producing property like this from countable assets, but only if it's actually generating income consistent with its value — an idle family farm may not qualify, and this needs individual review.

Tallahassee is a state-government and university hub (FSU, FAMU) rather than a retirement destination, so homestead questions look different county to county. Check current exemption rules directly with the Leon County Property Appraiser or Bay County Property Appraiser before filing.

Local agencies a family here will deal with

Area Agency on Aging of North Florida, d/b/a Advantage Aging Solutions : the Aging and Disability Resource Center for North Florida and the Big Bend — 2414 Mahan Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32308, 850-488-0055 (or the toll-free helpline, 866-467-4624), www.advantageaging.org/ . It screens applicants for the assisted living and home care wait list.
Department of Elder Affairs, CARES program : makes the medical level-of-care determination. CARES, the state's medical-necessity assessment for long-term care Medicaid, is split into two field offices for this region: PSA 2A (Holmes, Washington, Bay, Jackson, Calhoun, Gulf), Forest Park Office Center, 278 Forest Park Circle, Panama City, FL 32405, (850) 747-5840; and PSA 2B (Gadsden, Liberty, Franklin, Leon, Wakulla, Jefferson, Madison, Taylor), 4040 Esplanade Way, Suite 380, Tallahassee, FL 32399, (850) 414-9803. These are DOEA offices, separate from Advantage Aging Solutions.
Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) (ACCESS Florida, 1-866-762-2237): takes the financial application. We handle the filing and stay on the case with all three agencies through approval.

The 2026 Florida figures

The income cap is $2,982 a month, the countable asset limit is $2,000 for a single applicant, and a spouse at home keeps up to $162,660 in assets. These figures are the same everywhere in Florida, including in Tallahassee — see the full Florida Medicaid limits guide for the rest of them and how each one works.

How we work with families here

A free screening tells us the applicant's income, assets, and care setting, and we give you a written summary before anything is filed: where the applicant stands against Florida's limits, what the application will require, and which questions need an attorney. From there we gather the documents, file with DCF, coordinate the CARES assessment, and stay on the case until there is a decision. See how the process works and what to expect from the application for the full walkthrough.

Frequently asked questions

My parent lives in a rural big bend county with no nursing home nearby. What are the options?

Many of the rural counties in this region have few or no skilled nursing facilities, and families often travel to Tallahassee, Panama City, or Marianna for facility-based care. The SMMC Long-Term Care waiver can fund in-home aides, case management, and respite care so a parent can stay home instead. Contact Advantage Aging Solutions at 866-467-4624, or contact us, to map out what's actually available near your parent.

Does owning farmland or timber acreage affect Florida Medicaid eligibility?

Not automatically. Income-producing real property, including farmland and timber rights, can be excluded from countable assets if it generates income consistent with its fair market value. Idle or underproducing land may count as a full asset instead. This is fact-specific and worth a professional review before assuming either way.

Which CARES office handles the medical assessment for my county?

It depends which side of the region: Leon, Gadsden, Wakulla, Jefferson, Madison, Taylor, Franklin, and Liberty counties are served by the Tallahassee CARES office (850-414-9803); Bay, Jackson, Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, and Washington counties by the Panama City CARES office (850-747-5840).

Is there a wait list for home-care services through the adrc, and how long is it?

Advantage Aging Solutions manages the waitlist for certain home and community-based programs, but doesn't publish a static wait-list length, and it changes. Contact them at 866-467-4624, or contact us, for your family's current position.

How do I actually apply if I live in a rural county with no DCF office nearby?

Florida Medicaid applications go through the statewide ACCESS system online, by phone, or by mail rather than a walk-in office per county. DCF's Public Benefits Call Center is (850) 300-4323. We can handle the filing on your behalf so a trip to an office isn't necessary.

Florida guides

Neighboring regions

Free Medicaid assessment

Find out where your family stands in north Florida and the big bend

We'll email you a short two-page intake form about your family member's care, income, and savings. Once you send it back, a member of our staff reviews it personally and calls you to talk through where things stand and what comes next. Families anywhere in Florida. No cost, no obligation.

Call (239) 977-5175

This page is general information about Florida Medicaid, not legal advice, and nothing here creates an attorney-client relationship. Medicaid rules change and every family’s facts are different.

Senior Care Resources is a separate company from Zacharia Frey PLLC. Its Medicaid application services are not legal services, and no attorney-client protection applies to them. When an attorney becomes involved, that is a separate legal representation with the law firm.