When people search for the self-directed iBudget program, the program they mean is Consumer-Directed Care Plus (CDC+)— APD's self-direction option inside the iBudget waiver. Instead of receiving services through enrolled provider agencies, an eligible person exchanges their approved cost plan for a monthly budget they direct themselves: hiring their own workers, setting schedules, and purchasing approved supports.
How self-direction actually works
The budget starts in iBudget
CDC+ is not a separate waiver. The person's allocation is determined through the iBudget system first — the same algorithm, QSI, and cost-plan process — and then exchanged for a monthly CDC+ budget they direct themselves.
A fiscal employer agent holds the money
The participant never receives the funds directly. Payments run through the state's fiscal employer agent at the participant's direction — payroll for hired workers, invoices for vendors and approved purchases.
The participant (or their representative) becomes the employer
They recruit, hire, train, schedule, and pay their own workers — including many relatives — instead of receiving those services through an enrolled agency. That employer role, with its paperwork, is the trade for the flexibility.
Program rules still apply
Spending must follow the CDC+ Coverage, Limitations and Reimbursement Handbook, purchases tie back to needs in the support plan, and the WSC (as CDC+ consultant) stays in the picture. Self-direction changes who delivers — not whether the plan governs.
Agency model vs. self-direction: the honest trade
Self-direction buys flexibility and pays for it in administration. The participant's side takes on hiring, payroll paperwork, scheduling, and budget management that an agency otherwise absorbs. The agency model buys professional management — trained, credentialed staff, backup coverage when a worker no-shows, and quality oversight — at the cost of less family control over who walks in the door. Many households land in between: CDC+ for daily personal supports delivered by a relative, with specific services still purchased from agencies. For an agency owner, that middle ground is the reason to understand CDC+ rather than treat it as pure attrition.
Where to start
For families weighing the switch, the conversation starts with the person's waiver support coordinator, and APD's CDC+ pages carry the enrollment steps, the participant training, and the program handbook. For a refresher on the waiver mechanics underneath it all — the allocation, the cost plan, and the services menu — see iBudget waiver services, explained and the QSI assessment that feeds the budget algorithm.
Frequently asked questions
What is the self-directed option under Florida's iBudget waiver?
Consumer-Directed Care Plus (CDC+). An eligible iBudget enrollee exchanges their approved cost plan for a monthly budget they control, held by a fiscal employer agent, and uses it to hire their own workers and buy approved services and supports instead of receiving them through enrolled agencies.
Can CDC+ participants pay family members as caregivers?
In many cases, yes — hiring and paying their own workers, including relatives, is the program's core appeal. The worker is employed by the participant (or representative) under CDC+ rules, not by a provider agency, and program rules govern which relatives may be paid for which supports.
Is CDC+ a different waiver from iBudget?
No. CDC+ is an option within the iBudget waiver. Eligibility, level of need, and the budget amount all come through iBudget; CDC+ changes how the budget is spent — self-directed through a monthly budget rather than through agency claims.
What does CDC+ mean for provider agencies?
Two things: some consumers will leave agency services for self-direction, and some CDC+ participants still purchase specific services from agencies as vendors. Agencies that understand the program can serve both models instead of losing the household entirely.