Social Security disability
Disability benefits in Florida
Social Security rules are the same in every state. This page covers what is different in Florida: who decides your claim, state money added to SSI, Medicaid, hearings and free help.
You have 60 days to appeal each decision, plus 5 days for mail.
Who decides your claim in Florida?
Division of Disability Determinations
This state office decides the medical part of Social Security disability (SSDI) and SSI claims for Floridians. It also checks the medical side for Florida's Medically Needy Program and does reviews to see if people still meet the medical rules. Social Security checks the other rules, like work and income.
- Part of
- Florida Department of Health
- Phone
- 877-424-9533
- Division of Disability Determinations, Administration Office, P.O. Box 7118, Tallahassee, FL 32314-5270. Each area office has its own P.O. box.
Offices
- Central Area I (Tallahassee) · 877-424-9552
- Central Area II (Tallahassee) · 877-424-9559
- Central Area III (Tallahassee) · 877-424-9557
- Jacksonville Area Office · 877-424-9551
- Miami Area Office · 877-424-9508
- Orlando Area Office · 877-424-9505
- Pensacola Area Office · 877-424-9554
- Tampa Area Office · 877-424-9527
Does Florida add money to SSI?
Optional State Supplementation (OSS)
OSS is a state payment for people who live in a licensed assisted living facility, adult family care home, or mental health residential treatment facility. You must be 65 or older, or 18 or older and blind or disabled under Social Security's rules. Your income and assets must be under the state's limits. OSS helps pay the facility's base rate and leaves you a personal needs allowance of $160.00 a month. The state subtracts your countable income, so the payment amount depends on your income.
Paid by: the state
- How to apply
- OSS does not start by itself with SSI. You apply with the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF). If you get SSI, DCF still checks your age and that the facility meets your needs. The payment is sent each month.
- Contact
- Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF), Office of Economic Self Sufficiency
(850) 300-4323 (Customer Contact Center)
https://www.myflfamilies.com/medicaid
Medicaid in Florida
If you get SSI in Florida, you get Medicaid automatically. You do not need a separate ACCESS Florida application, unless you need nursing home care.
- Program
- Florida Medicaid
- Medicaid agency
- Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF)
https://www.myflfamilies.com/medicaid
(850) 300-4323 (Office of Economic Self Sufficiency Customer Contact Center)
Medicaid for working people with disabilities: Working People with Disabilities (WPwD)
WPwD lets people in Florida's Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waivers keep Medicaid while they work and earn money. You must be at least 18, be enrolled in an HCBS waiver, have a disability, and earn income. You do not need a separate application. DCF checks you for WPwD when you report income. WPwD is not for people who get Medicaid because they get SSI.
Medicare Savings Programs
Florida's Medicare Savings Programs (also called Medicare Buy-In) help pay Medicare premiums and sometimes deductibles and co-pays. Apply through DCF: https://www.myflfamilies.com/medicaid
State disability and paid leave in Florida
Florida has no state-run short-term disability or paid medical leave program listed here.
Hearing offices and federal court in Florida
8 hearing offices serve Florida. Hearing office locator (Social Security)
Fort Myers, FL Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- Suite 25, 4220 Executive Circle, Ft. Myers, FL 33916
- Phone
- (888) 462-1109
- Fax
- (833) 702-0721
Ft. Lauderdale, FL Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- Suite 200, 300 S. Park Rd, Hollywood, FL 33021-8353
- Phone
- (888) 436-2637
- Fax
- (833) 789-0409
Jacksonville, FL Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- Building 400, Suite 400, 8880 Freedom Crossing Trail, Jacksonville, FL 32256
- Phone
- (866) 931-0124
- Fax
- (833) 659-0423
Miami, FL Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- One Riverview Square, 8th Floor, 333 S. Miami Avenue, Miami, FL 33130
- Phone
- (866) 964-5052
- Fax
- (833) 968-1652
Orlando, FL Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- Glenridge Building, Suite 300, 3505 Lake Lynda Drive, Orlando, FL 32817-8338
- Phone
- (877) 833-2730
- Fax
- (833) 616-0130
St. Petersburg, FL Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- Suite 200, 830 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg, FL 33701
- Phone
- (877) 452-4193
- Fax
- (833) 956-1138
Tallahassee, FL Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- 2nd Floor, 1961 Quail Grove Lane, Tallahassee, FL 32311
- Phone
- (888) 472-5996
- Fax
- (833) 953-2166
Tampa, FL Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- Fountain Square II, Suite 200, 4925 Independence Parkway, Tampa, FL 33634
- Phone
- (855) 248-0239
- Fax
- (833) 789-0407
Federal district court
If you appeal to federal court, you file in the district court that covers your county.
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida
Court help for people without a lawyer
Counties covered (23)
- Alachua
- Bay
- Calhoun
- Dixie
- Escambia
- Franklin
- Gadsden
- Gilchrist
- Gulf
- Holmes
- Jackson
- Jefferson
- Lafayette
- Leon
- Levy
- Liberty
- Madison
- Okaloosa
- Santa Rosa
- Taylor
- Wakulla
- Walton
- Washington
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
Court help for people without a lawyer
Counties covered (35)
- Baker
- Bradford
- Brevard
- Charlotte
- Citrus
- Clay
- Collier
- Columbia
- De Soto
- Duval
- Flagler
- Glades
- Hamilton
- Hardee
- Hendry
- Hernando
- Hillsborough
- Lake
- Lee
- Manatee
- Marion
- Nassau
- Orange
- Osceola
- Pasco
- Pinellas
- Polk
- Putnam
- St. Johns
- Sarasota
- Seminole
- Sumter
- Suwannee
- Union
- Volusia
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
Court help for people without a lawyer
Counties covered (9)
- Broward
- Miami-Dade
- Highlands
- Indian River
- Martin
- Monroe
- Okeechobee
- Palm Beach
- St. Lucie
Free help in Florida
Protection & Advocacy agency (P&A)
Disability Rights Florida
- Phone
- 850-488-9071 (toll-free 800-342-0823, TDD 800-346-4127)
Legal aid
- Bay Area Legal Services · (813) 232-1343 (Helpline)
https://bals.org/ - Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida
https://ctclegalaid.org/ - Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida
https://www.legalaccessforall.org/ - Florida Rural Legal Services · 1-888-582-3410
https://www.frls.org/ - Legal Services of Greater Miami · (305) 576-0080 (Miami-Dade); (866) 686-2760 (Monroe)
https://www.legalservicesmiami.org/
Serves: Miami-Dade and Monroe counties - Legal Services of North Florida
https://www.lsnf.org/ - Three Rivers Legal Services · 1-866-256-8091
https://www.trls.org/
Vocational Rehabilitation (VR)
Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (Florida Department of Education)
- Website
- https://www.rehabworks.org/
Good to know in Florida
- Florida's state supplement (OSS) is only for people who live in licensed assisted living facilities, adult family care homes, or mental health residential treatment facilities. You apply with DCF, not Social Security. (Fla. Admin. Code R. 65A-2.036)
- Florida's disability office also decides the medical part of claims for the state's Medically Needy Program. (Florida Department of Health)
- House Bill 915 took effect May 21, 2026. It lets people in Working People with Disabilities (WPwD) choose to opt out, and DCF must tell more people about the program. (Florida DCF)
Recent changes
June 24, 2025: Florida's OSS rule (65A-2.036, F.A.C.) was amended. It set the personal needs allowance at $160.00, the base provider rate at $991.40 and the income standard at $1,045.40 (flrules.org). May 21, 2026: House Bill 915 took effect. People in the Working People with Disabilities program may opt out, and DCF must tell more eligible people about it (Florida DCF Medicaid page).
More RobinClaim guides for Florida → · All states
Sources
- SSA POMS SI 01415.010 - Administration of State Supplementary Programs (state table)
- SSA POMS SI 01415.058 - Federally Administered Optional Supplementary Payment Programs for January 2026
- SSA POMS SI 01415.024 - States Electing to Maintain Mandatory Minimum Supplementary Payment Levels
- SSA POMS SI 01715.010 - Medicaid and the SSI Program
- Florida Department of Health - Disability Determinations
- Florida Department of Health - Disability Determinations Area Offices
- Fla. Admin. Code R. 65A-2.036 - OSS Base Provider Rates and Program Standards (flrules.org)
- Florida DCF - Medicaid
- Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
- ABLE United
- NDRN - Member Agencies (Florida)
- LSC - Our Grantees
- 28 U.S.C. §89 - Florida (govinfo)
- Social Security: office locator
- Social Security: hearing office locator
Last checked: November 2026