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HILL DAY January 14th Update:  

The Florida Occupational Therapy Association held its annual Hill Day in Tallahassee on Tuesday, January 14^th, in advance of the 2025 Legislative Session. Occupational therapists and students from throughout the state attended to advocate for the profession and advance FOTA’s legislative priorities. For the 2025 Session, FOTA is focused on pursuing legislation to join the Occupational Therapy Licensure Compact, sponsored by Representative Adam Anderson (Pinellas) and Senator Alexis Calatayud (Miami). FOTA met with numerous legislators who serve on the House Health Professions & Programs Subcommittee and Senate Health Policy Committee, in anticipation of the bills being referred to their committees. We also met with the Governor’s Office of Policy and Budget, to discuss the Occupational Therapy Licensure Compact and ongoing challenges with Medicaid reimbursement.

The 60-day Legislative Session will officially begin on Tuesday, March 4th and is slated to end Friday, May 2^nd, pending the Legislature’s passage of the constitutionally required FY2025-26 budget.

If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected]

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Historic Victory for OTs: Medicaid Rate Increase Secured!

We are thrilled to share a major success for the Florida Occupational Therapy Association (FOTA) during the 2024 Legislative Session. Our primary goal was to secure a Medicaid rate increase, and thanks to our early partnership with speech and physical therapists and the support of Senate leadership, we have achieved this milestone.

Senate President Kathleen Passidomo made health care a top priority, introducing SB 7016 – Live Healthy, which included $34 million in recurring funding for a Medicaid rate increase for OTs, PTs, and STs. After months of collaboration and negotiation, the bill was passed by both chambers and signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis.

This marks the first Medicaid rate increase for OTs in approximately 30 years, a historic moment for our profession. The legislation also includes other significant reforms to improve health care access across Florida.

For more information about this transformative legislation, click here.

 Thank you for your continued support and advocacy. Together, we are advancing the profession and ensuring better care for our communities.

• Florida Governor: http://www.flgov.com/
• Florida House Website: www.myfloridahouse.gov/
• The Florida Senate: http://www.flsenate.gov/
•  Find Your State Representatives:http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Representatives/myrepresentative.aspx
• United States House of Representatives: http://www.house.gov/
• https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml
• United States Senate: http://www.senate.gov/index.htm
•  Florida Healthcare Association: http://fhca.org/
• Florida Department of Health: http://www.doh.state.fl.us/
• Medicare: http://www.cms.gov/
• Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration (ACHA): http://ahca.myflorida.com/
• Medicaid: http://ahca.myflorida.com/Medicaid/childhealthservices/therapyserv/index.shtml
•  AOTA Political Action Committee: http://www.aota.org/aotpac
•  AOTAPAC Legislative Action Center: http://capwiz.com/aota/home/
•  Webmaster Editor’s Recommended  Sites for the Political Junkie: 
• http://www.politifact.com/florida/  http://www.politifact.com/
•  http://healthystate.org/  http://www.floridachain.org/index.php
• Center for Science in the Public Interest: http://www.cspinet.org/