One of the most common questions we hear from Georgia families is some version of: “Is there any help paying for this?” For many families, the answer is yes — through Georgia’s Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waiver programs. These programs exist for exactly this reason: to help people who would otherwise need nursing home-level care stay safely in their own homes instead.

Here’s a plain-language walk-through of the programs most relevant to seniors and adults with disabilities in Georgia.

What is a Medicaid “waiver,” exactly?

Normally, Medicaid’s long-term care benefit is built around paying for nursing facility care. A waiver “waives” that requirement, allowing the same level of Medicaid funding to instead pay for services that let someone stay at home or in their community — things like personal care, case management, home-delivered meals, and caregiver respite.

To qualify for most of these waivers, an applicant generally needs to meet two kinds of criteria: financial (income and asset limits set by Georgia Medicaid) and functional (a determination that they need a level of care comparable to what a nursing facility would provide).

SOURCE and CCSP: the two main waivers for aging and disabled Georgians

Georgia operates two closely related waiver programs for elderly and disabled adults, often referred to together as the Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program (EDWP):

CCSP (Community Care Services Program)
CCSP is Georgia’s longer-standing waiver for frail elderly individuals and adults with disabilities who qualify for nursing-facility-level care. It can cover:
– Case management
– Personal support / personal care
– Adult day health
– Home-delivered meals
– Respite care for family caregivers
– Alternative living services

SOURCE (Service Options Using Resources in a Community Environment)
SOURCE covers similar services to CCSP but is built around enhanced case management, with closer coordination between the participant’s primary care physician and their care team. In practice, many families find SOURCE offers a more tightly managed care experience, which can be especially valuable for people with more complex medical needs.

Both programs share the same basic goal — helping someone who qualifies for nursing-home-level care get the support they need to stay at home instead — and both are administered through Georgia’s Department of Community Health.

What about younger adults with disabilities?

For adults ages 21–64 with severe physical disabilities or traumatic brain injury, the Independent Care Waiver Program (ICWP) is often the better fit. It covers personal support, home health services, medical equipment, counseling, and home modifications, and also requires a nursing-facility or hospital level-of-care determination.

(Georgia’s NOW and COMP waivers exist as well, but they’re specifically designed for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities rather than the aging population — a different track with its own application process.)

How do you actually apply?

For SOURCE and CCSP, the starting point is your regional Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC) office — Georgia has 12 of them, covering different parts of the state. The ADRC can walk you through both the financial and functional eligibility screening and connect you with a case manager if you qualify.

For ICWP, applications go through Alliant Georgia Medical Care Foundation, Georgia’s utilization review contractor for that program.

Because eligibility depends on income, assets, and a documented level of care need, timelines can vary — and it’s common for families to start the process while also arranging some private-pay care in the meantime, rather than waiting on an approval before getting any help at all.

A few things families are often surprised to learn

• Medicaid waivers are not the same as regular Medicaid. Someone can be over the income limit for standard Medicaid and still potentially qualify for a waiver, depending on how the program treats certain income and assets.
• There can be waitlists. Demand for these waivers is high, and not every county or region moves through applications at the same pace.
• Waiver services are typically delivered through approved provider agencies — families choose which licensed agency provides their hands-on care, even though the waiver itself is administered by the state.

We can help you navigate it

Figuring out which waiver applies, whether your loved one meets the criteria, and how to get the application moving can feel like a full-time job on top of caregiving. At Sister to Sister, we’ve walked Georgia families through this process many times, and we’re glad to help you understand your options — waiver-funded or private pay — so you’re not doing this alone.

Questions about Medicaid waivers or how to get started? Call us at (404) 282-2447. Because it’s not just care. It’s personal.

This article is general information, not legal or financial advice. Program rules and eligibility criteria can change — always confirm current details with the Georgia Department of Community Health or your regional ADRC office before making decisions based on this article.