Can Medicaid pay for a medical alert button in Georgia?

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An emergency response system is a service in Georgia's EDWP waiver. The member wears a pendant or has a button in the home that connects to a monitoring service, so help can be summoned after a fall or a crisis. It goes into a care plan where the assessment shows the need.

What it is

A small unit in the home and a button the member carries or wears, usually as a pendant or a wristband. Pressing it connects to a monitoring service that can talk to the member and get help to them.

It is the cheapest thing on the waiver and, for someone who lives alone, one of the most useful. The risk it addresses is specific: not the fall itself, but the hours on the floor afterwards.

Who it is for

A member who spends significant time alone, and who is at risk of a fall or a medical event where being unable to call for help would turn a bad situation into a much worse one.

That is not only people who live by themselves. Someone whose spouse cannot lift them, or whose family is out at work all day, is alone in every way that matters for this purpose.

How it gets into a care plan

The case manager assesses safety at home, including how much time the member spends alone and their history of falls, and writes an emergency response system into the plan of care where it is needed. The plan is approved by the member’s physician or by the case management agency’s medical director. A contracted provider installs the equipment and runs the monitoring.

Setting it up properly matters more than the device. Who is called, in what order, with which phone numbers, and who holds a key - all of that should be established at installation and checked when circumstances change.

What it does not cover

It does not prevent falls. It shortens the time on the floor. Reducing the risk of falling is a job for home modifications, personal support and sometimes therapy.
It is not monitoring in the sense of someone watching. Nothing happens until the button is pressed, unless the specific equipment includes automatic fall detection, which is a question to ask the provider.
It does not work if it is not worn. This is the real failure mode.
It is not a substitute for a plan that covers the risky parts of the day. If mornings are when things go wrong, the answer is help in the mornings.

Questions people ask about this

Is this the same as the alert systems advertised on television?

The technology is similar. The difference is that as a waiver service it is arranged through the care plan with a contracted provider, rather than bought on a monthly subscription. A family already paying for one privately should mention it during the assessment.

What happens when the button is pressed?

The unit connects the member to a monitoring service, which responds according to the plan set up for that member, usually by speaking to them and then contacting a listed responder or emergency services. Who is on the responder list is worth reviewing regularly, because phone numbers and neighbors change.

What if my mother will not wear it?

This is the most common reason the service fails, and it is worth solving rather than accepting. Some people object to the pendant and accept a wristband. Some object to the idea of it. Raise it with the case manager, because a device that sits in a drawer is not protection and the plan may need something else.

Does it work if she falls outside or in the yard?

That depends on the equipment and its range, so ask the provider directly about coverage before it is installed. Do not assume it works everywhere on the property.

Clinically reviewed by Dr. Sulieman Wazeerud-din, MD — Medical Director · September 2026