Getting help at home in Georgia: start here
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Georgia's Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program pays for help at home for people who would otherwise need a nursing home. Start by learning what the program covers, check whether the person meets the level-of-care and financial rules, then apply. Enrollment commonly takes two to six months.
Where to begin
Most people arrive here in the middle of something: a fall, a hospital stay, a parent who is managing less well each month. You do not need to know any of the vocabulary yet. These guides answer the questions in the words people actually use, one question per page.
The six guides below are the place to start. Read the one that sounds most like your situation. They overlap on purpose, so it does not matter much which you pick first.
The five stages, in order
Everything else on this site sits in one of four sections that follow on from these guides.
1. Start here. The guides below. What Medicaid pays for at home, whether staying home instead of a nursing home is realistic, whether a family member can be paid, and how Medicare and Medicaid differ.
2. Understand the program. Understanding EDWP explains the Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program itself: the two ways it is delivered, what a case manager does, and how it differs from hiring a home care agency.
3. Apply. Applying covers the two eligibility tests, the assessment, the paperwork, the waiting list, and how long each stage realistically takes.
4. Once enrolled. Already enrolled is for people who are in the program: how the care plan works, what to do when needs change, and who to call about what.
5. Your rights. Your rights sets out what you are entitled to as a Medicaid member, including the right to choose your providers and to change them.
Take them in whatever order fits. Nothing here is a determination of eligibility, and reading a page does not start an application.
Everything in this section
- What Georgia Medicaid covers at home What Georgia Medicaid pays for when an older adult needs help at home: personal support, meals, adult day health, respite, nursing and more. Draft
- Staying home instead of a nursing home Often yes. If someone meets Georgia's nursing-home level of care, a Medicaid waiver can pay for that care at home instead. Here is how it works. Draft
- Getting paid as a family caregiver The real routes to being paid for caring for an older relative in Georgia: Structured Family Caregiving, waiver personal support, VA programs, and the limits. Draft
- Medicare vs Medicaid at home Medicare pays for short skilled care after an illness. Medicaid's waiver pays for ongoing help with daily life at home. A plain comparison for Georgia families. Draft
- When a parent is being discharged What to do this week when a parent is leaving the hospital and cannot manage alone: who to call, what to ask, and what can bridge the gap. Draft
- What a Medicaid waiver is A Medicaid waiver sets aside the rule that long-term care money only pays for a nursing home, so the same funding can follow a person home. Draft
Questions people ask about this
Where should I start if I have never heard of a Medicaid waiver?
Start with the guide on what Georgia Medicaid covers for help at home. It explains the services a waiver pays for, who qualifies, and what the first phone call looks like. Nothing else on this site assumes you have read anything first.
Do I need a diagnosis or a doctor's referral before I look into this?
No. Anyone can start the process, including the person themselves, an adult child, or a friend. A physician's involvement comes later, when the medical form and the plan of care are completed.
Is this the same thing as home care I would pay for privately?
No. Private home care is bought by the hour with your own money. The waiver is a Medicaid program with eligibility rules, an assessment, and a care plan, and Medicaid pays the providers directly.
How long does this take from the first phone call?
Two to six months is realistic from first contact to services starting, and there is often a waiting list. The timeline page explains what happens in each stretch of that wait.
Does it cost anything to talk to a case management agency?
Medicaid pays the case management agency directly for case management. No bill for case management ever goes to the member or the family.
Related questions
- What Georgia Medicaid covers at home What Georgia Medicaid pays for when an older adult needs help at home: personal support, meals, adult day health, respite, nursing and more.
- Do I qualify? Two tests decide eligibility for Georgia's Elderly and Disabled Waiver: nursing-home level of care and Medicaid financial rules. Work through both here.
- EDWP explained EDWP is Georgia's Medicaid waiver that pays for help at home instead of a nursing home. How CCSP, SOURCE and the case management tiers fit together.
- Already enrolled For families already on an EDWP case load: how the care plan is reviewed, what to do when needs change, who to call about a missed visit, and what a hospital stay changes.