Frequently Asked Questions

Georgia’s waiver programs give an extra set of benefits and services beyond those usually offered by Medicaid. These benefits and services are meant to help you stay in the community instead of living in an institution or hospital, so they are often called Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS).

Waivers have extra rules for eligibility and usually have a higher income limit than regular Medicaid. Learn more about Georgia’s waiver programs.

Georgia has four waiver programs:

1. The Elderly and Disabled program, which is for people who are 65 or older or have a physical disability and need a level of care normally provided in a nursing home.
2. The Independent Care Waiver Program (ICWP), which is for adults who have severe physical disabilities or a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and need a level of care normally provided in a nursing home or hospital.
3. The New Options Waiver Program (NOW), which is for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities who need a level of care normally provided in an intermediate care facility.
4. The Comprehensive Supports Waiver Program (COMP), which is for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities who need more intensive care than those in the NOW program.

You do not already need to have Medicaid to qualify for a waiver program, but you do need to meet certain requirements:

• You must have income that is $2,901 or less a month, and
• You must have resources that are $2,000 or less if you are single ($3,000 for couples).

The income limit for waiver programs is higher than the income limit for regular Medicaid. If you have disability-based Medicaid coverage, like Medicaid through Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, you automatically meet the financial eligibility rules.

Note: If your disability began before you turned 26, you can open an ABLE account where you can save up to $19,000 in resources each year (plus more if you have earned income) and not have it counted by Medicaid. Learn more about ABLE accounts.

To qualify for a waiver program, you also must need a level of care normally provided in a facility, like a nursing home or a hospital, and must meet the waiver’s own additional eligibility requirements.

Not everybody with Medicaid coverage qualifies for a waiver program. Waiver programs are for people who need a level of care that would usually be provided in a nursing home or other institution. That’s why waivers are designed to give you the benefits and services to keep living in the community. Each waiver program has a different requirement for the level of care you must need.

Yes, you can apply for a waiver if you live in a nursing home or institution! Waivers are meant to help you live in a home in the community. A waiver could let you move out of your nursing home, hospital, or other institution into a house or apartment. Learn more about transitioning from a facility to your own home in DB101’s Long-Term Services and Supports Programs article.

Yes, there is an income limit and a resource limit for waiver programs:

• You must have income that is $2,901 or less a month.
• You must have resources that are $2,000 or less if you are single ($3,000 or less for couples).

If you have disability-linked Medicaid coverage, like Medicaid through Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, you automatically meet the financial eligibility rules.

Note: If your disability began before you turned 26, you can open an ABLE account where you can save up to $19,000 in resources each year (plus more if you have earned income) and not have it counted by Medicaid. Learn more about ABLE accounts.

Each waiver program has a different agency you must contact in order to apply for that waiver. Read more about each waiver and learn which agency to contact.

For more information about Georgia’s waiver programs or help applying for a program, contact your local Aging and Disability Resource Connection site.

Some waiver programs in some regions have waiting lists, but others do not. If there is a waiting list in your region for the program you applied for, you will have to wait for a spot to open up in the program before you can get approved and start getting services.

Your placement on the waiting list is based on your condition and the urgency of your need for waiver services. If you are on the waiting list and your situation changes, like your condition or your finances, update your information with the agency you applied through. It could affect your placement on the list.

The New Options Waiver Program (NOW) services include:

• Prevocational services, which can help you learn good work habits and skills and connect you with an employer, and
• Supported Employment Services, which help with training, job development, and getting a job.

The Independent Care Waiver Program (ICWP) does not have employment support, but its other services may be helpful when looking for work and when you get a job. For example, you could use non-medical transportation to go to school, a training program, interviews, or your job.

The Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA) can help you with education, training, finding a job, and building your career. You can work with a vocational rehabilitation counselor to understand how waiver services can help build your career.

For more information on waiver programs, visit Georgia’s website on Home and Community-Based Services.

You can also contact your local Aging and Disability Resource Connection site.