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Georgia Medicaid home care: the Elderly and Disabled Waiver (CCSP and SOURCE)

Georgia pays for long-term care at home mainly through the Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program, which includes CCSP and SOURCE. The Department of Community Health runs it, and Area Agencies on Aging are the entry point.

Carevo editorial team Updated October 27, 2026 Source checked by Carevo editorial team, October 27, 2026

Georgia pays for long-term care at home mainly through the Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program (EDWP), run by the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH). It includes the Community Care Services Program (CCSP) and SOURCE. You start with your Area Agency on Aging.

How care at home is paid for here

DCH's fact sheet, updated in 2025, says SOURCE and CCSP are both part of the EDWP. Both help people who are elderly or functionally impaired remain in their homes or communities, and DCH describes the waiver as community-based services for eligible consumers as an alternative to nursing facility placement. Medicaid.gov lists DCH as the state's Medicaid agency. DCH administers and operates the EDWP.

Services in the EDWP

The 2025 fact sheet lists:

  • adult day health;
  • alternative living services;
  • emergency response services;
  • home-delivered services, including skilled nursing, therapies, medical social services and home health aide assistance;
  • personal support services, which includes meal preparation, hygiene, light housekeeping, errands and in-home respite by an aide;
  • consumer-directed personal support services;
  • structured family caregiver;
  • out-of-home respite care;
  • home delivered meals; and
  • case management, in two tiers.

Who is eligible

DCH lists these EDWP criteria:

  • age 21 and over;
  • functional impairment caused by physical limitations, with Alzheimer's disease and dementia counted as physical conditions;
  • an unmet need for care;
  • approval of an intermediate level of care certification for nursing home placement;
  • approval of the care plan by the client's physician;
  • Medicaid eligible or potentially eligible after admission to the EDWP;
  • the client chooses community-based rather than institutional services;
  • services fall within the average annual cost of Medicaid-reimbursed nursing facility care, and health and safety needs can be met;
  • participation in one waiver program at a time.

DCH says a client is not required to be homebound. The fact sheet also lists financial criteria for the SSI and Medical Assistance Only categories, with limits that change when the Social Security Administration changes its amounts, so we do not repeat them here.

Hiring your own worker

DCH describes Consumer-Directed Personal Support Services as the same as Personal Support Services, except that the consumer hires and supervises worker or workers of choice, and clients enrolled in the option must choose a Financial Management Services provider that issues paychecks and follows federal and state tax laws for them. This is Georgia's self-directed option. Medicaid.gov describes self-directed services as a model where participants choose and manage the people who provide their services.

Structured family caregiver

DCH's fact sheet says Structured Family Caregiver provides support, education and oversight for waiver members whose family caregiver lives in the home, and that the live-in family member works with the SFC provider's health coach. A December 2018 DCH public notice describes the service in more detail. See structured family caregiving in Georgia.

How to start

DCH's fact sheet gives these steps.

  1. Contact your Area Agency on Aging (AAA) for an EDWP assessment. The AAA is the entry point and determines eligibility and services. People with active full Medicaid can contact the AAA or a SOURCE site.
  2. If you are eligible, the care coordinator works with you or your representative to decide which services you need.
  3. If you are not a Medicaid recipient, apply at the local county office of the Division of Family and Children Services. SSI recipients apply through the Social Security Administration.
  4. Case management arranges services through approved Medicaid provider agencies and keeps in touch to make sure needs are met.

DCH lists the AAA phone number for each of Georgia's 12 planning and service areas, such as Atlanta Regional Commission at (404) 463-3333 for EDWP information.

Other Georgia programs

DCH's 2019 long-term services fact sheet, which is older, also names the Independent Care Waiver Program for severely physically disabled adults between 21 and 64, and the New Options Waiver and Comprehensive Supports Waiver for people with developmental disabilities, coordinated by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. Confirm current details with DCH. For providers, see intellectual and developmental disability services in Georgia.

Questions to ask when you call

  • Which Area Agency on Aging covers my county, and when can I have an EDWP assessment?
  • Is my case in CCSP or SOURCE, and what is the difference for me?
  • Do I have full Medicaid already, or do I need to apply at my county Division of Family and Children Services?
  • Would Consumer-Directed Personal Support Services suit me, and which FMS providers can I choose from?
  • I live with a family caregiver. Is Structured Family Caregiver available in my region?

Terms you will see

  • EDWP: the Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program, which includes CCSP and SOURCE.
  • AAA: Area Agency on Aging, the entry point for the EDWP.
  • Care coordinator: the person who works with you to decide which services you need.
  • FMS: Financial Management Services, the provider that issues paychecks for consumer-directed workers.
  • Intermediate level of care: the nursing home level of care certification the EDWP requires.
  • MAO: Medical Assistance Only, a Medicaid category for people who do not receive SSI cash benefits.

Where Carevo fits

Carevo is a connection platform and directory. We do not run the EDWP, decide eligibility or vouch for providers. The care-type links below show providers that serve your area. See also paid family caregiver in Georgia.

Programs in Georgia

  • Structured Family Caregiver (Elderly and Disabled Waiver): Georgia's Elderly and Disabled Waiver includes Structured Family Caregiver for members whose family caregiver lives in the home. A health coach supports the caregiver. DCH's notice sets a minimum of five hours of daily personal support need.

Find providers in Georgia

Looking for care?

Tell us your ZIP code and the type of care, and we will show providers that serve your area.

Common questions

Who runs Georgia's home care waiver?

The Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH). Its Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program (EDWP) fact sheet says DCH administers and operates the program, and that SOURCE and CCSP are both part of it.

What is the difference between CCSP and SOURCE?

Both are part of the EDWP and help elderly and functionally impaired people stay in their homes or communities. DCH's 2019 fact sheet describes SOURCE as serving frail, elderly and disabled Georgians who are eligible for SSI or Medicaid, with primary care physicians on the case management team.

Who is eligible for the EDWP?

DCH lists: age 21 or older, functional impairment from physical limitations (Alzheimer's and dementia count as physical conditions), an unmet need for care, an intermediate level of care certification for nursing home placement, physician approval of the care plan, Medicaid eligible or potentially eligible, and a choice of community-based over institutional services. Services must fall within the average annual cost of Medicaid-reimbursed nursing facility care.

Where do I start?

With your Area Agency on Aging (AAA). DCH says the AAA is the EDWP's entry point and determines both consumer eligibility and the type of services needed. The fact sheet lists contact numbers for each of Georgia's 12 regions.

Can I hire my own worker?

Yes, through Consumer-Directed Personal Support Services. DCH says it is the same as Personal Support Services, except the consumer hires and supervises workers of choice and must choose a Financial Management Services provider that issues paychecks and handles taxes.

Does Georgia pay a live-in family caregiver?

The EDWP includes Structured Family Caregiver for waiver members whose family caregiver lives in the home. See the structured family caregiving page for what DCH says about it.

Does Carevo handle Georgia Medicaid applications?

No. Carevo is a connection platform and directory. Your Area Agency on Aging and your county Division of Family and Children Services handle assessment and Medicaid applications.

Sources

Review status: Carevo checked this page against the primary sources listed above. It has not been professionally reviewed by a registered nurse, licensed social worker, benefits counselor or attorney. See our editorial standards.

This page is general information, not financial, legal or medical advice. Rules and services vary by state and by individual circumstances. Use the official sources and decision-maker named on the page. Carevo is a connection platform, not a care provider.