Structured family caregiving in Georgia: what DCH says

Structured Family Caregiver is a service in Georgia's Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program. The Department of Community Health (DCH) says it supports waiver members whose family caregiver lives in the home. A health coach from the service provider supports the caregiver. We found few current rules, so ask your Area Agency on Aging.

What DCH says it is

DCH's 2025 Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program (EDWP) fact sheet describes Structured Family Caregiver as providing support, education and oversight on behalf of waiver members whose family caregiver lives in the home. The live-in family member works with the SFC provider's health coach while supporting the member to reach the highest level of independence, by giving necessary care and support.

DCH's 2019 long-term services fact sheet, which is older, also lists "structured family caregiver" among the services of the Community Care Services Program (CCSP).

What the 2018 public notice added

Before the service started, DCH published a public notice dated December 13, 2018. It proposed adding Structured Family Caregiving to the EDWP, covering both CCSP and SOURCE, subject to federal approval, for services provided on or after March 1, 2019, and paid at fee-for-service rates. The notice says:

• The service supports family caregivers who live with and assist an elderly or disabled waiver participant who needs significant help with activities of daily living.
• Eligibility depends on there being a live-in, unpaid family caregiver in the home and an assessed need for a minimum of five hours of personal support service daily.
• A health coach gives the family caregiver ongoing support by telephone or electronic means and reviews daily notes the caregiver submits reporting changes or concerns about the participant's condition.
• The state expected no fiscal impact because the per diem rate offsets an equal number of Personal Support Services hours.

We read that notice as a proposal. It was not a final rule, and details can change. The 2025 fact sheet confirms the service still exists in the waiver.

What we could not confirm

DCH's documents that we read do not say:

• how much of the per diem payment goes to the family caregiver;
• whether a spouse can be the caregiver;
• which agencies provide the service, or how a member is matched to one;
• how many days of service are authorized.

We state no payment figure. The 2018 notice describes the family caregiver as "unpaid" for personal support services, which does not by itself tell you what the new service pays. Ask your care coordinator for the written rate and who it goes to.

Who qualifies for the waiver

DCH lists these EDWP criteria: age 21 or older, functional impairment from physical limitations (dementia counts as a physical condition), 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. See the Georgia overview.

How to ask about it

1. Contact your Area Agency on Aging for an EDWP assessment. DCH says the AAA is the program's entry point.
2. Tell the care coordinator that a family member lives with you and is giving care, and ask whether Structured Family Caregiver is available in your region.
3. Ask for the answers to the four questions in the list above, in writing.

If you are not a Medicaid recipient, DCH says to apply at the local county Division of Family and Children Services.

Related

See paid family caregiver in Georgia. Carevo is a connection platform and directory. We do not enroll anyone in the waiver, arrange the service or advise on eligibility. For agency help while you wait, see home care in Georgia.

More about care in Georgia

• All Georgia Medicaid programs for care at home
• Paid family caregiver in Georgia
• Home care providers in Georgia