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Georgia · checked September 2026
How Georgia helps pay for long-term care, who to call when you need help or something's wrong, and how to check a facility before you sign.
The first question
Yes, for the care. Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program: Community Care Services Program (CCSP) and Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program: SOURCE (Service Options Using Resources in a Community Environment) help pay for care in assisted living. Rent and meals are usually still paid by the resident, often from Social Security. There can be a waitlist, so ask to be screened early, before savings run out.
Georgia's Medicaid rules for long-term care, and the programs that pay for care outside a nursing home.
$2,982
2026
Nursing home and Elderly and Disabled Waiver limit is 300% of the SSI benefit. Official DFCS fact sheets confirm that people over the limit can still qualify with a funded Qualified Income Trust (Miller trust). Confirm the 2026 dollar figure with the state Medicaid office before relying on it.
$2,000
2026
Single applicant. Home and one vehicle are generally excluded. The same $2,000 limit appears in an older Division of Aging Services guide. Confirm with the state Medicaid office before relying on it.
Georgia uses a hard income cap. People over it can still qualify by putting the extra income into a Qualified Income Trust (a "Miller trust") each month.
Look-back on gifts and transfers: 60 months.
Apply for Georgia Medicaid (Aged, Blind and Disabled Medicaid)
Georgia Department of Community Health (Medicaid agency); applications and eligibility handled by the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS)
Georgia Medicaid program for people 65+ (or younger with a disability) who need nursing-home-level care but want to stay at home or in the community. It can pay for care in a licensed personal care home (called Alternative Living Services), plus personal care, adult day care, home-delivered meals and respite. It pays for care, not rent and meals; the resident still pays room and board.
Waitlist: Yes. Georgia says there is often a waitlist. Admission depends on funding set by the legislature, and people with the greatest unmet needs are served first.
The second part of Georgia's Elderly and Disabled Waiver. It offers the same kinds of services as CCSP (including alternative living services) but adds closer case management tied to the person's primary care doctor. Apply through your local Aging and Disability Resource Connection.
Waitlist: Sometimes. Part of the same waiver as CCSP; availability depends on funding and local capacity.
We didn't find any PACE programs operating in Georgia.
Free, and on your side. Start with the aging office if you don't know where to begin.
The state's aging office and its local agencies explain your options, screen for programs and help with applications.
A free, independent advocate for residents of nursing homes and assisted living. Call about any problem with care, rights, billing or a discharge.
You don't need proof to report. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.
Call to confirm hours. APS is not a first responder: call 911 if someone is in immediate danger.
Unbiased Medicare help from counselors who don't sell anything: plans, bills, appeals, and programs that lower costs.
Help spotting and reporting Medicare fraud, billing errors and scams.
In Georgia, assisted living is licensed as: Personal Care Home (2 or more residents) and Assisted Living Community (a personal care home serving 25 or more residents that offers assisted living care). Read inspection reports before you sign anything.
Look up any licensed community and read its inspection reports online.
File a complaint
Medicare rates every nursing home on staffing, inspections and quality, with full inspection reports.
State veterans homes are often far cheaper than private care for eligible veterans and, in many states, their spouses.
Georgia Department of Veterans Service
Milledgeville
skilled nursing, memory care
Free legal help for older adults on issues like benefits, housing, powers of attorney and elder abuse.
Can a family member be paid to provide care?
Through the Elderly and Disabled Waiver, Structured Family Caregiving is offered as a paid service for an eligible family caregiver who lives with a participant needing a lot of hands-on help. The person must qualify for the waiver first.
Georgia's 12 Area Agencies on Aging offer respite care (in-home or short stays in a facility), adult day services, support groups and caregiver education. Call the statewide line to be routed to your local agency.
Statewide program with Emory University that helps primary care doctors diagnose dementia early and refers patients to seven Memory Assessment Clinics (Atlanta, Albany, Augusta, Gainesville, Macon, Savannah, Vidalia) plus telehealth sites. Diagnosed patients are connected to local Area Agency on Aging services.
The state's coordinated plan for dementia care, training and awareness. Useful background; for help with a specific person, call the Aging and Disability Resource Connection.
Yes, for the care part. In Georgia, Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program: Community Care Services Program (CCSP) and Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program: SOURCE (Service Options Using Resources in a Community Environment) can pay for care in assisted living. Rent and meals are generally paid by the resident. There can be a waitlist.
$2,000 for a single person (2026). Single applicant. Home and one vehicle are generally excluded. The same $2,000 limit appears in an older Division of Aging Services guide. Confirm with the state Medicaid office before relying on it.
The Georgia Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program: (866) 552-4464. It's free and independent.
Researched from 33 sources, official pages first. Last checked .