How to start an IDD waiver provider in Georgia
Georgia requires a DBHDD approved I/DD community provider (NOW/COMP waivers) plus DCH Medicaid enrollment from Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD); Medicaid enrollment by the Department of Community Health (DCH) to operate an IDD waiver provider.
- License required
- YesDBHDD approved I/DD community provider (NOW/COMP waivers) plus DCH Medicaid enrollment
- Application fee
- —
- Processing time
- —
- In-home and community living supports (IDD)
- $5.49per 15 min · $21.96/hr
- Organizations in the state
- 529NPPES, Sep 13, 2026
On this page
Georgia idd waiver provider license
Georgia requires a DBHDD approved I/DD community provider (NOW/COMP waivers) plus DCH Medicaid enrollment from Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD); Medicaid enrollment by the Department of Community Health (DCH) to operate an IDD waiver provider.
- License required
- Yes
- License
- DBHDD approved I/DD community provider (NOW/COMP waivers) plus DCH Medicaid enrollment
- Regulation
- DBHDD Policy 02-701 (Recruitment and Application to Become a Provider of DD Services); Policy 21-101; DBHDD Provider Manual for Community DD Providers; GAMMIS COMP/NOW manuals
Steps to get licensed in Georgia
In order, as the licensing agency describes the process.
- Register for and attend a New Provider Enrollment Forum run by the Georgia Collaborative ASO
- Submit the I/DD Agency (or Individual) Provider Letter of Intent during an open enrollment period
- After LOI approval, complete the DBHDD New Provider Application
- If required, pass a site visit by the DBHDD Regional Field Office
- Complete the DCH online Medicaid application; if approved, DBHDD emails approval and New Provider Orientation details
Enrolling as a Georgia Medicaid provider
- Program
- Georgia Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids (Department of Community Health)
- Fiscal agent
- Gainwell Technologies (GAMMIS fiscal agent / third-party administrator; also handles CVO credentialing help)
- Application fee
- Georgia's Part I manual requires the fee from new, re-enrolling, revalidating and re-credentialing providers in the categories of service it lists, unless exempt, or a hardship waiver request instead. Applications without either are not processed, the fee is generally non-refundable, and an exempt provider pays once per service location even with several categories of service. Federal rule (42 CFR 455.460): the state must collect the CMS application fee from institutional providers that are newly enrolling or re-enrolling; individual physicians and non-physician practitioners are exempt, as are providers already enrolled in (or that already paid the fee to) Medicare or another state's Medicaid/CHIP. CMS set the fee at $750 for calendar year 2026.
- Fingerprinting
- Georgia's high categorical risk categories are community mental health centers, newly enrolling home health agencies, and newly enrolling DME/orthotic and prosthetic supplier facilities. Georgia defines a criminal background check as a state and/or national fingerprint-based check. Federal rule (42 CFR 455.434, 455.450(c)): providers the state places in the 'high' categorical risk level, and anyone owning 5% or more of such a provider, must submit fingerprints for a criminal background check.
- Site visit
- DCH may do pre- and post-enrollment, unscheduled and unannounced site visits. Moderate-risk categories include ambulance providers, hospices, independent clinical labs, physical therapists, and revalidating home health agencies and DME suppliers. Federal rule (42 CFR 455.432, 455.450(b)-(c)): the state must do site visits before and after enrollment for providers in the 'moderate' or 'high' risk levels, and any enrolled provider must allow unannounced on-site inspections.
- Revalidation
- DCH suspended providers that had not revalidated as of July 1, 2026; claims for dates of service from then on are not paid until the provider revalidates, and the new effective date is the revalidation submission date. Federal rule (42 CFR 455.414): every enrolled provider must be revalidated at least once every 5 years.
Does Georgia require a certificate of need?
- CON program
- Yes
- Program
- Certificate of Need
- Services covered
- hospitals (including destination cancer hospitals)
- special care units
- skilled nursing facilities
- intermediate care facilities
- personal care homes of 25 or more beds
- ambulatory surgical or obstetrical facilities
- freestanding emergency departments off a hospital's primary campus
- home health agencies
- health maintenance organizations
- certain diagnostic, treatment or rehabilitation centers
- bed capacity increases and new clinical services
Electronic visit verification in Georgia
- Model
- hybrid
- State vendor
- Tellus (with Conduent)
- Services in scope
- personal care
- community living supports
- personal support services
- home health
- Alternate EVV allowed
- Yes
Georgia wage floor
- State minimum wage
- $7.25 an hour
- Effective
- 2009-07-24
- Scheduled increases
- No scheduled change found in the official sources reviewed.
- HCBS 80/20 rule
- Federal baseline: 42 CFR 441.302(k) requires the state to show that each provider spends at least 80% of Medicaid payments for homemaker, home health aide and personal care services under 1915(c) waivers on direct care worker pay and benefits. Compliance starts 2030-07-09 (for managed care, the first rating period starting on or after that date); annual payment-adequacy reporting under 441.311(e) starts 2028-07-09. A state may set a lower share for state-defined small providers and exempt providers facing hardship, each only through a public notice-and-comment process. The eCFR text has not changed since 2024-07-09. No state-published 80/20 implementation step (small-provider criteria, hardship exemption or reporting guidance) was found for this state in the official sources reviewed.
Georgia market size
Counts from federal public files: NPPES (active organization NPIs), CMS Care Compare and CMS Medicaid enrollment.
- Intellectual/developmental disability residential facilities — active organization NPIs (NPPES)
- 529 (as of Sep 13, 2026)
- Total Medicaid and CHIP enrollment (latest reported month)
- 1,817,766 (as of Jun 1, 2026)
What Georgia Medicaid pays
Intellectual & developmental disabilities: published Georgia fee-for-service rates, each linked to its source.
| Service | Code | Georgia rate | Per hour | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In-home and community living supports (IDD)Agency provider | T2025 | $5.49per 15 min | $21.96 | 21 of 29 |
| Community integration / community access (IDD)Agency provider | T2025 | $3.65per 15 min | $14.60 | 22 of 22 |
| Prevocational servicesAgency provider | T2015 | $3.33per 15 min | $13.32 | 19 of 28 |
| Residential habilitation / group home supportsAgency provider | T2033 | $323.26per 1 Day | — | — |
| Supported employment (job coaching)Agency provider | T2019 | $5.78per 15 min | $23.12 | 32 of 39 |
Georgia HCBS waivers
Medicaid home and community-based services programs that may pay for this service.
- Comprehensive Supports Waiver Program (1915(c))
- Elderly and Disabled Waiver (1915(c))
- Independent Care Waiver Program (ICWP) (1915(c))
- New Options Waiver (NOW) (1915(c))
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a license to start an IDD waiver provider in Georgia?
Georgia requires a DBHDD approved I/DD community provider (NOW/COMP waivers) plus DCH Medicaid enrollment from Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD); Medicaid enrollment by the Department of Community Health (DCH) to operate an IDD waiver provider.
Does Georgia require a certificate of need for an IDD waiver provider?
Georgia has a certificate of need program covering: hospitals (including destination cancer hospitals), special care units, skilled nursing facilities, intermediate care facilities, personal care homes of 25 or more beds, ambulatory surgical or obstetrical facilities, freestanding emergency departments off a hospital's primary campus, home health agencies, health maintenance organizations, certain diagnostic, treatment or rehabilitation centers, bed capacity increases and new clinical services. Check whether your service is on that list.
How do you become a Medicaid provider in Georgia?
Enroll through Georgia Medicaid Management Information System (GAMMIS) — Enrollment Wizard (https://www.mmis.georgia.gov/portal/PubAccess.Enrollment/Enrollment%20Wizard/tabId/30/Default.aspx), run by Gainwell Technologies (GAMMIS fiscal agent / third-party administrator; also handles CVO credentialing help).
What does Georgia Medicaid pay a IDD waiver provider?
Georgia Medicaid pays $5.49 per 15 min for in-home and community living supports (idd), effective Apr 1, 2025, ranking 21 of 29 states.