Home Care in Georgia

According to the 2021 Genworth Cost of Care Survey, you can expect to pay an average of $4,385 a month for home health care in Georgia. This service usually includes medical or rehab services performed in your home by a medical professional, and it is not to be confused with in-home care. In-home care leans more toward personal care and non-medical support services by a visiting caregiver. In-home care in Georgia costs an average of $4,290 a month.

The cost for home care in Georgia is a few hundred dollars a month lower than the national average of $4,957 a month, and it’s well below the national rate of $5,148 for home health care. The state’s average costs are close to the low end compared with other nearby states. Georgia’s costs are lower than Florida ($4,767), Tennessee ($4,576) and South Carolina ($4,433 and $4,481). Alabama does have lower costs for both types of care, at $3,813 a month for in-home care and $3,851 for home health care, a few hundred dollars less than Georgia’s averages.

Home health care and in-home care are not the only options you have for senior living arrangements. In some cases, other solutions are more appropriate or comfortable for seniors, though these often carry a higher price. While in-home care in Georgia costs $4,290 and home health care costs $4,385, nursing home care in Georgia averages $7,011 a month for a semiprivate room. Assisted living, an intermediate level of senior care, averages $3,535 a month in Georgia. One exception to this higher-price rule is adult day care, which costs only $1,300 a month.

Medicaid has a program to help you pay for home care, but it can be tricky to get the benefits you need. Georgia’s Medicaid SOURCE waiver covers the health-related services you need at home, but you may have a shortfall in some of your non-medical needs. The SOURCE waiver aims to help low-income seniors in Georgia remain safely at home rather than enter a nursing home or assisted living facility.

To sign up for a SOURCE waiver in Georgia, you must receive Medicaid and be eligible for placement in a residential setting, such as a nursing home. You will also need a medical evaluation to ensure you can live safely at home.

Service Options Using Resources in a Community Environment Waiver 

The SOURCE waiver is a case management program directed toward seniors and disabled adults. When you sign up for waiver services, your case manager will work with your doctor and other relevant participants to craft an in-home care program for your unique needs.

SOURCE benefits cover many services, including caregiver support and medically necessary durable equipment. Georgia Medicaid must cover equipment and services, and your doctor must authorize it. To qualify, you must be eligible for or currently enrolled in Medicaid and have a qualifying medical condition.

To qualify for Georgia Medicaid, you must meet certain income and asset limits. For regular Medicaid, a single applicant’s income limit is $10,092 a year, and their asset limit is $2,000. Married couples can earn up to $15,132 a year and cannot have more than $3,000 in assets.

Medicaid does not consider your house, burial trusts, a single vehicle, furniture and personal items as countable assets.

You can apply for Georgia Medicaid online on the state’s dedicated Medicaid application page or from the Georgia Gateway Benefits Portal.  To apply by phone, call (877) 423-4746 during regular state office hours. The state’s Medicaid application also offers downloadable paper applications in English and Spanish. However, as of 2015, Georgia Medicaid has stopped accepting paper applications via mail, though you can still submit applications and supporting paperwork through your local benefits office.

What Information You Will Need

Medicaid verifies all the information you submit as part of your application, including:

• U.S. citizenship or other legal status, such as a green card
• State-issued identification, which may be a license or ID card issued by the DMV or other identity document with your address and photo on it
• Financial records, including bank statements for all of your accounts
• Copies of your insurance policies
• Court documents relating to alimony or child support
• Deeds for real property you may own
• Paperwork establishing your assets, including stock statements and other investment information
• Pay stubs or tax returns that show your gross income before taxes

Medicaid may look back over the five years prior to your application date to establish financial eligibility. If you have transferred any large assets, bought or sold a house or conducted any other major transactions during that period, you may have to provide documentation for your intake worker to assess.

How to Get Help Applying for Medicaid

The application process for Georgia Medicaid can be daunting. Fortunately, Georgia seniors have several resources to help with the application process.

Medicare doesn’t pay for non-medical home care, but it can cover the cost of the medical version of home care, called “Home Healthcare” in some situations. In order to be eligible, you need to be homebound and have a referral from your doctor for the specific type of medical care that is needed. There are also other restrictions that apply.

Below is an overview of some of the services typically covered by Medicare for those who are eligible:

• Physical Therapy: Physical therapy is used to help patients recover from injuries (broken bones, knee injuries, etc.), and to treat ongoing conditions such as arthritis. Additionally, physical therapy is often provided in the home to help seniors recover from surgeries and procedures, such as a knee or hip replacement.
• Nursing Care: Licensed nurses can provide a number of medical services (such as wound care, changing feeding tubes, etc.) for those who need medical care, but don’t need to stay in a hospital full-time.
• Occupational Therapy: Occupational therapy is designed to help seniors regain or maintain the ability to accomplish normal, daily tasks, such as bathing, dressing, eating, etc., and providers can travel to your home if needed.
• Speech Therapy: Seniors can lose the ability to adequately communicate for many reasons, and speech therapists are there to help seniors regain the ability to communicate using a variety of means. Additionally, speech therapists help to keep seniors independent by modifying diets and teaching special techniques to swallow safely.

As mentioned above, home care is distinctly different from home healthcare, but there is some overlap – so while Medicare doesn’t cover non-medical home care, there are personal care services that may be covered in special circumstances – such as an occupational therapist helping with eating or dressing.

Read our guide to Medicare and Home Care Coverage for more information.

While the above programs can be a great way to make home care affordable for many people, they are not the right solution for everyone. Thankfully, there are other ways to make home care more affordable for you and your family. For more information about your other options, read our section on Other Ways to Pay for this guide.

Georgia seniors can stay independent and remain safely in their homes with enough support. These organizations offer free and low-cost resources for aging in place.

On January 14, 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) mandated that all home health care workers employed by agencies that participate in Medicaid and/or Medicare must receive their full COVID-19 vaccination by March 15, 2022.  Some home care agencies may require workers to take additional mitigation steps, including wearing face masks and personal protection equipment (PPE) to protect their clients further.

This information is current as of April 2022. However, rules relating to COVID-19 precautions change frequently, so it’s always a good idea to check with your local Area Agency on Aging if you’re concerned about having a home care provider enter your home.

Georgia’s Department of Community Health is responsible for regulating the state’s home care providers. It records its regulations with the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office, issues facility licenses and monitors compliance with applicable state rules and regulations.

Whether you are looking for yourself or a loved one, finding a quality home care provider can be a stressful process. To help you overcome this challenge, we’ve created a helpful checklist below that can help guide you through the process of both determining your needs, and finding a home care agency that will be the best fit for you and your family.

Download PDF Here

Learn More About Home Care in Georgia’s Top Cities

• Alpharetta
• Atlanta
• Marietta