Yes, Georgia Medicaid can pay family caregivers, through specific programs, and which one depends on who you care for. Parents of a child under 21 can be paid through GAPP’s Family Caregiver Option for approved personal support hours. A relative who lives with an older or disabled adult who needs nursing-facility level care may be paid through Structured Family Caregiving or personal support services in the Elderly and Disabled Waiver. Spouses, parents of minor children and legal guardians cannot be paid for Structured Family Caregiving.
“Get paid to care for a family member” is one of the most searched questions in Georgia, and many of the answers online are advertisements for a single program. This page sets out the programs side by side, so you can find the one that fits the person you care for.
Which program fits
| Who you care for | Program | Who can be paid |
|---|---|---|
| Your child under 21 with medical needs | GAPP, the Georgia Pediatric Program: Family Caregiver Option | A parent or other legally responsible adult family member who lives with the child, for approved personal support hours |
| An older parent, relative or disabled adult who needs nursing-facility level care | Elderly and Disabled Waiver (CCSP and SOURCE): Structured Family Caregiving | A relative by blood or marriage who lives in the same home; not a spouse, a parent of a minor child or a legal guardian |
| The same adult | Elderly and Disabled Waiver: personal support services | Relatives can be hired by a home care provider or under the consumer-directed option |
| An adult 21 to 64 with a severe physical disability or brain injury | Independent Care Waiver Program (ICWP) | Ask the program whether a family member can be paid |
| Someone with an intellectual or developmental disability | NOW and COMP waivers | Ask DBHDD; participants can choose to direct their own services |
| Someone who does not qualify for Medicaid | Support Options, a non-Medicaid consumer-directed program | Ask the Aging and Disability Resource Connection |
If you care for your child
Parents are paid through GAPP, not Structured Family Caregiving. GAPP’s Family Caregiver Option lets a parent or other legally responsible adult family member who lives with the child be paid for the child’s approved personal support hours, as an employee of a GAPP agency. It never pays for skilled nursing, and foster parents are not eligible (GAPP manual §604.2, §604.3).
We cover this in depth in Can a parent be paid to care for their child in Georgia? and how to become a paid caregiver for your child, step by step. ARZN’s Village Care Program is how we support families who qualify.
If you care for an older parent or another adult relative
Georgia’s Elderly and Disabled Waiver, which includes the CCSP and SOURCE programs, serves frail elderly and disabled Georgians who meet a nursing facility level of care, with services such as personal care, adult day care, home-delivered meals and respite for family caregivers (Georgia Medicaid). Within it, Structured Family Caregiving pays a relative who provides full-time care at home. According to the waiver’s own service definition:
- You live together. The family caregiver lives in the home with the person cared for. Either can move in with the other.
- You are related, biologically or by marriage, but you are not a spouse, a parent of a minor child or the person’s legal guardian.
- The need is substantial. The person is assessed to need five or more hours a day of extended personal support services.
- An agency pays and supports you. The enrolled agency pays the caregiver a daily stipend, screens the caregiver’s criminal record, and provides health coaching, a registered nurse for health consultation, at least eight hours of caregiver training a year, monthly contacts and an emergency backup plan. You keep daily notes in the agency’s electronic system.
The waiver’s 2022 renewal also lets relatives deliver personal support services, hired by a home care provider or through the consumer-directed model. Programs vary by location, so ask what is available where you live. You apply through Georgia’s Aging and Disability Resource Connection: call 1-866-552-4464 and choose option 2 to speak with a counselor.
If you care for a spouse
Structured Family Caregiving is not paid to a spouse. An Aging and Disability Resource Connection counselor, at the same number, can explain what else is available in your area, including Support Options, a non-Medicaid consumer-directed program the state lists among the options that can pay family members.
If you care for an adult with a physical disability or brain injury
The Independent Care Waiver Program (ICWP) serves a limited number of adults who apply between the ages of 21 and 64 with severe physical disabilities or traumatic brain injury, at a nursing facility or hospital level of care (Georgia Medicaid). Applications go through Alliant Georgia Medical Care Foundation (GMCF) at 800-982-0411 or 888-669-7195. Ask whether a family member can be paid under the services your relative is approved for.
If you care for someone with an intellectual or developmental disability
The NOW and COMP waivers serve people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, and participants can choose to direct their own services. You apply through the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD). Ask DBHDD whether a family member can be hired for the services your relative needs. Our page on how Georgia’s programs compare explains NOW and COMP in more detail.
What none of these pay for
Family caregivers are paid for personal care and support, not for care that only a nurse may provide. The Elderly and Disabled Waiver excludes personal care given to medically unstable or medically complex people as a substitute for a nurse’s care, and GAPP’s Family Caregiver Option never covers skilled nursing (§604.2).
In short
- Parents of a child under 21: GAPP’s Family Caregiver Option, for approved personal support hours.
- A relative living with an older or disabled adult who needs nursing-facility level care: Structured Family Caregiving or personal support in the Elderly and Disabled Waiver.
- Spouses, parents of minor children and legal guardians cannot be paid for Structured Family Caregiving.
- For any adult program, start with the Aging and Disability Resource Connection: 1-866-552-4464, option 2.
ARZN Care works with children through GAPP. If you are caring for your child, tell us about your child and we will give you a straight answer. If you are caring for an adult, the Aging and Disability Resource Connection is the right first call.
Common questions
Does Medicaid pay family caregivers in Georgia?
Yes, through specific programs. Parents of a child under 21 can be paid through GAPP's Family Caregiver Option for approved personal support hours. A relative who lives with an older or disabled adult who needs nursing-facility level care may be paid through Structured Family Caregiving or personal support services in the Elderly and Disabled Waiver.
Can I get paid to take care of my elderly parent in Georgia?
Possibly, through Structured Family Caregiving in Georgia's Elderly and Disabled Waiver. Your parent must qualify for the waiver, which serves frail elderly and disabled Georgians who need a nursing facility level of care, and you must live in the same home. Call the Aging and Disability Resource Connection at 1-866-552-4464, option 2.
Can a spouse be paid to be a caregiver in Georgia?
Not through Structured Family Caregiving. The waiver does not pay that service to a spouse, a parent of a minor child or a legal guardian. An Aging and Disability Resource Connection counselor can explain what is available where you live.
Is Structured Family Caregiving available for children?
No. Structured Family Caregiving is part of the Elderly and Disabled Waiver and is not paid to a parent of a minor child. Parents of a child under 21 are paid through GAPP's Family Caregiver Option instead, for approved personal support hours.
How do I apply for Structured Family Caregiving in Georgia?
Through Georgia's Aging and Disability Resource Connection, which handles applications for the Elderly and Disabled Waiver. Call 1-866-552-4464 and choose option 2 to speak with a counselor.
Sources
- Georgia Department of Community Health, Part II Policies and Procedures for Georgia Pediatric Program (GAPP) In-Home Nursing, July 1, 2025 edition, published on GAMMIS under Provider Manuals.
- Georgia Department of Community Health, Georgia Pediatric Program (GAPP) provider presentation, June 2023, published on the Georgia Medicaid Management Information System portal.
- Georgia Medicaid, Waiver Programs.
- Georgia Department of Community Health, Community Based Services.
- Georgia Department of Community Health, Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program renewal notice and application (renewal effective November 9, 2022), Appendix C.
- Georgia Medicaid, Long Term Services and Supports.
- Georgia Division of Aging Services, Aging and Disability Resource Connection FAQs.
Please read. This article is general information about a public program, not medical, legal or financial advice, and it is not a decision about your child. Program rules change. Confirm anything that matters with the Georgia Department of Community Health or with a GAPP participating agency before you rely on it.