A Georgia child with a G-tube or other feeding tube who has full Medicaid can receive care at home through GAPP, the Georgia Pediatric Program, when that care is medically necessary. Tube feeding and medications given through the tube are among the nursing needs the state asks the physician to record. Whether your child gets nursing hours, personal support hours or both depends on the whole picture of their care, not on the tube alone.
Many children come home with a feeding tube, and for some it is one need among many. This page explains how GAPP looks at tube feeding, how nursing and personal support divide the work, and where a parent fits.
How GAPP looks at tube feeding
GAPP approves care that is medically necessary, judged on your child’s overall medical condition, the equipment they use and the level and frequency of care they need (GAPP manual §702.1.1). On the state’s nursing evaluation form, the DMA-6(A), the nutrition section lists tube feeding, N/G-tube or G-tube, slow feeding, failure to thrive or prematurity, IV nutrition, and medications given through the tube. Other sections cover breathing, mobility, continence and behavior, because the review looks at the whole child.
A G-tube on its own does not decide anything. A child whose only need is routine tube feeding may be assessed very differently from a child who also has seizures, a trach or complex medications.
Nursing and personal support
- Skilled nursing is the care in your child’s physician’s orders that needs a licensed nurse, which can include medications through the tube and monitoring how your child tolerates feeds.
- Personal support covers hands-on help with feeding, bathing, dressing, hygiene, meals, moving and light housekeeping around your child’s space (§604.2).
A child can be approved for personal support without skilled nursing (§601). Which tasks belong to which service follows the physician’s orders and the plan of care, so ask your agency to walk you through it for your child.
How hours are decided
Hours are based on your child’s specific medical treatment needs and on the training needs of the primary caregiver (§702.1.4). They are approved as a monthly maximum for up to six months at a time and renewed, with renewals due 30 days before the approval ends (§819.4, §804.2, §817). One of GAPP’s goals is to teach parents to manage care safely when a nurse is not there (§825.5), so as you become confident with feeds, hours may be reviewed.
Can a parent be paid?
Through GAPP’s Family Caregiver Option, a parent or other legally responsible adult who lives with the child can be paid for approved personal support hours, as an employee of the agency. It does not cover skilled nursing (§604.2). Our Village Care page explains it, and the full answer on paid parents covers the conditions.
What to ask an agency
- Which parts of my child’s feeding plan would a nurse do, and which could personal support cover?
- How will you train me, and how is that recorded?
- Who do I call when there is a problem with the tube after hours?
In short
- Tube feeding is one of the needs GAPP weighs, alongside everything else about your child’s care.
- Skilled tasks go to a licensed nurse; hands-on daily care can be personal support.
- A parent can be paid only for approved personal support hours.
If your child has a feeding tube and other care needs at home, tell us about your child. The full program rules are in our GAPP guide.
Common questions
Can a child with a G-tube get nursing at home in Georgia?
Yes, if the child has full Georgia Medicaid and GAPP approves care as medically necessary. Tube feeding, a G-tube or N/G-tube, and medications given through the tube are among the nursing needs the physician records on the state's nursing evaluation form.
Does a G-tube alone qualify a child for GAPP?
GAPP does not approve care by diagnosis or by a single device. It looks at the child's overall medical condition, the equipment they use, and the level and frequency of care they need.
Can a parent be paid to do G-tube feedings?
A parent can be paid through GAPP's Family Caregiver Option only for approved personal support hours. Anything the physician orders as skilled nursing, such as giving medications through the tube, is provided by a licensed nurse.
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.
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.