Long-Term Care Medicaid in Georgia: 2026 Guide

In Georgia, Medicaid is run by the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH), and eligibility is decided by the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS). Long-Term Care Medicaid can pay for nursing home care and for care at home through the Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program. Georgia is an income-cap state, so people with higher income may need a special trust. This guide explains the 2026 rules in plain language.

At a glance: Georgia 2026 figures

Figures last updated for 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page.

Figures change periodically. Double-check current amounts with Georgia Medicaid (DCH and DFCS) before relying on them.

What Long-Term Care Medicaid covers in Georgia

Nursing home care. Medicaid pays for care in a certified nursing facility. You pay most of your income toward the cost each month, and Medicaid pays the rest.

Care at home and in the community. Georgia’s Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program (EDWP) helps older adults and people with disabilities who need a nursing facility level of care stay at home or in the community. It has two ways of delivering services:

• CCSP (Community Care Services Program): case management and services such as personal support, adult day health, home-delivered meals, respite, emergency response systems and alternative living services.
• SOURCE (Service Options Using Resources in a Community Environment): the same kinds of services, plus coordination with a primary care provider for people with chronic health conditions.

Openings for the waiver can be limited, and there may be a waiting list.

PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly). For people 55 and older in a PACE service area who need a nursing facility level of care.

Assisted living. Georgia Medicaid does not pay for room and board in assisted living or personal care homes. Through EDWP, “alternative living services” can pay for care services in some licensed personal care homes.

Who qualifies

A person generally must:

• be 65 or older, or blind or disabled;
• live in Georgia and be a U.S. citizen or qualified non-citizen;
• need a nursing facility level of care. For EDWP, the local Area Agency on Aging (for CCSP) or a SOURCE provider starts the screening and assessment;
• meet the income and asset rules below, as decided by DFCS.

Income rules

Georgia is an income-cap state. In 2026, the Medicaid cap is $2,982 a month in gross income (before deductions).

If your income is above $2,982, you can still qualify by setting up a Qualified Income Trust (QIT), also called a Miller trust. Income above the cap is paid into the trust each month and used toward the cost of care. DFCS has rules for how the trust must be written and managed.

Once you are on Medicaid in a nursing home, most of your income goes to the facility. You keep a personal needs allowance of $70 a month ($90 for certain VA pensioners with no dependents), and money can be set aside for a spouse at home and for health insurance premiums.

Asset rules

In 2026, a single applicant can have up to $2,000 in countable assets. For a couple who both need care, the limit is $3,000.

Countable assets include cash, bank accounts, CDs, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, retirement accounts that can be cashed in, life insurance cash value above set amounts and real estate other than the home.

Usually exempt:

• Your home (equity up to $752,000) if you live there or plan to return, or a spouse or dependent relative lives there
• One vehicle
• Household goods and personal belongings
• Burial spaces and limited burial funds, within DFCS rules

Spousal protections

Georgia gives the spouse at home the federal maximum amounts.

• Assets: The spouse at home can keep a Community Spouse Resource Allowance of $162,660 in 2026, plus the home, one car and belongings. With the applicant’s own $2,000, the couple can keep up to $164,660 in countable assets.
• Income: The spouse at home keeps their own income. If it is below the Community Spouse Maintenance Need Standard of $4,066.50 a month, part of the applicant’s income can go to them to make up the difference.

Look-back and penalties

When you apply, Georgia looks back at the 60 months (5 years) before the application date. This is called the look-back period. The state checks whether you, or your spouse, gave away money or property, or sold something for less than it was worth, during that time.

Common examples of transfers that can cause a problem:

• Cash gifts to children or grandchildren, even small yearly gifts. (A gift that is fine for federal gift-tax purposes can still count for Medicaid.)
• Adding a child’s name to a house deed or bank account in a way that gives them part ownership.
• Selling a house or car to a relative for much less than it is worth.
• Paying a family member for care without a written agreement made at the time.

Some transfers are allowed, such as transfers between spouses, or transferring a home to a child who is blind or disabled.

How the penalty works. If the state finds a transfer that is not allowed, it does not deny Medicaid forever. Instead, it sets a penalty period: a stretch of time when Medicaid will not pay for long-term care. The state divides the amount given away by the penalty divisor ($11,122 a month).

Example: Suppose you gave your daughter $50,000 three years before applying. $50,000 divided by $11,122 is about 4.5 months without Medicaid payment for long-term care.

The penalty period starts only once you have applied, are otherwise eligible, and are in (or need) long-term care. This is why gifts made while someone is healthy can still matter years later. If a gift is returned in full, the penalty can be removed.

Estate recovery in Georgia

Georgia’s Estate Recovery Program is run by DCH.

• What is recovered: Medicaid paid for nursing facility care, home and community-based services and related hospital and prescription costs, for people 55 and older or permanently in a nursing facility.
• When it is put off: federal rules prevent recovery while a spouse is alive, or if there is a child under 21 or a child who is blind or disabled.
• Hardship waivers: DCH can waive or reduce a claim in some situations. Ask DCH for the current rules, including any limits for small estates.
• Family members and executors can contact the DCH Estate Recovery unit directly with questions.

How to apply

• Online: Georgia Gateway, Georgia’s benefits website
• In person or by mail: at your county DFCS office
• For EDWP (CCSP): contact your local Area Agency on Aging, which does the first screening and places you on the list if needed.
• For SOURCE: contact a SOURCE provider in your area.

After you apply. DFCS will send you a written notice saying whether you qualify, from what date, and how much of your income goes toward your care each month. If you disagree with a decision, you have the right to ask for a fair hearing. The notice explains how to ask and the deadline for asking. Keep copies of everything you send and receive, and report changes in income, assets or address when they happen.

Gather what you can before you apply. The caseworker may ask for:

• Photo ID, Social Security card and Medicare card
• Proof of age and of U.S. citizenship or immigration status
• Proof that you live in the state (for example, a utility bill or lease)
• Proof of all income: Social Security award letter, pension statements, annuity statements
• Bank, credit union and investment statements (often for the full 60-month look-back period)
• Deeds, property tax bills and the value of any real estate
• Life insurance policies (showing cash value) and prepaid funeral or burial contracts
• Vehicle titles
• Health insurance cards and long-term care insurance policies
• Power of attorney or guardianship papers, if someone is applying for you
• For a spouse at home: their income and assets too, since both spouses’ assets are counted at the start

If you cannot find a document, apply anyway and tell the caseworker. They can explain what else is accepted.

Free public help in Georgia

• DFCS and DCH: Medicaid applications, eligibility and program questions.
• Area Agencies on Aging and the Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC): local information on long-term care options and EDWP screening.
• GeorgiaCares: Georgia’s free Medicare counseling program (SHIP), through the Division of Aging Services.
• Georgia Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program: free advocates for residents of nursing homes, personal care homes and assisted living communities.

Recent and upcoming changes

A 2025 federal law (Public Law 119-21) makes two changes that affect Long-Term Care Medicaid in every state, including Georgia:

• Retroactive coverage gets shorter on January 1, 2027. Today, Medicaid can pay bills from up to 3 months before the month you apply, if you would have qualified then. For applications from January 1, 2027, this window shrinks to 2 months for older adults and people with disabilities. In plain terms: from 2027, it matters more to apply soon after care starts, so that earlier bills are not left unpaid.
• Home equity cap on January 1, 2028. States will no longer be able to set a home equity limit above $1,000,000 (except for some farm property). Georgia’s 2026 home equity limit, $752,000, is already below the new cap, so this change is not expected to affect Georgia’s limit.

The federal amounts that change each year (for example, the allowances for a spouse at home) will be updated on this page for 2027 once they are published.

State programs

Each program below has its own page with who qualifies, services, how to apply and waiting lists:

• Georgia Community Care Services Program (CCSP), Elderly and Disabled Waiver
• Georgia SOURCE (Service Options Using Resources in a Community Environment)

Frequently asked questions

My income is over $2,982 a month. Can I still qualify? Yes, with a Qualified Income Trust. Income above the cap goes into the trust each month and is used toward your care.

What is the difference between CCSP and SOURCE? Both are part of the Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program. SOURCE adds closer links to a primary care doctor for people with ongoing health conditions. CCSP starts through your Area Agency on Aging.

How much can my spouse keep? In 2026, up to $162,660 in assets, plus the home, a car and belongings, and enough income to reach $4,066.50 a month.

Does Medicaid pay for assisted living in Georgia? Not for room and board. EDWP may pay for care services in some licensed personal care homes.

How long is the penalty for a gift? Divide the gift by $11,122 to get the number of months. A $20,000 gift would mean about 1.8 months without Medicaid payment for long-term care.

Will the state take my home after I die? DCH can seek repayment for long-term care paid after age 55, which can include the home. Recovery is put off while a spouse or a young or disabled child survives, and hardship waivers exist.

Figures change periodically. Double-check current amounts with Georgia Medicaid (DCH and DFCS) before relying on them.

Sources

• Georgia DHS, PAMMS Appendix A1, 2026 ABD Financial Limits
• Georgia Medicaid, Waiver Programs
• Georgia.gov, Apply for SOURCE
• Georgia Gateway
• CMS, 2026 SSI and spousal impoverishment standards
• Public Law 119-21 (2025)

Last updated for 2026. General information only, not legal or financial advice. Medicaid Answers is a free educational resource published by Medicaid Answers Foundation.