Georgia ICWP Waiver 2026: Independent Care Waiver Program

A spinal cord injury or traumatic brain injury at 40 does not fit Georgia's aging-focused Medicaid waivers. The Independent Care Waiver Program (ICWP) is the Georgia Medicaid waiver built for working-age adults with a severe physical disability who would otherwise need hospital or nursing facility care. It is one of Georgia's four active Section 1915(c) home and community-based services waivers, and it occupies a specific gap: the Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program (EDWP), delivered through the CCSP and SOURCE service models, serves mainly older and disabled adults at nursing facility level of care, while NOW and COMP serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. ICWP is the door for a working-age Georgian with a spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, late-stage multiple sclerosis, ALS, or advanced muscular dystrophy.1

In This Guide

• Who Qualifies for the Georgia ICWP Waiver
• What the Georgia ICWP Waiver Covers
• How to Apply for ICWP
• The ICWP Waitlist and Crisis Priority
• What ICWP Costs You
• How ICWP Compares to Georgia's Other Waivers
• If Georgia Denies Your ICWP Application
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Learn More

Who Qualifies for the Georgia ICWP Waiver

ICWP eligibility has four parts: age, functional need, finances, and residency.

Age: 21 to 64

ICWP serves adults ages 21 to 64 with a severe physical disability or traumatic brain injury.2 If you reach 65 while enrolled, ask the program whether you continue in ICWP or move to an aging-services waiver. Adults who are 65 or older when they first apply are generally directed to the Community Care Services Program (CCSP) or Service Options Using Resources in a Community Environment (SOURCE), which are designed for older adults.1

Functional Need: Hospital or Nursing Facility Level of Care

ICWP requires that, without home and community-based services, you would need hospital or nursing facility level of care.1 There is no single federal definition of nursing facility level of care; federal law requires each state to set its own assessment instrument and criteria, so Georgia uses its own tool and threshold.6 The assessment looks at physical function, skilled-nursing or medical needs, and, for TBI, cognitive and behavioral status. Physical function is measured through Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), the basic self-care tasks of bathing, dressing, eating, transferring, toileting, and continence, alongside Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) such as managing medications, meal preparation, and transportation.7

Conditions that commonly meet the functional test include spinal cord injury (especially cervical or high thoracic injuries that cause tetraplegia or high paraplegia), moderate-to-severe TBI, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), late-stage multiple sclerosis, advanced muscular dystrophy, and severe post-stroke impairment in a working-age adult.1

Finances: The Long-Term-Care Pathway

ICWP uses Georgia's institutional Medicaid financial rules.

• Income. Georgia is an income-cap state. The institutional income limit, called the Medicaid Cap, is set at 300% of the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) federal benefit rate, which works out to $2,982 per month for a single applicant in 2026.4 An applicant whose gross income is at or above that limit can still qualify by routing income through a Qualified Income Trust, also called a Miller Trust.8
• Assets. The countable asset limit is $2,000 for a single applicant and $3,000 for a couple under Georgia's aged, blind, and disabled pathway.4
• A married applicant with a community spouse. Federal spousal impoverishment rules set aside a share of a couple's countable resources for the at-home spouse. For 2026 the Community Spouse Resource Allowance (CSRA) ranges from $32,532 to $162,660, and each state elects a standard within that range.9 These allowances are set for long-term-care Medicaid generally, so ask Georgia's Division of Family and Children Services how they are applied to an ICWP application before you count on a particular figure.
• Transfers. Georgia applies the federal 60-month (five-year) look-back to uncompensated asset transfers; transfers for less than fair market value during that window can trigger a penalty period.5
• Home equity. For 2026, the Medicaid home equity limit runs from a federal minimum of $752,000 to a state-discretion maximum of $1,130,000, indexed annually; the minimum applies unless a state elects a higher standard, so confirm the figure Georgia uses.5 Under Public Law 119-21, the equity limit becomes a flat $1,000,000 (not indexed) for non-agricultural homes effective January 1, 2028.5

A Miller Trust must hold only the applicant's own income, be irrevocable, and name the State of Georgia as remainder beneficiary up to what Medicaid paid; income routed through it does not count toward the income limit but still counts toward the applicant's share of cost.5

Residency

You must be a Georgia resident and a U.S. citizen or a qualified non-citizen.

What the Georgia ICWP Waiver Covers

ICWP funds home and community-based services so an adult with a severe physical disability or TBI can live in the community rather than in an institution.1 The exact service package is set in your individual care plan; typical ICWP services include:

• Personal support services (PSS): hands-on help with bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring, eating, light housekeeping, meal preparation, and medication reminders, delivered by an aide from an approved ICWP provider agency.
• Skilled nursing: periodic in-home nursing for medication administration, complex wound care, tracheostomy or ventilator management, feeding-tube care, and catheter care.
• Adult day health: center-based daytime supervision, nursing oversight, meals, and rehabilitation.
• Respite care: short-term in-home or out-of-home relief for the family caregiver.
• Specialized medical equipment and supplies: power wheelchairs, ventilators, communication devices, hospital beds, pressure-relief mattresses, and similar equipment beyond what standard Medicaid covers.
• Environmental and vehicle modifications: ramps, roll-in showers, widened doorways, lifts, and vehicle adaptations such as hand controls, each subject to ICWP cost caps.
• Emergency response system: a wearable or in-home button connected to 24-hour monitoring.

Because ICWP self-directs personal support services, you can help choose and direct your own workers.2

How to Apply for ICWP

ICWP intake does not run through the aging network. Follow these steps.

The ICWP Waitlist and Crisis Priority

A Section 1915(c) waiver may cap the number of people it serves: the state names a maximum number of unduplicated participants per waiver year in its waiver application, and that number is the size of the program. Federal law bars the Secretary of Health and Human Services from holding a state's number below 200, but that is a limit on what the federal government may impose, not a promise of a slot to any applicant.3 Being found eligible and being served are therefore two different events: when capacity is full, an eligible applicant is placed on a waiting list and served as openings appear.

Georgia prioritizes the most urgent situations. To support an urgent request, document the circumstances that put you at imminent risk of hospital or nursing facility placement, such as a recent traumatic injury with no safe discharge plan, the loss or collapse of a caregiver, or a protective-services referral. A physician letter documenting placement risk strengthens the request. Confirm the current priority categories and required documentation with Alliant GMCF when you apply.2

What ICWP Costs You

ICWP is home and community-based, so the cost-share rules use the HCBS post-eligibility treatment of income under 42 CFR 435.726 rather than the nursing-home rules.1 Under that framework, Georgia first protects a maintenance allowance for your community living expenses, such as rent or mortgage, utilities, food, and personal needs, and any remaining income may be applied toward the cost of your care. Georgia calculates each participant's share individually from income and allowable deductions, so it varies from person to person. Confirm your exact share with your provider agency once your care plan is set.

How ICWP Compares to Georgia's Other Waivers

Georgia runs four active 1915(c) waivers. The table shows how ICWP differs from the other three by who they serve, the level of care required, and where to apply.1

The Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program (EDWP) is the aging-services waiver, and CCSP and SOURCE are the two service-delivery models found within it rather than separate waivers. The New Options Waiver (NOW) and Comprehensive Supports Waiver (COMP) serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities; DCH administers both and delegates day-to-day operation to the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) through six regional field offices. ICWP is the only one of the four built specifically for working-age adults with a severe physical disability or TBI.1

If Georgia Denies Your ICWP Application

If your ICWP application is denied or your services are reduced, you have the right to appeal through a State Fair Hearing before the Georgia Office of State Administrative Hearings (OSAH). Your denial or change notice states the deadline to request a hearing and how to file, so read it carefully and act before that date. If the action is a termination or reduction of services you already receive, you may be able to keep those services during the appeal by filing quickly, as your notice explains.

For free legal help with an ICWP denial or appeal, contact the Georgia Legal Services Program or, in metro Atlanta, the Atlanta Legal Aid Society.

Where to Get Help and Verify These Numbers

Learn More

Find personalized help navigating the Georgia ICWP waiver and your application at brevy.com.

The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.