If a parent or relative is living in a Georgia nursing facility and wants to come home, Georgia Money Follows the Person is the Medicaid program built to make that move possible. It helps people leave nursing facilities, intermediate care facilities, and long-term hospitals for their own home, a family member's home, or a small community residence, with Medicaid supports following them out the door. Georgia runs the program through the Department of Community Health and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, transitioning people primarily through the state's Medicaid home and community-based services waivers.

In This Guide

What Georgia Money Follows the Person Actually Is

Money Follows the Person is a federal Medicaid demonstration that funds the transition of people from institutional long-term care back to community settings. Congress created it in Section 6071 of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA, Public Law 109-171) and extended it most recently in Section 5114 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Public Law 117-328), which appropriated $450 million per year for each of federal fiscal years 2024 through 2027 and extended the related home and community-based services spousal-impoverishment protections, both through September 30, 2027.

The mechanism is financial. Under traditional Medicaid, the federal government reimburses Georgia for a set share of the cost of covered services through the federal medical assistance percentage, and the state pays the rest. For a person transitioning out of an institution under MFP, the federal share rises for the first 12 months of community services. That savings is the program's principal incentive for the state to invest in transition planning, pre-discharge supports, and intensive first-year coordination.

The federal authority has been extended several times since 2006. The Affordable Care Act of 2010, at Section 2403, expanded MFP, cut the qualifying institutional stay to 90 consecutive days, and removed the state's option to require a longer minimum stay. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, then reduced the period further to 60 consecutive days. The 2023 reauthorization carried the program through September 30, 2027.

Where the Program Comes From: Olmstead

Money Follows the Person did not appear in a policy vacuum. It is the federal financing response to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Olmstead v. L.C., 527 U.S. 581 (1999), which originated in Georgia and continues to shape every transition in the state.

Lois Curtis and Elaine Wilson were two women with disabilities who had been admitted to Georgia Regional Hospital Atlanta, a state psychiatric institution operated by what is now the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. Their treatment teams concluded over the course of their hospitalizations that they no longer required institutional placement and were appropriate for community-based services. Despite those clinical recommendations, both women remained at the hospital for years because the state had not made community placement available.

Curtis and Wilson, with the assistance of the Atlanta Legal Aid Society, sued the state of Georgia in federal court under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The state was represented by Tommy Olmstead, then Commissioner of the Department of Human Resources, which is how the case came to bear his name. The Supreme Court issued its decision on June 22, 1999.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, writing for the majority, held that unjustified institutional isolation of people with disabilities is a form of discrimination prohibited by Title II of the ADA. The decision established that states must provide community-based services when the state's treatment professionals determine that community placement is appropriate, the individual does not oppose it, and the placement can be reasonably accommodated given the state's resources and the needs of others it serves.

The Olmstead decision created the integration mandate that drives MFP. States must identify institutionalized people who could live in the community, develop plans to transition them, and build the community-based service capacity to make those transitions possible. Money Follows the Person is the principal federal tool that pays for the work Olmstead requires.

How Georgia Runs Money Follows the Person

Georgia implemented Money Follows the Person on September 1, 2008. It is a joint initiative of the Department of Community Health (DCH), the single state agency that administers Georgia Medicaid; the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD); and the Department of Human Services Division of Aging Services (DAS).

The three agencies divide the work along waiver lines. DCH administers the Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program and the Independent Care Waiver Program, which serve frail elderly adults and adults with physical disabilities. DCH also administers the New Options Waiver and the Comprehensive Supports Waiver Program but delegates their day-to-day operation to DBHDD, which runs them through six regional field offices for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. The Division of Aging Services works through the Area Agency on Aging network, which is the entry point for EDWP.

Transition planning is coordinated through waiver case management, and EDWP includes case management for service coordination as a covered service. The transition steps below set out what that coordinator does. Ask the facility's discharge planner or the waiver office who fills that role in your relative's case.

The waiver coordination piece is where most of the operational complexity sits. Money Follows the Person is not itself a benefit package. It is an enhanced-match overlay on top of Georgia's existing Section 1915(c) waivers, and Georgia transitions people primarily through those waiver programs. So transition planning starts with identifying which waiver fits the person's disability profile and level-of-care determination.

The Four Georgia Waivers Used With MFP

Georgia operates four active Section 1915(c) home and community-based services waivers as of 2026. All four are administered by DCH, which delegates day-to-day operation of NOW and COMP to DBHDD. Selecting the right one is the first analytical step in transition planning.

Waiver Run day to day by Who it serves Level of care
Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program (EDWP), delivered through the Community Care Services Program (CCSP) and Service Options Using Resources in a Community Environment (SOURCE) models DCH Frail elderly and disabled Georgians; the SOURCE model adds enhanced case management coordinated through a primary care physician Nursing facility
Independent Care Waiver Program (ICWP) DCH A limited number of adults who apply between the ages of 21 and 64, with severe physical disabilities or traumatic brain injury Hospital or nursing facility
New Options Waiver (NOW) and Comprehensive Supports Waiver Program (COMP) DBHDD, through six regional field offices People with an intellectual disability or a closely related developmental disability that began by age 18 (intellectual) or 22 (developmental) ICF/IID

The Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program serves frail elderly and disabled Georgians who are otherwise eligible under a nursing facility level of care, through case management for service coordination, adult day care, alternative living services, personal care, home-delivered meals, and respite care for family caregivers. It delivers those services through two models, the Community Care Services Program (CCSP) and SOURCE, which are not separate waivers; SOURCE adds enhanced case management coordinated through a primary care physician. The Independent Care Waiver Program covers personal support, home health services, specialized medical equipment and supplies, counseling, emergency response systems, and home modifications for adults with severe physical disabilities or traumatic brain injury. NOW and COMP serve people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Georgia's published eligibility standard is the same for NOW and COMP, so which of the two a person receives is a determination DBHDD's regional field offices make, not something to assume in advance.

Waiver selection follows the person's disability profile and level-of-care determination. A person transitioning out of a nursing facility back to a family member's home with daily personal care needs typically fits EDWP, under either its CCSP or its SOURCE model. An adult with a traumatic brain injury leaving a long-term hospital fits ICWP. An adult with an intellectual disability moving out of an ICF/IID into a small community residence falls to NOW or COMP.

Do You Qualify? The 60-Day Rule

To be eligible for an MFP transition, a person must, immediately before the transition, have resided in a qualifying inpatient facility for a period of not less than 60 consecutive days, and must be receiving Medicaid benefits for the inpatient services that facility furnishes. This 60-day standard took effect under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, which reduced the prior 90-day requirement. Older guidance that still cites 90 days is out of date. The 60 consecutive days is a fixed federal requirement: Georgia cannot shorten it, and because the Affordable Care Act removed the state-set longer-minimum option that the 2005 statute originally allowed, Georgia cannot lengthen it either.

The statute defines a qualifying "inpatient facility" as a hospital, a nursing facility, or an intermediate care facility for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ICF/IID). It also includes an institution for mental diseases, such as a state psychiatric hospital, but only to the extent Georgia's Medicaid plan covers services provided by that institution, so a psychiatric stay does not automatically count.

The stay is necessary but not sufficient. Section 6071 of the Deficit Reduction Act sets two further conditions: someone must determine that, but for home and community-based long-term care services, the person would continue to require the level of care an inpatient facility provides, and the person must move into a qualified residence beginning on the first day of participation. Clearing the 60 days is the opening question, not the whole test.

The reduced stay matters because it opens transition planning to people who were recently admitted, often after a hospital stay for a stroke, hip fracture, or major surgery, and who could realistically return home with community supports rather than settling into long-term institutional placement. Since the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, repealed the earlier carve-out for days admitted solely for short-term rehabilitative services paid under Medicare, those rehabilitation days now count toward the 60. What the statute requires alongside the 60 days is that the person be receiving Medicaid benefits for the inpatient services the facility furnishes. How a stay that began as private pay or Medicare is treated against that requirement is a question for the facility's Medicaid staff or DCH, not something to assume.

What Counts as a Qualified Residence

The other side of the eligibility test is the home the person is transitioning into. Under Section 6071 of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, a "qualified residence" means one of the following: a home owned or leased by the individual or a family member; an apartment with an individual lease, with lockable access and egress, that includes living, sleeping, bathing, and cooking areas under the individual's or family's control; or a residence in a community-based setting in which no more than 4 unrelated individuals reside.

The cap on unrelated residents is the most misunderstood piece of MFP eligibility, and it is narrower than families are told: it governs the third category alone. A small group home within the limit qualifies. A larger building does not qualify under that category, but a unit inside one still can qualify as an apartment if it has its own lease, lockable access and egress, and living, sleeping, bathing, and cooking areas under the person's or family's control. Ask the transition coordinator to test the specific unit against those words rather than assume the building's size settles it.

The standard exists to move people into integrated community settings, not from one congregate facility into a slightly smaller one. That is the Olmstead mandate applied at the housing level. The statute's first category is a home owned or leased by the individual or the individual's family member, which is the route most families use when a parent moves in with an adult child. The statute does not spell out who counts as a family member, so confirm a specific living arrangement with the transition coordinator before you count on it.

The 12-Month Demonstration Period

Federal MFP funds reimburse Georgia's home and community-based long-term care services for a transitioned participant at the enhanced MFP federal match rate, but only for services furnished during the 12-month period beginning on the date the person is discharged from the inpatient facility. This enhanced match is the program's principal financial incentive for the state to invest in transitions.

During that period, the participant receives what their 1915(c) waiver covers. Under EDWP that is case management, adult day care, alternative living services, personal care, home-delivered meals, and respite care for family caregivers; ICWP covers personal support, home health services, specialized medical equipment and supplies, counseling, emergency response systems, and home modifications.

Families often ask whether MFP also pays one-time setup costs such as a security deposit, furniture, or a first grocery order. What a demonstration covers beyond waiver services varies by state and changes over time, so ask the transition coordinator or DCH what Georgia covers today rather than building a moving budget around an assumption. Ongoing rent and utilities are the household's own expense, typically paid from the participant's Social Security or pension income.

When the 12-month period ends, the enhanced federal match stops. That is a change in how the federal government reimburses Georgia, not a change in the person's waiver eligibility, which continues to be governed by that waiver's own rules.

How a Transition Actually Works

A well-run transition typically takes several months of pre-discharge planning, sometimes longer if the housing situation is complex or waiver capacity is constrained. The transition coordinator carries the work across several parallel tracks, usually in this order.

1
Step 1

Comprehensive assessment

The coordinator visits the person at the institution to evaluate needs across every domain of community living: medical, behavioral health, personal care, mobility, communication, transportation, housing, food security, social support, financial resources, and legal status. That assessment forms the foundation for the person-centered transition plan.

2
Step 2

Waiver placement

The coordinator works with the DCH or DBHDD waiver office to secure a slot on the appropriate waiver and a level-of-care determination. For NOW and COMP, Georgia maintains a planning list that held roughly 7,900 people as of September 2025, and DBHDD prioritizes by greatest unmet need rather than by time on the list, so do not assume an MFP transition moves someone to the front of it.

3
Step 3

Housing and provider setup

The coordinator helps identify a qualified residence (the person's former home, a family member's home, or a new rental), assembles the provider team, and arranges pre-discharge home modifications so the home is ready on the day of discharge.

4
Step 4

Discharge

In the days before the move, the coordinator convenes a discharge planning conference at the institution, arranges transportation home, and is typically present on the day of discharge to see the person settled.

For families and providers weighing whether MFP is the right pathway, the practical screening questions are: Has the person been in a Medicaid-certified nursing facility, ICF/IID, or long-term inpatient hospital for at least 60 consecutive days, and are they receiving Medicaid benefits for the inpatient services that facility furnishes? Does the person still require an institutional level of care absent community services? Does the person want to leave the institution? Is a qualified residence available? Is a Georgia waiver slot available that fits their needs? If the answers are yes, MFP is worth pursuing.

One billing rule is worth knowing before a discharge date is set, and it is a different 60 days from the MFP qualifying stay described above. Federal rules let Medicaid pay for Targeted Case Management in the run-up to discharge, so transition planning can start while the person is still admitted. After an institutional stay of 180 consecutive days or longer, the last 60 consecutive days can be billed that way; after a shorter stay, only the last 14 days. Unlike the MFP figure, this 60 days is a federal ceiling rather than a fixed requirement, and a state may specify a shorter window, so ask the discharge planner what Georgia applies rather than assuming you have the full 60. People aged 22 to 64 in an Institution for Mental Diseases, and inmates of public institutions, are excluded.

Where to Get Help Starting a Transition

The first contact is usually the institution's own social worker or discharge planner, who can make an internal referral into MFP. Families can also start the inquiry themselves through the Area Agency on Aging network, which is the entry point for EDWP.

Institution Social Worker or Discharge Planner Ask the nursing facility, ICF/IID, or hospital to refer your relative for a Money Follows the Person transition assessment.
Georgia Aging Access (Area Agency on Aging network) Statewide line into the Division of Aging Services and the 12 regional Area Agencies on Aging. 1-866-552-4464https://dch.georgia.gov/document/document/hcbs-guide-11916-3-rev-rd-07092021/download,
Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) Implemented Georgia's Money Follows the Person demonstration and administers all four waivers, including EDWP (CCSP and SOURCE models) and ICWP. dch.georgia.gov
Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) Runs the NOW and COMP waivers day to day through six regional field offices. dbhdd.georgia.gov

Frequently Asked Questions

Who qualifies for a Georgia Money Follows the Person transition?

A person qualifies if they have lived in a Medicaid-certified nursing facility, an intermediate care facility for individuals with intellectual disabilities, or a long-term inpatient hospital for a period of not less than 60 consecutive days immediately before the transition, and are receiving Medicaid benefits for the inpatient services that facility furnishes. They must also be determined to still require an institutional level of care but for home and community-based services, and must be moving into a qualified residence on the first day of participation. The 60-day standard took effect under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, which reduced the prior 90-day requirement, and it is a fixed federal figure Georgia can neither shorten nor lengthen.

What is a "qualified residence" for MFP purposes?

Under Section 6071 of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, a qualified residence is a home owned or leased by the individual or a family member; an apartment with an individual lease, with lockable access and egress, that includes living, sleeping, bathing, and cooking areas under the individual's or family's control; or a community-based residence with no more than 4 unrelated residents. The 4-resident limit belongs to that third category alone. A larger building fails it, but a unit inside one can still qualify as an apartment if it meets that description, so test the specific unit rather than the building.

Which Georgia waivers can be used with Money Follows the Person?

Georgia operates four active Section 1915(c) waivers. The Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program (EDWP) serves frail elderly and disabled Georgians at a nursing facility level of care, and it delivers those services through two models, CCSP and SOURCE, which are not separate waivers. ICWP serves a limited number of adults who apply between the ages of 21 and 64 with severe physical disabilities or traumatic brain injury. NOW and COMP serve people with an intellectual disability or a closely related developmental disability. All four are administered by DCH, which delegates day-to-day operation of NOW and COMP to DBHDD. Georgia transitions people out of institutions primarily through these waiver programs.

How long does the enhanced federal match last, and what does it pay for?

Federal MFP funds reimburse Georgia's home and community-based long-term care services for the participant at the enhanced MFP federal match rate, but only for services furnished during the 12-month period beginning on the date of discharge from the inpatient facility. After that, the match returns to Georgia's regular rate; the person's waiver eligibility is governed by that waiver's own rules, not by the demonstration clock. Whether Georgia's demonstration also pays one-time setup costs such as a security deposit or furniture is worth asking DCH directly, since transition services vary by state and change over time.

Who manages Money Follows the Person in Georgia?

Georgia MFP is a joint initiative of the Department of Community Health (DCH), which implemented it on September 1, 2008, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD), and the Department of Human Services Division of Aging Services (DAS). To get connected, see the contacts in the Where to Get Help section above.

Learn More

MedicaidGeorgia Medicaid OverviewGeorgia Medicaid 2026: income and asset limits, the EDWP waiver (CCSP and SOURCE), Pathways to Coverage, Miller Trusts, estate recovery, and how to apply. MedicaidGeorgia Medicaid Long-Term CareGeorgia Medicaid long-term care in 2026: nursing facility coverage, four HCBS waivers (EDWP with CCSP and SOURCE, ICWP, NOW, COMP), PACE, and how to apply. MedicaidGeorgia HCBS WaiversGeorgia's four Medicaid HCBS waivers in 2026: who EDWP (CCSP and SOURCE), ICWP, NOW, and COMP serve, the 300% SSI limit, the planning list, and how to apply. MedicaidGeorgia CCSP WaiverGeorgia CCSP Waiver 2026: who qualifies for the Community Care Services Program, what it covers, and how to apply through your Area Agency on Aging. MedicaidGeorgia SOURCE WaiverHow the Georgia SOURCE waiver works in 2026: a delivery model inside the 1915(c) Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program, eligibility, sites, and how to apply. MedicaidGeorgia ICWP WaiverGeorgia's Independent Care Waiver Program (ICWP) funds home care for adults 21-64 with severe physical disabilities or TBI. Eligibility, services, how to apply. MedicaidGeorgia Medicaid Targeted Case ManagementGeorgia Medicaid Targeted Case Management (TCM) under Section 1915(g): who qualifies (SMI, SED, I/DD, HIV/AIDS, CSHCN), who delivers it, and how to get it.

Find personalized help planning a Georgia Money Follows the Person transition 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.

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