Georgia PACE Program (2026): Status, Eligibility, Alternatives

If you are a Georgia family trying to enroll a parent in the Georgia PACE program in 2026, the short answer is that you cannot enroll yet. As of mid-2026, Georgia has no confirmed operating PACE site, because the state is still in the procurement stage. The Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) issued a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) Request for Proposals that closed on May 16, 2025, following a November 2024 stakeholder town hall, and no PACE organization was serving participants at the most recent check of the state's PACE updates.1

That does not leave you without options. PACE is one of the most comprehensive long-term care options in American Medicaid: a PACE organization receives capitated payments from Medicare and Medicaid and provides all covered services to its participants, from primary care, hospital, and prescription drugs to adult day center attendance, home care, transportation, and meals. For a participant who is eligible for Medicaid, PACE imposes no premium, deductible, or copayment for covered services.2

This guide explains what PACE is and how the federal program works, where Georgia stands in standing it up, who will be eligible once a site opens, and (most usefully for families who need help now) the statewide home and community-based services (HCBS) waivers Georgia already runs that deliver much of the same care today.3

Where Georgia's PACE program stands in 2026

Georgia does not yet have an operating PACE organization. The state is building one through a formal procurement led by DCH.

The publicly documented timeline is: DCH held a PACE stakeholder town hall in November 2024 to introduce the program and gather input, then issued a PACE Request for Proposals that remained open until May 16, 2025. As of the last verification of this guide (mid-2026), the DCH PACE pages did not confirm any awarded, licensed, and operating PACE site enrolling Georgia participants.1

That status can change. Standing up a PACE organization involves a state award, a CMS PACE program agreement, state licensure, and an operational-readiness period before a center can enroll its first participant. Because an award or a newly opened site would move Georgia from "no live site" to "enrolling," families interested in PACE should check the DCH PACE Updates page for the current status rather than relying on any single provider name or phone number circulating online.

Brevy does not list a Georgia PACE intake phone number in this guide because, as of last verification, there was no confirmed operating PACE organization to call. We will update this page when DCH confirms a live site.

What PACE is and where it came from

PACE began in 1971 as a community-based health program called On Lok Senior Health Services, founded in San Francisco's Chinatown to serve frail Chinese American elders who wanted to stay in their community rather than enter nursing homes. The On Lok model integrated medical care, social services, and adult day services under a single team, funded by capitated payments from Medicare and Medicaid.

The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 made PACE a permanent benefit under both Medicare and Medicaid, and federal regulations at 42 CFR Part 460 set the operational rules: who can run a PACE organization, who can enroll, what services must be provided, how the interdisciplinary team (IDT) must be staffed, how quality is measured, and how appeals are handled.2

Most PACE organizations operate one or a small number of adult day centers serving a defined geographic area. PACE remains a small but high-impact model, associated with reductions in hospitalization and long-stay nursing facility admissions. When Georgia's first site opens, it will follow this same federal template.

Federal PACE eligibility

Federal law sets four eligibility requirements, all of which must be met to enroll in PACE once a site is operating in your area:2

1. Age 55 or older. Most participants are 70 or older, but enrollment is permitted at 55.
2. Nursing facility level of care. The state administering agency (DCH in Georgia) must determine that the person needs the level of care required for nursing facility services. In Georgia, this is the same level-of-care standard used for the CCSP, SOURCE, and ICWP waivers.
3. Live in the PACE service area. Service areas are CMS-approved geographic areas defined by the PACE organization. Georgia's service area or areas will be set through the current procurement.
4. Be able to live safely in the community at enrollment. PACE is a community-based alternative to nursing facility care, so the IDT must be able to design a plan of care that keeps the participant safe at home with PACE services.

Eligibility is not restricted to people who already have both Medicare and Medicaid; the framework allows Medicare-only or Medicaid-only enrollment, though the person then pays the missing capitation. Enrollment is voluntary, and a participant may disenroll voluntarily at any time.2

Financial eligibility on the Medicaid side

To enroll in PACE as a dual-eligible (the most common case), a Georgia applicant must qualify for long-term care Medicaid. The main pathways are the Special Income Limit pathway (income at or below 300% of the Supplemental Security Income federal benefit rate, with a resource limit and spousal-impoverishment protections for a community spouse), a qualified income ("Miller") trust for applicants whose income exceeds the limit, and the categorical aged, blind, and disabled pathway for lower-income applicants.4

For the underlying rules, see the Georgia Medicaid eligibility guide and the Georgia Miller Trust guide. A person who has Medicare but no Medicaid could, in principle, enroll in PACE by paying the Medicaid share of the capitation out of pocket (a substantial monthly amount), but that only becomes relevant once a Georgia site is operating.

What PACE covers

PACE provides every Medicare-covered and Medicaid-covered service, plus additional services the interdisciplinary team authorizes. The package includes:2

Medical: primary care at the PACE center, specialty care, hospital inpatient and outpatient, emergency and urgent care, skilled nursing facility care when medically necessary, home health, hospice, laboratory, and imaging.

Pharmacy: all prescription drugs. PACE does not use a separate Medicare Part D plan; the PACE organization handles pharmacy directly.

Therapies: physical, occupational, speech-language, and recreational therapy, at the day center or in the home.

Adult day services: attendance at the PACE day center per the plan of care, with meals, group activities, exercise, and cognitive engagement.

Personal care and home services: attendants for bathing, dressing, toileting, meal preparation, light housekeeping, and supervision.

Transportation, dental, vision, hearing, podiatry, durable medical equipment, home modifications, caregiver support, and mental health care are all covered.

What PACE does not cover: non-medically-necessary cosmetic procedures, experimental treatments the IDT has not approved, and, most importantly, any non-emergency care delivered outside the PACE network without prior IDT authorization.

The closed-network trade-off

The single most important practical feature of PACE is the closed network. When a participant enrolls, they agree that all non-emergency care will be provided through the PACE organization or its contracted providers. If a participant goes outside the network without IDT authorization for non-emergency care, PACE will not pay, and neither will traditional Medicare or Medicaid, because the participant elected PACE in their place. The participant is liable for the full bill.

True emergencies are different: if a participant has a heart attack while traveling and goes to the nearest hospital, PACE covers the emergency care, then manages the transition back to in-network care.

This is the trade-off of PACE: comprehensive coverage and zero copays in exchange for a defined network and IDT-coordinated care. For a frail elder with limited mobility and most of their care needs concentrated locally, the closed network rarely gets in the way. For someone with an established out-of-town specialist or a strong attachment to their current primary care doctor, it can be a significant constraint.2

The interdisciplinary team and the day center

The interdisciplinary team is the operational heart of PACE. Federal rules require a team that includes, at minimum, a primary care physician, a registered nurse, a master's-level social worker, physical and occupational therapists, a recreational therapist or activities coordinator, a dietitian, a day-center coordinator, a home-care coordinator, and personal-care and transportation staff representatives. The team reviews each participant's plan of care at least every six months and any time the participant's condition changes significantly.

The PACE day center is the physical hub of the program. Participants attend per their plan of care (anywhere from one to five days a week), where they receive primary care, therapy, meals, group activities, and services such as dental and podiatry. A PACE van typically brings participants to the center and to in-network medical appointments.

What Georgia families can use right now

Because there is no operating PACE site in Georgia yet, families who need integrated, community-based long-term care today should look to Georgia's statewide HCBS waivers, all administered by DCH. These are the closest available alternatives and are available across the state, not just in one metro area.3

• The Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program (EDWP) serves frail elderly Georgians and adults with disabilities who meet a nursing facility level of care. It delivers those services through two models, not two separate waivers: SOURCE (Service Options Using Resources in a Community Environment) is the closest analog to PACE, coordinating physician-led managed care with home and community-based services, so the participant gets care coordination through a SOURCE primary care site while keeping standard Medicare and Medicaid; CCSP (Community Care Services Program) provides a home and community-based services package (personal care, adult day health, respite, home modifications) without that primary-care overlay.
• ICWP (Independent Care Waiver Program) serves adults who apply between the ages of 21 and 64 with severe physical disabilities who need hospital or nursing facility level of care.

Unlike PACE, these waivers do not lock the participant into a closed network or require day-center attendance; the participant keeps their own doctors and Medicare plan. They deliver a substantial portion of the PACE benefit without leaving your county. See the Georgia CCSP guide, the Georgia SOURCE guide, and the Georgia ICWP guide for how to apply.

What the enrollment process will look like

When a Georgia PACE organization opens, the enrollment process will follow the standard federal model. Understanding it now helps families prepare.

How the Georgia PACE program will compare to the state's HCBS waivers

PACE is unique in being a fully integrated Medicare-Medicaid program with a closed network and a single accountable team. EDWP, through its CCSP and SOURCE models, and ICWP are HCBS waivers that wrap a service package around the participant's existing Medicare and Medicaid. Until PACE is live, the waivers are what Georgia families can actually enroll in.3

Common misunderstandings

Several patterns recur when Georgia families research PACE.

Believing PACE is already available in Georgia. As of mid-2026 it is not; the program is still in procurement. Confirm the current status with DCH before planning around it.1

Assuming a participant keeps their existing primary care doctor. In PACE, the PACE physician becomes the primary care doctor and the interdisciplinary team approves all care. The HCBS waivers, by contrast, let you keep your own doctor.

Thinking PACE is like a Medicare Advantage plan. PACE is more comprehensive and more restrictive: its closed network covers all services, not just primary and specialty care.

Confusing PACE with adult day care. PACE is integrated medical, social, and long-term care managed by a team; the day center is one component, not the whole program.

Assuming any out-of-network use voids coverage. Only non-emergency, unauthorized out-of-network care is uncovered. True emergencies anywhere in the U.S. are covered.

Where to get help now

While Georgia stands up PACE, these are the offices that can help you enroll in the HCBS waivers available today and answer questions about long-term care Medicaid.

Learn More

Find personalized help weighing PACE against Georgia's HCBS waivers 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.