Does Medicaid Pay for Assisted Living in Georgia?

Someone told you Medicaid will cover Mom's assisted living. Someone else said it never does. You are stuck between a brochure price and a government program you do not fully understand.

# Does Medicaid pay for assisted living in Georgia?

Someone told you Medicaid will cover Mom's assisted living. Someone else said it never does. You are stuck between a brochure price and a government program you do not fully understand.

Here is the short answer to "does Medicaid pay for assisted living in Georgia": Georgia's elderly waiver can help pay for services in certain licensed settings. It does not pay the room and board bill the way many families expect. Medicare does not pay for long-term custodial care in assisted living either. Most families still need a plan for the monthly housing cost.[1][2]

Not legal or financial advice. A plain map of who pays for what, so you know what to ask next.

Start with the monthly number you are comparing against

CareScout's 2025 Cost of Care data puts Georgia's median assisted living community cost at $5,300 a month ($63,600 a year). The U.S. national median in the same tables is $6,200 a month.[3]

That is the private-pay yardstick. When a program says it covers "services," measure it against that full monthly bill, not against hope.

For a north Atlanta walkthrough of what drives the price, read Enjoy's guide, What does assisted living cost in north Atlanta?.

Medicare: no for long-term assisted living care

Medicare.gov is direct. Medicare and most health insurance, including Medigap, do not pay for long-term care services, including care in a nursing home or in the community. You pay all costs for non-covered services, including most long-term care. Non-medical long-term care can be received in an assisted living facility, and Medicare still does not cover that custodial stay.[1]

If open enrollment season is on your mind this week, that window is about health and drug plan choices. It will not cover long-term assisted living. Medicare Open Enrollment runs October 15 through December 7. Changes generally start January 1 of the next year.[4]

Georgia Medicaid waiver: services yes, room and board no

Georgia's Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program (EDWP), which includes what families still call CCSP and SOURCE, can provide community services as an alternative to a nursing home. Listed services include adult day care, alternative living services, personal care, home-delivered meals, and respite for family caregivers. There is often a waitlist.[5][6]

Alternative Living Services means twenty-four-hour supervision, personal care, nursing supervision, and health-related support in licensed personal care homes. Staff provide meals, oversight, and supervision. The member pays a room and board fee from personal income.[2][7]

Georgia's waiver application language matches federal rules: federal financial participation is not claimed for room and board, except in narrow respite situations. Medicaid reimbursement rates for Alternative Living Services exclude room and board. Rates cover direct services only. The participant pays room and board.[2]

So when someone asks whether Medicaid "pays for assisted living" in Georgia, the honest sentence is: the waiver may help with the care services. The rent-and-meals portion still sits with the resident (and family), unless another resource covers it.

SOURCE offers a similar service mix in certain areas of the state and has its own entry path through a SOURCE provider for your county.[8]

How to get on the waiver path

Georgia.gov says to call the statewide Area Agency on Aging number, 866-552-4464, to start. Screening looks at eligibility and urgency of need, which affects waitlist placement. When someone reaches the top of the list, there is an in-home assessment and a care plan.[5]

North Atlanta entry points named in the EDWP fact sheet:

Atlanta Regional Commission EDWP Information: (404) 463-3333 (Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Rockdale, Henry)
Legacy Link (includes Forsyth): 1-800-845-LINK or (770) 538-2650[6]

Eligibility themes across the official pages: Medicaid eligibility (or potential eligibility), nursing-home level of care, a physician-approved care plan, and choosing community services instead of a nursing home. Only one waiver at a time. Documents usually include proof of income, assets, and citizenship.[5][6]

Exact income and resource dollar limits change, and the public fact sheets do not always match. Confirm current limits with DFCS or your AAA before you plan around a number.

Other ways families pay

Private pay. Still the default for many assisted living moves: savings, retirement income, selling a house, or help from adult children, measured against that Georgia median near $5,300 a month.[3]

VA Pension with Aid and Attendance or Housebound. For eligible veterans and surviving spouses, VA can add Aid and Attendance or Housebound amounts on top of a VA pension. Current maximum annual rates (COLA effective December 1, 2025) include about $29,093 a year for a veteran with no dependents on Aid and Attendance, and about $34,488 with one dependent. Surviving spouse Aid and Attendance maximum is about $18,697 a year with no dependents. Net worth limit for December 1, 2025 through November 30, 2026 is $163,699 (primary residence and a car are excluded). VA pays the difference between countable income and the maximum. You cannot receive Aid and Attendance and Housebound at the same time.[9][10][11]

Long-term care insurance. Policies usually reimburse a daily amount up to a chosen limit when someone needs help with activities of daily living or has a cognitive impairment. Most individual policies require medical underwriting. Elimination periods are often 30, 60, or 90 days.[12][13]

Georgia Long-Term Care Partnership. Georgia runs a Partnership program with DCH, the insurance commissioner, and Aging Services. Only Partnership policies provide Medicaid asset protection: for every dollar the policy pays in benefits, a dollar of assets can be disregarded from the long-term care Medicaid asset limit, and those protected assets are also exempt from estate recovery up to benefits paid. The state does not sell the policies. For approved carriers, call the Office of Commissioner of Insurance at (404) 656-2070 or 1-800-656-2298. For help, GeorgiaCares (SHIP) is 1-866-552-4464, option 4.[14]

Your one next step

If you are trying to match a real monthly bill to a real payment mix, start with the cost picture, then the phone call.

Read What does assisted living cost in north Atlanta?, or run Enjoy's free cost calculator with the hours and care level you are actually dealing with.
Call 866-552-4464 and ask about EDWP screening for her county. Say out loud that you need clarity on which services the waiver can cover and what room and board she would still owe.

Do not build a plan on the idea that Medicaid will pick up the whole monthly assisted living bill. In Georgia, that is not how the waiver is written.

Sources

Medicare.gov, "Long-term care." https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/long-term-care No date shown; checked September 28, 2026. Medicare and most health insurance (including Medigap) do not pay for long-term care; assisted living listed among settings for non-medical long-term care.
Georgia DCH, Application for 1915(c) HCBS Waiver, Elderly and Disabled Waiver (renewal public-notice draft). https://dch.georgia.gov/document/document/elderly-and-disabled-waiver-renewal-public-notice-waiver-renewal-application/download PDF modified July 18, 2022; checked September 28, 2026. No FFP for room and board except narrow exceptions; ALS rates exclude room and board; personal care home settings; member pays room and board from personal income.
CareScout (Genworth), Cost of Care Survey 2025: Median Cost Data Tables. https://assets.carescout.com/x/8fcb50422f/282102.pdf Document code 282102 03/02/26; data collected July-November 2025; checked September 28, 2026. Georgia assisted living community monthly median $5,300 ($63,600/year); U.S. $6,200/month.
Medicare.gov, "Open Enrollment." https://www.medicare.gov/health-drug-plans/open-enrollment and Medicare & You key dates (Oct 15-Dec 7; changes effective Jan 1). Light Open Enrollment week context per Enjoy Lead; not in payment-brief body stats. Checked via public Medicare pages for the 2026 window.
Georgia.gov, "Apply for Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program." https://georgia.gov/apply-elderly-and-disabled-waiver-program Page metadata updated April 30, 2026; checked September 28, 2026. Services list; often a waitlist; apply via 866-552-4464; eligibility themes; documents.
Georgia DCH, "Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program (EDWP)" fact sheet (long version). https://medicaid.georgia.gov/document/document/elderly-and-disabled-waiver-program-long-version/download Marked Updated 2025; PDF dated January 28, 2025; checked September 28, 2026. SOURCE + CCSP under EDWP; ALS description; ARC and Legacy Link phones; entry through AAA. (Printed income limits in this sheet are outdated per brief; not used in body.)
Georgia DCH, Part II Policies and Procedures for EDWP-CCSP and SOURCE General Services, version date July 1, 2026. https://www.mmis.georgia.gov/portal/Portals/0/StaticContent/Public/ALL/Handbooks/EDWP-CCSP%20and%20SOURCE%20General%20Services-Q3%20July%202026%2020260917175144.pdf Checked September 28, 2026. §603.2 ALS definition; room and board rate set by EDWP unit; SSI vs MAO cost-share notes (dollar room-and-board amount not in manual).
Georgia.gov, "Apply for SOURCE." https://georgia.gov/apply-service-options-using-resources-community-environment-source Last updated April 2026; checked September 28, 2026. Service mix; certain areas only; apply through SOURCE provider for county.
VA.gov, "Current Veterans Pension rates." https://www.va.gov/pension/veterans-pension-rates/ Last updated December 18, 2025; checked September 28, 2026. A&A / Housebound MAPR figures; net worth $163,699; COLA Dec 1, 2025.
VA.gov, "Survivors Pension rates." https://www.va.gov/pension/survivors-pension-rates/ Last updated August 17, 2026; checked September 28, 2026. Surviving spouse A&A maximums.
VA.gov, "Aid and Attendance benefits and Housebound allowance." https://www.va.gov/pension/aid-attendance-housebound/ Last updated May 8, 2026; checked September 28, 2026. Qualifying need; cannot get both A&A and Housebound.
LongTermCare.gov (ACL), "What is Long-term Care Insurance?" https://acl.gov/ltc/costs-and-who-pays/what-is-long-term-care-insurance Last modified February 18, 2020; checked September 28, 2026.
LongTermCare.gov (ACL), "Receiving Long-Term Care Insurance Benefits." https://acl.gov/ltc/costs-and-who-pays/what-is-long-term-care-insurance/receiving-long-term-care-insurance-benefits Last modified February 18, 2020; checked September 28, 2026. ADL / cognitive triggers; elimination periods.
Georgia Medicaid (DCH), "Georgia Long Term Care Partnership." https://medicaid.georgia.gov/georgia-long-term-care-partnership Page metadata updated March 4, 2026; checked September 28, 2026. Dollar-for-dollar asset protection; estate recovery exemption up to benefits paid; OCI and GeorgiaCares contacts; state does not sell policies.