Georgia's Independent Care Waiver Program (ICWP): Who Qualifies, What It Covers, and How to Apply
The Independent Care Waiver Program (ICWP) is a Georgia Medicaid waiver that pays for care at home for adults with severe physical disabilities or traumatic brain injury. It serves people who apply between the ages of 21 and 64 and who would otherwise need care in a hospital or nursing facility. If you qualify, Medicaid covers services like personal support, home health, home modifications, and emergency response systems — in your own home, from a provider you choose.
Most Georgia families have heard of CCSP and SOURCE. Far fewer have heard of ICWP, and that gap costs people years of care they were entitled to. Here is what the program actually is.
Who qualifies for ICWP
To be eligible, you must meet all of the following:
Be between 21 and 64 years old when you apply. This is the one that surprises people. ICWP is not a seniors' program — it is built for working-age adults. If you are approved before 65, you stay eligible after you turn 65.
Have a severe physical disability or a traumatic brain injury that substantially limits one or more activities of daily living, and need another person's help because of it.
Not have a primary diagnosis of a mental disorder. ICWP is a physical-disability waiver; other Georgia waivers cover intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Require hospital or nursing facility level of care. A state assessment determines this.
Be Medicaid eligible.
Be medically stable but at risk of hospitalization or nursing facility placement.
Be able to direct your own services, or have a family member or representative who can do it with you.
Be safely served at home or in the community, in a private residence rather than an institution.
What ICWP covers
Once you are enrolled, ICWP can pay for:
Personal support — help with bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, transferring, and other daily activities
Home health services — skilled nursing and therapy at home
Case management — a case manager who builds your care plan and coordinates services
Specialized medical equipment and supplies
Home modifications — ramps, grab bars, widened doorways, accessible bathrooms
Emergency response systems — a button that reaches help if you fall or need assistance
Counseling
Respite care — short-term relief for a family caregiver
Personal support under ICWP can also be self-directed, meaning you have more say over who provides your care and how it is scheduled.
ICWP vs. CCSP vs. SOURCE: which one applies to you
Georgia runs several home and community-based waivers, and families routinely apply to the wrong one. The short version:
ICWP
Serves: adults with severe physical disabilities or traumatic brain injury
Age at application: 21 to 64
Level of care needed: hospital or nursing facility
Typical fit: a 40-year-old after a spinal cord injury or stroke
CCSP
Serves: older adults and adults with disabilities
Age at application: 65 and older, or 18 and older with a disability
Level of care needed: nursing facility
Typical fit: an 80-year-old who needs help bathing and with meals
SOURCE
Serves: older adults and adults with disabilities who have chronic health conditions
Age at application: 65 and older, or 18 and older with a disability
Level of care needed: nursing facility, with care coordinated through a primary care physician who manages your health care
Typical fit: a 72-year-old with diabetes and heart failure who needs both medical management and home care
If you are under 65 and your need comes from a physical disability or a brain injury, ICWP is usually the program to ask about first. If you are over 65, look at CCSP and SOURCE.
How to apply for ICWP
Applications go through Alliant Georgia Medical Care Foundation (Alliant GMCF), the state's intake contractor — not through your county DFCS office and not through a home care agency.
Call Alliant GMCF at 800-982-0411 or 888-669-7195. They will ask a set of screening questions over the phone.
Submit the application. Alliant will tell you what documentation to gather — typically medical records establishing the disability or brain injury, and proof of Medicaid eligibility.
Complete the in-person assessment. An assessor visits to determine whether you meet hospital or nursing facility level of care.
Wait for a funding slot. This is the part nobody warns families about, so we will.
About the waiting list
ICWP serves a limited number of people, and approval does not mean services start immediately. Once you are approved, you are placed on a waiting list and services begin as funding becomes available. How long that takes varies.
This is the single most important reason to apply early. Families often wait until a crisis — a fall, a hospital discharge with nowhere to go — and then discover the clock started the day they applied, not the day they needed help. If someone in your family may qualify in the next year or two, start the application now.
While you wait, it is worth checking whether CCSP, SOURCE, or a managed care plan can cover care in the meantime. These are not always either/or, and a provider who works across all of them can tell you quickly.
How Agate Home Care fits in
We are an approved Georgia Medicaid provider for CCSP, SOURCE, and ICWP, serving families across Atlanta and North Georgia. Once your waiver is approved, you choose your provider — the state does not assign one to you, and you can change providers if the one you have is not working out.
If you are not sure which waiver applies to your situation, call us at 770-789-7278. We will walk through it with you, free, and point you to the right application even if the answer is that you do not need us.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get ICWP if I am over 65?
You cannot apply after 65, but if you are approved before your 65th birthday, you keep your eligibility afterward. If you are already over 65, ask about CCSP and SOURCE instead.
Does ICWP cost anything?
ICWP services are covered by Medicaid for people who qualify. You must be Medicaid eligible to enroll.
Can a family member be paid to provide care under ICWP?
ICWP allows self-direction of personal support services, which gives you more control over who provides your care. The specific rules on paying family members depend on your care plan — ask your case manager.
How long does ICWP approval take?
The screening and assessment take weeks. The wait for a funding slot after approval is separate and can take considerably longer, which is why applying early matters.
Does ICWP cover a wheelchair ramp?
Home modifications are a covered service under ICWP, including accessibility changes like ramps and bathroom modifications. Your case manager coordinates approval.
What if I have a traumatic brain injury but no physical disability?
TBI is explicitly covered by ICWP, provided it substantially limits your activities of daily living and you need help from another person.
Can I switch home care providers under ICWP?
Yes. You choose your provider, and you can change providers. Contact your case manager to make the change.
Who decides whether I meet hospital or nursing facility level of care?
A state assessor determines it during an in-person assessment scheduled after you apply. It is a clinical judgment about how much help you need, not a decision your doctor or your home care agency makes.
Can I be on ICWP and CCSP or SOURCE at the same time?
No. Georgia's waiver programs are not stacked — you are enrolled in one at a time. If you are waiting on ICWP, ask whether another program can cover you in the meantime.
Talk to someone who works with all three waivers
Agate Home Care is an approved Georgia Medicaid provider for CCSP, SOURCE, and ICWP, serving 37+ counties across Atlanta and North Georgia. If you are trying to work out which program fits your family, call 770-789-7278. The conversation is free, and there is no obligation.
Sources: Georgia Medicaid, Waiver Programs (medicaid.georgia.gov); Georgia.gov, Apply for the Independent Care Waiver Program; Disability Benefits 101 Georgia, Medicaid Waiver Programs. Program rules can change — confirm details with Alliant GMCF at 800-982-0411.
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