HCBS: What They are and Why They Matter

Home and Community Based Services assist people with disabilities to live inclusive lives in their communities. These services are delivered through a waiver system because traditional Medicaid does not pay for these services to be provided in the community, although Medicaid will pay for similar services to be provided in institutional settings. Because people with disabilities have a legal right to live in their communities, states use a waiver system to provide the services. Some of Georgia's waivers go by the names NOW/COMP, ICWP, and SOURCE. So what do these waivers do? They:

• support people to live in a group home, with a roommate or on their own (rather than a nursing home or institution)
• help people find and keep jobs through supported employment services
• provide for physical, occupational, and speech therapies, as well as behavioral supports
• pay for personal care attendants to assist people with disabilities with bathing, dressing, eating, and getting to work

Although HCBS waivers allow people with disabilities to live independent lives in their communities, many people are waiting for a waiver. Right now, over 6,000 Georgians with disabilities are on a waitlist, and many people have been waiting for a waiver for over 10 years! Not only will new waivers assist people with disabilities to live independently, they will also:

• create jobs and pump money back into local economies
• save taxpayer money, as HCBS waivers, on average, cost less than institutional settings
• Keep families out of crisis through respite care and assisting families in keeping their jobs

HCBS: What's in the Budget

Governor Kemp released his budget recommendations for Fiscal Year 2021 (July 1, 2020-June 30, 2021), and, for the FIRST time since the creation of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD), the Governor has recommended that ZERO new NOW/COMP waivers be created. This position marks the first time in over a decade that Georgia’s Governor has not attempted to shorten the waiver waitlist by introducing new waiver slots.

• Introduce yourself and let them know if you live in their district
• Tell them why you are calling (e.g., I am calling to discuss the lack of NOW/COMP waiver slots in the Governor’s recommended budget)
• Tell them why this is important to you (e.g., I am on the waitlist, my family member/friend is waiting for services, etc.)
• Tell them what you would like them to do (e.g., I would like you to include the addition of new waiver slots in the budget)
• Thank them for their time!

• Senator Dean Burke (Vice-chair)
• Senator Chuck Hufstetler
• Senator Butch Miller
• Senator Horacena Tate
• Senator Ben Watson

• Representative Tom Kirby (Vice-chair)
• Representative Tommy Benton
• Representative Emory Dunahoo
• Representative Michele Henson
• Representative Don Hogan
• Representative Henry “Wayne” Howard
• Representative Karen Mathiak
• Representative Greg Morris
• Representative Mary Margaret Oliver
• Representative Bert Reeves

Find your state legislator

Federal Update: HCBS Infrastructure Improvement Act

Looking Ahead: Advocacy Days are Here!