Medicaid waivers for autism in Georgia
Georgians with an intellectual disability or a closely related developmental disability — autism, cerebral palsy, epilepsy — that substantially impairs intellectual or adaptive functioning.
- Main program
- New Options (NOW) and Comprehensive Supports (COMP) Waivers
- Typical wait
- Needs-based, not date-based — position depends on assessed need
- Administered by
- Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD)
- Age rules
- Onset must be during the developmental years — by age 18 for intellectual disability, by age 22 for a developmental disability such as autism.
How to get on the list
Visit or contact your DBHDD regional field office; staff will help you complete the application, which can also be faxed. Within 14 business days of receiving it they schedule a screening assessment, including a psychologist's review and possibly a face-to-face interview.
Open the official Georgia page →Does autism qualify?
Autism qualifies as a closely related developmental disability. The test is substantial impairment of intellectual or adaptive functioning, so adaptive evidence matters as much as the diagnosis.
How the waiting list works
Georgia is the opposite of a first-come queue, and families routinely misunderstand this. DBHDD uses a validated needs assessment and a most-in-need questionnaire to decide who moves into waiver services — the planning list is explicitly not ordered by when you applied. Applying early still matters, because you cannot be assessed until you apply, but the thing that moves you is your assessed need. DBHDD asks families to contact their regional field office whenever circumstances change so the assessment can be updated. Most families never do this, and it is the single most useful action available to them.
What it can pay for
- Community living support
- Respite
- Supported employment
- Behavioral supports
- Community access
- Residential supports (COMP)
Other programs worth knowing
Update your assessment when things change
A new diagnosis, a caregiver's illness, a behavioral escalation, a school placement breaking down — all of these can change your assessed need. Georgia will not know unless you tell your regional field office.
Katie Beckett (Deeming Waiver)
A separate route that can give a child Medicaid regardless of parental income. Worth asking about alongside NOW and COMP.
Georgiaproviders & resources →
Local help you can access now, while you wait.
Waivers explained →
What to do while you're on the list, and what to ask.
Sources · last checked August 2026
- DBHDD — how do I apply for DD services
- Georgia.gov — apply to NOW and COMP
- Georgia.gov — NOW and COMP overview
Waiting lists and eligibility rules change. Always confirm current details with the agency before making decisions. If something here is out of date, tell us.