Who Supports You
You meet your support staff before they begin, and you have the final say. If someone is not the right fit, tell us and we will bring you someone else. No explanation needed.
Georgia NOW and COMP Waivers
Your Life, Your Choices, Your Team
Waiver services exist so that you can live in your own home, in your own community, doing the things that matter to you. You choose your provider. You choose your support staff. You decide what a good day looks like. We are simply here to make it happen.
Start Here
You Deserve Support, and It May Cost You Nothing
The NOW and COMP waivers are Georgia Medicaid programs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. They pay for the support that makes it possible to live at home, learn new skills, work, and take a full part in community life, and for most families that support carries no cost at all.
Applications are made through the State of Georgia, and we are glad to help you understand the process. Once you have a waiver, or if you already have one, you choose your provider, and we would be honored to be that provider.
- Clear guidance on how to apply through the State of Georgia
- We walk the application and planning list process alongside you
- Most covered services carry no cost to the family
- Already enrolled with another provider? You are always free to transfer to us.
Choice and Self Direction
Four Decisions That Belong to You
Waiver programs are built on the principle that the person receiving support leads the plan. That principle only means something if a provider actually honors it, so here is exactly what you control with us.
What You Work On
Your goals go in your plan in your words. Cooking, riding the bus, holding a job, making friends, living alone one day. We build the supports around what you actually want.
When and Where
Mornings, evenings, weekends, at home, at work, or out in the community. Schedules are written to fit your life rather than our staffing convenience.
How Much Help
Support should fade where you are already capable and show up where it is genuinely needed. We review this with you regularly and adjust in both directions.
Programs We Serve
The NOW and COMP Waivers
Both waivers are administered by the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, and we are an approved provider under each. Which one fits depends on how much support a person needs. If you are not sure, that is completely normal. Ask us and we will work it out together.
NOW Waiver
New Options Waiver. NOW supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who need a moderate level of help to live well in the community. It is designed around independence: learning skills, getting out, taking part, and building a life that is genuinely yours.
- Community Access (CAI)
- Community Living Support (CLS)
- Respite for families
- Skill building toward greater independence
COMP Waiver
Comprehensive Supports Waiver Program. COMP serves people with more intensive support needs, including those who would otherwise require an institutional setting. Higher staffing levels, nursing oversight, and medical equipment and supplies, all delivered in the person's own home and community.
- Extensive daily and one to one support
- Community Living Support (CLS)
- Nursing services based on the ISP
- Medical equipment (SME) and supplies (SMS)
A waiver is not a placement. It is permission to keep living your own life, with the right people beside you.
Covered Services
What Your Waiver Can Pay For
The exact combination depends on your program and your approved plan. These are the services we are authorized to deliver.
Community Access (CAI)
One-on-one time in the community to build friendships, skills, and confidence.
Community Living Support (CLS)
Skill building at home for daily living, home management, and leisure.
Nursing Services
Individualized nursing assessment, monitoring, and support based on the service plan.
Respite for Families
Planned or emergency relief for family caregivers, day or overnight.
Medical Equipment (SME)
Devices and controls named in the ISP that make daily life easier.
Medical Supplies (SMS)
Supplies identified in the ISP to support health and daily care.
Getting Started
Four Steps, and We Walk Them With You
Medicaid paperwork has a reputation, and it is mostly deserved. It is also our job, not yours. Here is what the process actually looks like.
Tell Us About Yourself
A short conversation by phone. Who needs support, what is happening now, and whether a NOW or COMP waiver is already in place. No forms and no cost to ask.
Apply Through the State
Applications go to Georgia DBHDD. We can point you to the right forms and documents, and coordinate with your support coordinator once a waiver is in place.
You Build Your Plan
We sit down together and write the plan around your goals, your routine, and your preferences. You approve it before anything is submitted.
Your Team Begins
You meet and approve your support staff, services start, and we keep reviewing the plan with you as your goals and circumstances change.
How to Apply
Applying for the NOW or COMP Waiver
Applications for both waivers are made through the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD). The State of Georgia keeps a complete guide covering who qualifies, which documents to gather, and what happens after you apply.
- Apply online through the Individual IDD Connects portal, the fastest option, or in person, by mail, or by fax through your DBHDD regional field office
- Have proof of citizenship, Social Security and Medicaid cards, and any psychological evaluations or school and provider records ready
- After review, eligible applicants join a planning list, with priority based on need rather than time waiting
- Once funding is approved, you build your service plan and choose your providers
The Georgia.gov link opens the official state page in a new tab. Already have a waiver? You are free to choose or transfer to EveryDay We Care at any time.
Not on a Waiver?
Our Private Pay Care Is Available to Everyone
Families who fund care themselves receive the same caregivers, the same standards, and a great deal more flexibility in scheduling and scope.