How Medicaid Can Help Pay for Long-Term Care in Georgia
Georgia's two main home-care waivers sound similar but work very differently — one has no spousal protections at all. This is the detail that trips up married applicants most.
This page is Georgia-specific. Medicaid long-term care rules vary significantly by state. See our national Medicaid Waivers Explained guide if you're elsewhere.
Two waivers, same program, very different rules
Georgia's CCSP (Community Care Services Program) and SOURCE (Service Options Using Resources in a Community Environment) both operate under the same umbrella — the Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program (EDWP) — but they're not interchangeable:
CCSP
SOURCE
2026 income limit (single)
$2,982/month
$994/month
If married, one spouse applies
Non-applicant spouse's income not counted
Both spouses' income counted — no protection
2026 asset limit
$2,000 (single)
$2,000 (single)
Source: Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH); figures effective 2026.
This is the detail that catches married applicants off guard. SOURCE offers no spousal income protection at all — if you apply to SOURCE and your spouse has meaningful income, it counts against your eligibility even though they're not the one applying. CCSP doesn't have this problem. If you're married, confirm which program you're actually being enrolled in before assuming either one works the same way.
Which one should you pursue?
If your income is above $994/month but at or below $2,982/month, CCSP is likely your only path between the two — SOURCE's stricter limit would disqualify you. If you're married and your spouse has income, CCSP's spousal protection makes it the safer choice to ask about first, even if a caseworker initially suggests SOURCE.
Getting paid to care for a family member
Structured Family Caregiving (SFC) pays eligible family members a daily stipend to provide care — and that stipend may be tax-exempt under IRS Notice 2014-7 if the caregiver lives in the same home as the person receiving care. This is a genuinely valuable option worth asking about specifically. See our Caregiver Support Resources for more on how this works generally.
The 2026 numbers that apply to both
1
Asset limit: $2,000 single, $3,000 married couple both applying — the standard federal figures.
2
CSRA (CCSP only): the non-applicant spouse can keep between $32,532 and $162,660, plus a Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance between $2,705.00 and $4,066.50.
3
60-month look-back applies to both CCSP and SOURCE, as well as nursing home Medicaid.
If your income is over the CCSP limit
Georgia is an income-cap state — if your gross income is at or above $2,982/month, you'll need a Qualified Income Trust (Miller Trust) to qualify for any long-term care Medicaid class, rather than a spend-down option.
How to actually start
1
Apply through Georgia Gateway or your local DFCS office, and ask specifically which waiver — CCSP or SOURCE — you're being considered for, especially if you're married.