Georgia Medicaid Waivers Compared: ICWP vs NOW vs COMP vs SOURCE vs CCSP

Case managers who only work one Georgia waiver can get by without this breakdown. Case managers who serve mixed caseloads — or who take referrals that could fit more than one program — need to know the boundaries. Sending a participant down the wrong waiver track wastes weeks and often ends in a denial.

This guide covers the five waivers Georgia providers run into most often: ICWP, NOW, COMP, SOURCE, and CCSP. Policy details change; always verify current eligibility and service rules with the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) or the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD).

Quick Comparison

ICWP — Independent Care Waiver Program

ICWP serves Georgia adults ages 21 through 64 with severe physical disabilities or traumatic brain injuries who would otherwise need nursing-facility level care. It's the waiver designed specifically for working-age adults with acquired or physical disabilities, and its service array (personal support, skilled nursing, behavioral management, home modifications, assistive tech) reflects that focus. DCH administers ICWP; prior authorizations flow through GMCF. For a deeper walkthrough, see our ICWP case management guide.

NOW — New Options Waiver

NOW is administered by DBHDD (not DCH) and serves Georgians with developmental disabilities — intellectual disabilities, autism, and related conditions diagnosed before age 18. NOW funds supports for participants who can live successfully with less intensive services: community access, supported employment, respite, behavioral supports, and some skilled care. If a participant's needs grow beyond what NOW can fund, COMP is usually the next step.

COMP — Comprehensive Supports Waiver Program

COMP is NOW's higher-intensity counterpart, also administered by DBHDD. It serves the same developmental-disabilities population but funds more comprehensive supports — including residential services (community living arrangements, host home, and related settings) that NOW does not cover. Participants who need 24-hour supervision, extensive behavioral supports, or residential placement typically belong on COMP rather than NOW.

SOURCE — Service Options Using Resources in a Community Environment

SOURCE is Georgia's primary-care-linked HCBS waiver for frail elderly and physically disabled adults. What makes SOURCE distinctive is the integration with a primary care physician: each participant's case manager works in partnership with the PCP to coordinate home-based services. SOURCE is administered by DCH and often serves participants who would otherwise be candidates for CCSP but benefit from tighter medical coordination.

CCSP — Community Care Services Program

CCSP is Georgia's longest-running HCBS waiver for the aged and physically disabled population, also administered by DCH. It funds personal support, adult day health, home-delivered meals, respite, emergency response systems, and related community supports to keep participants out of nursing facilities. CCSP overlaps with SOURCE in population but lacks the mandatory primary-care linkage — participants and case managers often choose between the two based on the availability of a participating PCP.

Which Waiver Fits Which Participant?

A quick decision frame for referrals:

• Developmental disability diagnosed before age 18? → NOW (less intensive) or COMP (more intensive, including residential). DBHDD assigns.
• Working-age adult (21–64) with severe physical disability or TBI, needs nursing-facility level care to stay home? → ICWP.
• Elderly or physically disabled adult needing community supports to avoid institutionalization, with an engaged primary care physician? → SOURCE.
• Elderly or physically disabled adult needing community supports, without a SOURCE-participating PCP? → CCSP.

Actual enrollment decisions involve financial eligibility, level-of-care determinations, waiver-specific waitlists, and provider availability — this frame is a starting point, not a rule.

Case Management Implications

Each Georgia waiver has its own visit cadence, documentation conventions, and billing codes. A case manager running a mixed caseload needs software that configures note templates, visit schedules, and service plans per waiver — not a single generic template forced across five very different programs.

One Care Portal configures each Georgia waiver independently, so ICWP case managers see ICWP cadence and templates, NOW/COMP case managers see DBHDD-aligned documentation, and SOURCE/CCSP case managers see DCH workflows — all from the same platform. Start on our Georgia HCBS page, or go deep on ICWP with our ICWP visit notes guide.

This comparison summarizes publicly available program descriptions and is not a substitute for current DCH or DBHDD policy. Always verify eligibility, covered services, and documentation requirements directly with the administering agency.