Personal Support Services in Georgia:In-Home Help Through EDWP

Personal Support Services (PSS) are Georgia Medicaid's in-home help with everyday tasks, such as personal care, meals, light housekeeping and errands, for people enrolled in the Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program (EDWP). A trained aide from an approved home care agency comes to the home on a set schedule. PSS is available through both parts of EDWP, CCSP and SOURCE.

PSS is often the core of an EDWP care plan. It helps an older or disabled adult stay safely at home instead of moving to a nursing home. It can also give a family caregiver a break.

This guide covers what PSS includes, who decides the hours, the different types of PSS, and how to choose an agency.

Personal Support Services at a glance

• What it is: in-home help with daily living from a Medicaid-approved aide.
• Program: an EDWP service, offered through CCSP and SOURCE.
• Who decides the hours: the care coordinator or case manager, through the care plan.
• Types: standard PSS, Extended PSS for longer visits, and Consumer-Directed PSS.
• Who provides it: licensed private home care agencies enrolled with Georgia Medicaid.
• Check-ins: aides record each visit with Electronic Visit Verification (EVV).

Who qualifies for Personal Support Services in Georgia?

PSS is not a separate program you apply for. It is one of the services inside EDWP. So your loved one first has to qualify for EDWP. Then the care plan decides whether PSS is part of their care.

• Has Georgia Medicaid, or qualifies for it.
• Is older or has a physical disability and meets EDWP's age rules.
• Needs a nursing-home level of care, but can be cared for safely at home. Our guide to nursing home level of care explains this.
• Has a care plan approved by their doctor. The EDWP overview lists physician approval of the care plan as a requirement.

To start, call your local Area Agency on Aging at 866-552-4464. A phone screening checks eligibility and urgency. Georgia.gov notes there is often a waiting list for EDWP.

What do Personal Support Services include?

The state's case management manual defines PSS as help with daily living. It names errands, light housekeeping and basic personal care among the tasks, plus basic home upkeep. PSS also gives the usual caregiver relief.

• Personal care

  Help with hygiene and basic personal care.

• Meal preparation

  Help planning and preparing meals, and with nutrition.

• Light housekeeping

  Keeping the home clean and safe to live in.

• Errands and shopping

  Necessary errands and shopping that support well-being.

• In-home respite

  An aide stays with your loved one so the family caregiver can rest.

DCH's CCSP fact sheet lists the same core tasks: personal care, meal preparation, light housekeeping, shopping and in-home respite. The exact tasks your loved one gets are written in their care plan.

What PSS does not cover

PSS is non-skilled help. Skilled nursing and therapy at home are a different EDWP service, called Home-Delivered Services. If your loved one needs wound care or therapy, ask the care coordinator about that service too.

What are the different types of PSS?

Georgia's EVV guidance lists three PSS billing types under CCSP and SOURCE. Each one gives the same kind of help, but in a different way.

How does Consumer-Directed PSS work?

With consumer direction, your loved one or their representative hires and supervises the worker. They must pick a Financial Management Services provider. That provider issues the paychecks and handles tax paperwork.

The care coordinator goes over a training checklist first. It covers hiring, training and scheduling a worker, plus backup plans and incident reporting. Members can return to the traditional agency option later.

Who decides how many hours of PSS my parent gets?

The care coordinator or case manager decides, based on an assessment. DCH says the coordinator builds a plan of care in collaboration with the primary physician. The plan is based on your loved one's needs.

1. 1

   Screening

   The Area Agency on Aging screens your loved one by phone.

2. 2

   In-home assessment

   A nurse or care coordinator visits and assesses daily needs.

3. 3

   Care plan

   The coordinator writes a plan that lists services, such as PSS, and how often they happen.

4. 4

   Doctor approval

   Your loved one's physician approves the care plan.

5. 5

   Reviews

   Case management stays in touch and reassesses at least once a year.

The agency cannot change the plan on its own. The manual says providers need case management approval to change the duration, frequency or scope of services. If your loved one needs more help, call the care coordinator.

Can a family member be paid to provide PSS?

Possibly. In its 2022 waiver renewal, Georgia proposed allowing relatives to deliver PSS, Extended PSS and Consumer-Directed PSS. The renewal notice says relatives could be hired by private home care agencies or through consumer direction.

Spouses and other legally responsible people are usually treated differently. Ask the care coordinator or agency which relatives can be hired today. If a relative already lives with your loved one, Structured Family Caregiving may be another option to ask about.

How do you choose a PSS agency?

Your loved one has a choice. The waiver says a participant may select any willing and qualified provider. You can ask the care coordinator for a list of agencies in your area.

In Georgia, a private home care agency needs a DCH license to provide personal care tasks. Agencies must also be enrolled as Medicaid providers to bill for EDWP services.

• Is the agency licensed by DCH and approved for EDWP in your county?
• Can it staff the days and times in the care plan?
• What happens if the regular aide is sick?
• How does the agency handle EVV check-ins and missed visits?
• Who do you call with a problem, and when is the office open?

What is EVV, and why does it matter for PSS?

PSS aides check in and out of each visit with Electronic Visit Verification. DCH's EVV FAQs confirm that PSS under CCSP and SOURCE must use EVV. The record shows who gave care, where and when. Ask the agency how its aides record visits.

How does PSS fit with other EDWP services?

PSS can be combined with other services in the care plan. DCH's fact sheet and the state's CCSP brochure list them, including:

• Adult Day Health: a supervised day program outside the home.
• Home-Delivered Meals: nutritious meals brought to the home.
• Emergency Response Services: a two-way device that calls for help.
• Out-of-Home Respite: short stays that give the main caregiver a break.
• Alternative Living Services: care in a licensed personal care home.

Our EDWP explainer and CCSP guide explain how these services fit together.

How A1-GA Healthcare Agency helps

A1-GA Healthcare Agency is a Georgia DCH-approved Medicaid home care provider in Norcross. We have provided in-home care since 2008 and staffed caregivers since 2004. We provide Personal Support Services and other EDWP services to families across metro Atlanta.

We can explain how PSS works, help you prepare for the assessment, and staff the visits in your loved one's care plan once it is approved. If a relative lives with your loved one, we can also explain Structured Family Caregiving.

• Call: 678-446-1832
• Hours: Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
• Email: [email protected]
• Check eligibility: Start the short eligibility form

Learn more on our EDWP services page.