Told you earn too much for Medicaid? Maybe not.

Katie Beckett in Georgia, also called TEFRA or the Deeming Waiver

Georgia's Katie Beckett pathway ignores parents' income completely. For a medically fragile child it can open Medicaid, and Medicaid is what unlocks GAPP nursing.

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The program most families are never told about

Your income does not countKatie Beckett, also called the Deeming Waiver or TEFRA, is the one Georgia pathway that ignores parents' income and assets entirely. Only the child's own income and assets are counted, and for most children that is nothing.

It is the door to GAPPKatie Beckett provides Medicaid, and Medicaid is what unlocks GAPP in-home nursing. For a family over the regular Medicaid limit, this is usually the route that makes in-home care possible.

Ask for it by nameThe most common mistake is applying for regular Medicaid, being denied on income, and stopping there. Request the Katie Beckett application specifically.

There is a $2,000 limit on the childSavings, investments or property titled to the child count against a $2,000 limit. An ABLE account can legally shelter those savings.

To be very clear about our role

HeartPath does not file Katie Beckett applications. That application is one your family submits to the state. What we can do is help you understand what it asks for, and connect you with people who have been through this application themselves, including parents of medically complex children who now do this work professionally. Call us before you apply and we will make that introduction. Once your child is approved and Medicaid is active, we handle the GAPP nursing paperwork from there. Any agency telling you they will file Katie Beckett for you is describing something they cannot do.

Who it is for

Katie Beckett is for children who need the kind of care a hospital or nursing facility provides, but who can be cared for safely at home. A physician documents that need. Children who often qualify rely on:

A tracheostomy, ventilator or other breathing support
A feeding tube
Frequent skilled nursing: suctioning, medications, monitoring
Management of seizures or other complex ongoing conditions
Significant help with mobility, positioning and daily care

How to apply for Katie Beckett in Georgia

Request the application by nameCall Georgia's Katie Beckett team on 678-248-7449, or apply online at gateway.ga.gov, and ask for the Katie Beckett or Deeming Waiver application specifically.
Gather physician documentationA detailed letter from your child's physician addressing each medical-necessity criterion. A subspecialist letter carries real weight. Your doctor also completes the DMA-6(A), a level-of-care statement and a cost-effectiveness form.
Submit and follow upSend the packet to the Katie Beckett team and track it. Call to confirm it arrived. We can walk you through what each form is asking for.
Call us at any point, not just at the endMost families who call us are somewhere in the middle of this, not finished with it. We can tell you what each form is actually asking for, what makes a physician letter strong, and the mistakes that send packets back. There is no cost and no obligation, and we will say so honestly if GAPP is not a fit for your child. Once Medicaid is active, HeartPath submits the GAPP nursing paperwork and coordinates skilled care at home.

Georgia Katie Beckett team: 678-248-7449, fax 678-248-7459, 2211 Beaver Ruin Road, Suite 150, Norcross, GA 30071. Open Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm Eastern. Ask for the application by name.

Katie Beckett renewal, once your child is approved

According to the Department of Community Health, a level-of-care approval for Katie Beckett is authorized for at least two years. Renewal paperwork still comes around, and a missed renewal is the most avoidable way to lose coverage, so watch the mail.

Since April 15, 2026, families can use the Katie Beckett member portal at katiebeckettportal.dch.georgia.gov to upload documents for applications and renewals, check status and checklists, and send secure messages to their case worker.

If your child has private insurance

Keep it. Katie Beckett does not replace private insurance. Medicaid is the payer of last resort, so your private plan is billed first and Medicaid can cover what it does not, for services Medicaid covers. Many families use Katie Beckett exactly this way: as the second coverage behind their employer plan. Tell every provider about both.

What Katie Beckett covers once your child is approved

Katie Beckett is a door into Georgia Medicaid, not a separate benefit package. Once your child is approved, they have Medicaid, and Medicaid covers what it covers for any child: doctor and specialist visits, hospital care, prescriptions, therapies, and durable medical equipment, subject to Medicaid’s own rules and prior approvals.

It is also what makes GAPP in-home nursing possible. GAPP is a separate application with its own medical review, and being approved for Katie Beckett does not approve you for nursing hours. What it does is remove the coverage problem that stops most families before they start. How GAPP works picks up from there.

The forms Georgia asks for

Georgia’s Katie Beckett team lists these by name, and the physician completes most of them:

The Katie Beckett application itself, in English or Spanish.
Pediatric DMA-6(A), the medical form your child’s physician completes.
Medical Necessity Level of Care Statement.
Katie Beckett Cost Effectiveness Form, which compares the cost of care at home against care in a facility.
A level of care form, either Nursing Facility or Intermediate Care Facility, depending on your child.

A detailed letter from your child’s physician, addressing each medical-necessity criterion, is what carries the packet. What that letter has to address is worth reading before the appointment. A subspecialist letter carries real weight. The letter does not replace the forms.

Your Katie Beckett application checklist

Tick these off as you gather them. Print this page for the folder you are already carrying.

How long Katie Beckett takes

It varies, and it is generally measured in months rather than weeks. The state does not publish a processing time for it. What families tell us, and what the process suggests, is that the packets that move are the complete ones. Incomplete documentation is the main reason an application sits.

Since April 2026 you can check status yourself in the Katie Beckett member portal rather than waiting for the mail, which is the single most useful change to this process in years.

If your child is denied

A denial is not the end of it, and it is more often about the documentation than the child. Read the notice carefully, because it explains your appeal rights and it comes with a hearing request form.

In Georgia you generally have 30 days from the date on the notice to request a fair hearing, which is heard by the Office of State Administrative Hearings, and 14 days if you want existing coverage continued while the appeal is decided. Deadlines are counted from your notice, so confirm the dates on your own letter rather than ours.

Before you appeal, ask one question: was anything in the packet missing or thin? A physician letter that names the specific hands-on care your child needs, how often, and why it takes a trained person, answers the thing reviewers are actually weighing. Sometimes the faster route is a complete resubmission rather than a hearing. Tell us where you are and we will talk it through, whether or not you ever become a client.

The honest trade-offs

Medicaid, but no cashKatie Beckett provides Medicaid coverage only. It does not include a monthly cash benefit the way SSI does.

It is a pediatric pathwayGeorgia lists it for children 18 and under, so coverage ends by the 19th birthday. Start transition planning at 17, not at 18.

Documentation decides itApproval rests on a physician letter addressing each criterion. This is where applications are won and lost.

Is TEFRA the same thing as Katie Beckett?

Yes. TEFRA is the federal law the pathway comes from, the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act, and Katie Beckett is the name it is usually known by. Georgia Medicaid calls the program TEFRA/Katie Beckett, and some county offices and hospital social workers say Deeming Waiver. All three refer to the same pathway: the one that ignores parents' income when deciding whether a child qualifies. If a social worker tells you to apply for TEFRA, you are looking for the Katie Beckett application.

What conditions qualify for Katie Beckett?

It is based on the child's level of medical need, not a specific diagnosis. A child generally qualifies if they need an institutional level of care, the kind a hospital or nursing facility provides, that can instead be delivered safely at home. Technology-dependent children and children needing daily skilled nursing most often meet the standard. The physician's documentation is what actually decides.

What are the Katie Beckett income limits?

This is the part most families do not know: there is no parental income limit. Katie Beckett ignores parents' income entirely. It looks at the child's own income and assets, with a $2,000 asset limit on the child, and the child's medical needs. That is why higher-earning families can still qualify a medically fragile child.

Does HeartPath fill out the Katie Beckett application for us?

No. Your family files that one with the state. We help you understand what it is asking for, and we point you to the Katie Beckett team. Once your child is approved and Medicaid is active, we handle all the GAPP paperwork from there.

How long does Katie Beckett take?

It varies, and it is generally measured in months rather than weeks. The strongest thing you can do to shorten it is submit complete physician documentation the first time. Incomplete packets are the main cause of delay.

Does Katie Beckett have to be renewed?

Yes, it has renewals. The Department of Community Health says a level-of-care approval is authorized for at least two years, and families can upload renewal documents and check status in the Katie Beckett member portal.

Can my child keep private insurance with Katie Beckett?

Yes. Katie Beckett does not replace private insurance. Medicaid is the payer of last resort, so the private plan pays first and Medicaid can cover what it does not, for services Medicaid covers.

Where is the Katie Beckett office in Georgia?

Georgia's Katie Beckett team is at 2211 Beaver Ruin Road, Suite 150, Norcross, GA 30071. Phone 678-248-7449, fax 678-248-7459, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm Eastern. You can also get an application from your local DFCS office or apply online at gateway.ga.gov, and upload documents through the Katie Beckett member portal.

What forms do I need for the Katie Beckett application in Georgia?

The application itself, the Pediatric DMA-6(A), a Medical Necessity Level of Care Statement, the Katie Beckett Cost Effectiveness Form, and a level of care form, either Nursing Facility or Intermediate Care Facility. Your child's physician completes most of them, and a detailed physician letter addressing each medical-necessity criterion is what carries the packet.

What happens if Katie Beckett is denied?

The denial notice explains your appeal rights and includes a hearing request form. In Georgia you generally have 30 days from the date on the notice to request a fair hearing, heard by the Office of State Administrative Hearings, and 14 days if you want existing coverage continued while it is decided. Confirm the dates on your own notice. Denials are often about thin documentation rather than the child, so ask whether a complete resubmission is the faster route.

Is there a Katie Beckett online application or portal?

There is a portal, and it is not where you first apply. Since April 15, 2026 families can use the Katie Beckett member portal at katiebeckettportal.dch.georgia.gov to upload documents for applications and renewals, check status and checklists, and message a case worker. To start an application, call the Katie Beckett team on 678-248-7449 or apply through Georgia Gateway at gateway.ga.gov and ask for Katie Beckett by name.

How do I know if we earn too much for Medicaid?

For Katie Beckett it does not matter what you earn. That is the whole point of the pathway: parents' income and assets are not counted, only the child's, and for most children that is nothing. If you want a quick read on which door fits your family, the Path Finder asks a few questions about your child and your household and takes about three minutes.

Ready when you are.

Tell us about your child and a real person will walk you through what comes next. No cost, no obligation.

Check eligibility Call 678-459-2590

Keep reading

HeartPath Home Care is an approved provider for the Georgia Pediatric Program. We are not a government agency, and this page is not an official publication of the Georgia Department of Community Health or Georgia Medicaid. It is a plain-language guide for families. Eligibility for GAPP, Medicaid and Katie Beckett is determined solely by Georgia Medicaid and the state agencies that administer them, based on your child's documented medical needs. Program rules and figures change.