Home › Family guides › Respite care in Georgia
Respite care for children with disabilities in Georgia
GAPP does not pay for respite. Georgia does have respite programs, and a nurse in your home can still change how much rest you get. Here is the honest picture.
What respite means
Respite is short-term relief for the person doing the caregiving. It can be planned, like a few scheduled hours every week, or it can be emergency respite when something goes wrong. It can happen in your home or somewhere else, for part of a day or overnight.
GAPP is not respite
Georgia’s GAPP manual is direct about it: respite care is not a covered service, and families are expected to look to other resources for it. GAPP hours pay for the skilled nursing or personal care your child’s physician has documented, not for time away.
That said, the two overlap in real life. Families on overnight nursing tell us it is the first time in months they have slept through, and a nurse on the day shift means you are not the only person in the room who can manage the trach. If your child needs skilled care every day, check whether GAPP fits before you look anywhere else.
Where Georgia families find respite
A child can receive GAPP nursing and services from a waiver program at the same time, so starting on one does not close the door on the other.
If your child needs a nurse
Many respite programs are not staffed to manage a tracheostomy, a ventilator or a seizure rescue plan. Ask directly who would be caring for your child and what training they have before you book, and do not assume a respite provider can do what a nurse does.
Questions families ask
Does GAPP pay for respite care?
No. Georgia's GAPP manual lists respite care as not covered. GAPP pays for the skilled nursing and personal care your child's physician documents.
Is there emergency respite in Georgia?
Georgia's developmental disability services include emergency or crisis respite as well as planned respite. Contact your DBHDD regional office to ask what is available where you live.
Can my child get respite and GAPP nursing at the same time?
Yes, if your child qualifies for both. GAPP nursing can run alongside services from a waiver program such as NOW or COMP.
Who can help us find respite nearby?
Parent to Parent of Georgia and your DBHDD regional office are good places to start. If your child is on GAPP with us, we will help you think it through.
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 678-459-2590Keep 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.