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What is GAPP? The Georgia Pediatric Program, explained.
If a doctor or a hospital discharge planner mentioned GAPP and you are not sure what it means, start here. What the program is, who it is for, what it pays for, and how families begin.
What GAPP is
The Georgia Pediatric Program, GAPP, is a Georgia Medicaid program that provides in-home skilled nursing and personal care to medically fragile children who qualify on their medical needs. The idea is simple. A child who would otherwise need hospital or facility level care gets that care safely at home instead, with their family.
For children who qualify through Medicaid, there is no out-of-pocket cost to the family. Georgia Medicaid decides who is approved, based on documented medical need. HeartPath is an approved GAPP provider. We are not a government agency and we do not approve anyone.
Which children GAPP covers
GAPP is built for children with complex, ongoing medical needs, the kind that usually require a nurse. There is no fixed list of qualifying diagnoses. Approval turns on how much hands-on care a child needs day to day. Children who qualify typically depend on:
- A tracheostomy or a ventilator, and the skilled respiratory monitoring that goes with them
- A feeding tube, for feeding, medication and monitoring
- Seizure care that needs nursing oversight
- Oxygen or other breathing support
- Significant help with lifting, transfers and positioning
Cerebral palsy, spina bifida and other neurological and complex conditions may qualify based on a child’s skilled-care needs. But checklists are blunt instruments and physicians see things a form cannot. If your child's needs are greater than a list captures, the door may still be open.
What GAPP pays for
"We make too much for Medicaid." Read this first.
This is the single most expensive assumption Georgia families make. Many never apply because of an income limit they saw online, and never learn that Georgia has a pathway called Katie Beckett that ignores parents' income entirely and looks only at the child's medical needs.
Katie Beckett can open the door to Medicaid, and Medicaid is what unlocks GAPP nursing. If you have been told you earn too much, that is not the end of the conversation. Read how Katie Beckett works, or run the free Path Finder and see where you actually stand.
How families get started
- Reach outTell us a little about your child. It takes about a minute and there is no obligation.
- Talk with a nurseWe learn what your child needs and explain your GAPP options in plain language.
- We handle the paperworkGAPP requires physician documentation and Medicaid steps. We guide every one of them.
- Care comes homeOnce Georgia Medicaid approves the hours, we match a nurse to your child and start care.
Around 30 days from the first call to care starting is typical, though it is not a guarantee. Medicaid sets the pace of its own review. See the full timeline.
Family caregivers can be paid
Under Georgia's Family Caregiver Option, a parent or relative of a GAPP-approved child can be hired and paid as a W-2 employee to provide their child's approved personal care hours. If you are already doing the care, this is worth understanding. How the Family Caregiver Option works, or take the two-minute Caregiver Pay Check.
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 678-459-2590HeartPath 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.