Georgia · Katie Beckett / TEFRA
The Georgia Katie Beckett program — officially the TEFRA option, colloquially the Deeming Waiver — gives Medicaid to children under 18 with significant medical needs without counting parents' income or assets. It is run by the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH), and the application is a paper-heavy mail/fax packet WaiverPath is built to organize.
Katie Beckett is technically a TEFRA state-plan option, not an HCBS 1915(c) waiver. Parent income and assets are "deemed" unavailable — only the child's count. That deeming rule is the whole point of the program.
A child under 18 who meets an institutional level of care (nursing facility or ICF level) and whose care at home is cost-effective compared with institutional care. There is no waitlist — eligible children are entitled to coverage.
Form 94 Medicaid application (English/Spanish) plus three physician forms: DMA-6(A), DMA-706 level of care, and DMA-704 cost-effectiveness. The full DCH packet with instructions runs about 41 pages.
No. Katie Beckett is a TEFRA state-plan option: parent income and assets are 'deemed' unavailable and not counted. Only the child's own income and assets are considered — which is why Georgia families call it the Deeming Waiver.
No. Katie Beckett is not a capped HCBS waiver — children who meet the criteria are entitled to coverage. Georgia's NOW and COMP waivers (a separate DBHDD pathway) do use a planning list of about 7,000 (2024-2026 reporting).
A child under 18 who meets an institutional level of care (nursing facility or ICF level) and can be cared for at home cost-effectively compared with institutional care, counting only the child's income and assets.
By assembling a paper packet — the Form 94 Medicaid application plus physician-completed DMA-6(A), DMA-706, and DMA-704 — and mailing it to the Centralized Katie Beckett Medicaid Team in Norcross, faxing 678-248-7459, or uploading documents through the DCH Katie Beckett portal launched April 15, 2026.
Level-of-care approvals are now authorized for no less than 2 years, so families are no longer re-proving level of care every year.
Looking at the NOW or COMP waiver instead? Those are separate DBHDD programs with a planning list — see the Georgia Medicaid waiver waitlist guide. For the national picture, read the Katie Beckett waiver explainer.
Last reviewed by WaiverPath: July 2, 2026.
WaiverPath is not a government agency, law firm, Medicaid provider, or benefits advisor. We help you organize information, documents, and follow-up tasks. Always verify requirements with the official agency or a qualified professional.
