FAQ

Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Georgia

Your Gateway to Community Services

Serving 15 Counties in Northwest Georgia

Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Fannin, Floyd, Gilmer, Gordon, Haralson, Murray, Paulding, Pickens, Polk, Walker and Whitfield

For Information &Referral or Eligibility Screening, please call
1-800-759-2963

Frequently Asked Questions

1.    Do you provide Prescriptions or Prescription Expense Assistance?

      We do not provide free or reduced cost prescriptions. Our GeorgiaCares program may be able to help you find other programs or services to obtain free or low-cost prescriptions. See the GeorgiaCares website for more information.

      If you have an immediate need for Prescription Expense Assistance, you may contact our I&R Staff for a referral to local organizations that may be able to assist. Just call 1-800-759-2963.

      Everyone with Medicare, regardless of income, health status, or prescription drug usage, will have access to prescription drug coverage beginning on January 1, 2006. For Basic Information, Things to Consider, Assistance Finding a Plan, and other information, use this link to Medicare.gov, the official US Government site for people with Medicare.

2.     Is there a cost for your services?

        We do not charge for information and referral services. However, if you choose to apply for any of the Home and Community Based Services or the Community Care Services Program, you may incur a cost share for services rendered in the home.

        The amount of any applicable cost share is dependent upon your income. Many Home and Community Based services are offered on a sliding fee scale, which means that recipients pay a certain percentage (based on income) of the cost of services. The Community Care Services Program cost share is based on income and Medicaid eligibility limits. Some exclusions may apply to the Community Care formula. For more information, please call our Gateway Staff at 1-800-759-2963.

3.     I don't think I can afford the cost share for Community Care, but I need the services. What are my options?

      First, consider the many benefits that you will receive from Community Care (CCSP). CCSP is a Medicaid waiver program. Therefore, one of the benefits you will receive (if you are eligible for CCSP) is Medicaid. The Medicaid benefit may actually offset your cost share for CCSP services. 

      If you still feel like the cost of CCSP services outweighs the benefits, you should consider applying for Home and Community Based services (HCBS). The HCBS services are less frequent, and the cost share, if applicable, is usually less. However, the HCBS program does not offer the Medicaid benefit. Also, the waiting list for HCBS services is currently much longer than the waiting list for CCSP services. Most HCBS services are available only to those age 60+.

4.     Will the State take my house if apply for services?

      The concept of the State taking one's home in return for providing services is a fallacy. It is true that the State of Georgia has recently enacted the Estate Recovery law which has been federally mandated since 1993. This act applies to Community Care Services which are funded by a Medicaid Waiver. Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) not funded by Medicaid are not effected by Estate Recovery law.

      Under the Estate Recovery law, the State is entitled to reimbursement from the estate of a deceased Medicaid recipient. However, estates valued at less than $25,000 are exempt from Estate Recovery. Also, the Estate Recovery may be postponed and/or waived under certain hardship conditions.

      The Department of Community Health (DCH) has announced its plans to notify Medicaid recipients of the implementation of Medicaid estate recovery. If you have further questions, please call 770-916-0328 for more information.

5.    How long is the waiting list for services, and where am I at on the waiting list?

      These questions are almost impossible to answer for many reasons.

      First, we serve clients in a 15 county area. Some services have a waiting list in each county, and some services have one waiting list for the entire region. Second, we keep our waiting lists according to need for service rather than by date of application. This ensures that those with the greatest need for assistance will be served first. Third, we are adding people to our waiting lists daily, and some of those people may have a greater need for service than those already on the waiting list.  Each person's place on the waiting list is subject to change from day to day for these reasons.

      The need for service is assessed by the Determination of Need instrument at the initial telephone screening. If you have been waiting for services for more than three months, or if you have had a significant change in your health and/or ability to perform daily activities, you should call 1-800-759-2963 to have your file updated with a new Determination of Need.

6.    Someone told me to apply for an Emergency Response Button through Community Care in order to get Medicaid, because I have already been turned down for Medicaid by the Department of Family and Children's Services.

      Community Care is a Medicaid Waiver program, and it does offer the Medicaid benefit. However, you must meet the eligibility requirements for CCSP, receive services in the home under the program, and pay any applicable cost share in order to receive the Medicaid benefit.

      Although many people attempt to use CCSP as a "back door" to Medicaid, you should note that the level of care eligibility requirements for CCSP are the same as those for nursing home placement. If you are not at risk of nursing home placement due to the unmet need for care in the home, you may not be eligible for CCSP.

      Also, if you do meet the eligibility requirements for CCSP, your Care Coordinator may find that you can not be safely maintained in your home with only an Emergency Response Button. If you can not be safely maintained in your home with only this service, you will be required to receive additional services (which may increase your cost share for services). Due to the Level of Care required for CCSP eligible clients, most clients can not be safely maintained with only an Emergency Response Button.

      Most people who try to get in this "back door" for Medicaid do not meet the Level of Care criteria and are NOT eligible for CCSP.

      If you need Medicaid assistance, you should apply first at your local Department of Family and Children's Services. If you need help locating their number, please call our office at 1-800-759-2963. We will be glad to provide you with the appropriate number.

7.    Is there an age requirement for receiving services?

      For Home and Community Based Services, clients must be age 60 or above. These services include Home Delivered Meals, Homemaker Services, Respite Care (Caregiver Relief), Adult Day Care, and Alzheimer's In-home Respite. The only exception to the age criteria is for Respite and Adult Day Care services for Alzheimer's patients. Specific funding for these services is provided by the State for those of any age with Alzheimer's or a related dementia.

      Counties served by North Georgia Community Action (Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield) may have limited funding for disabled persons under age 60 who need Home Delivered Meals. For more information, call North Georgia Community Action at 1-800-440-1642.

      Community Care Services are available to Georgia residents who meet the eligibility requirements and have reached the age of 65 or are permanently disabled. Applicants under the age of 65 must have a disability determination from the Social Security Administration or the State Medicaid Eligibility Unit in order to be eligible for services.

8.   Can I do the eligibility screening for my family member? I'm afraid he/she will not be honest about the need or will refuse services altogether.

     If possible, the person needing services should complete the eligibility screening. If you would like to refer someone for services, please download and print the referral form (form is now fillable), and fax it to (706) 802-5508.

     If you have the necessary information (Social Security Number, Medicare and Medicaid numbers, Income and Resource information) to do the eligibility screening, you may complete the application process by calling 1-800-759-2963. However, the applicant must be willing to receive services. Many times, family members complete the screening applications because they're afraid that the client will refuse the offer of assistance. Then, when the applicant comes to the top of the waiting list, the applicant refuses services during the face to face assessment.

     If you are uncertain as to whether or not your loved one will be willing to receive services, it is very important that you talk to them first about services you think will benefit them. Often, the family member will be present even at the in-home assessment, and the client will agree to services only to call back later, when the family member is gone, to say that they don't actually want the assistance.

     Regardless of an applicant's level of need, services can not be provided against the applicant's wishes.