Medical Assistance; Department of Community Health to submit a waiver request to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; direct

Path to Medicaid community mental health coverage

Georgia’s Department of Community Health may request federal approval by December 31, 2026, for Medicaid-funded home and community mental health services. These services target Medicaid recipients over age 21 who need mental health care but do not need institutional care. The care assessment considers risks such as past hospital stays, psychiatric crises, emergency room visits, incarceration, homelessness, or combinations of these. If the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approves the waiver, the department must arrange Medicaid payment for these services. The law sets no specific funding amount or date for services to begin.