Georgia Administrative Code

(1) The program shall have sufficient types and numbers of staff as required by these rules to provide the treatment and services offered to clients and outlined in its program description. (2) Staff subject to professional practice acts must be in compliance with the state pract…

(1) Required Approvals. (a) A program shall be in compliance with all applicable local health, sanitation, building, and zoning requirements. (b) A program shall be in compliance with all applicable laws and rules issued by the state fire Marshall, the proper local fire marshal o…

(1) A residential program which provides food service shall provide each resident with meals and snacks of food groups and serving sizes which meet the nutritional guidelines of the United States Department of Agriculture. Meals and snacks shall be varied daily. Modified diets ba…

(1) A program shall only accept referrals and shall only admit and retain clients whose known needs can be met by the program in accordance with its program purpose and description. Written policies and procedures for client referral, intake, assessment, and admission shall be es…

A program must develop and implement a complete individualized treatment plan for each client. Such treatment plans shall be modified and updated as necessary, depending upon the clients' needs. (a) Preliminary Treatment Plan. An initial treatment plan will be formulated at the t…

If a program administers medications, written policies and procedures for prescription, administration and security of medications shall be established and implemented. Such policies and procedures shall include the following: (a) Medications are prescribed by a physician, and/or…

Written policies and procedures for an ongoing quality assurance process shall be established and implemented. Such process shall identify areas of treatment or treatment problems to be addressed; establish and monitor criteria by which the quality and appropriateness of the trea…

A program must complete an individualized discharge summary for all clients discharged and also an aftercare plan for continuing services and support for those clients who complete their course of treatment. (a) Discharge Summary. A discharge summary shall be completed within sev…

Programs offering residential sub-acute detoxification programs must meet the rules listed in this subsection (.18), in addition to the general rules set forth. (a) The program shall establish and implement written policies and procedures that address how the program manages the …

Programs offering outpatient ambulatory detoxification services must meet the rules listed in this subsection (.19) in addition to the general rules set forth. (a) The program shall establish and implement written policies and procedures that address how the program manages the m…

Such residences provide services for clients with significant substance abuse impairment, and who, typically, have not progressed in a less intensive setting, or lack supports and require a highly structured and specialized environment, or are transitioning from detoxification. I…

Such residences provide services on an intermediate basis for clients characterized as chronic substance abusers who are transitioning to the community or to other treatment modalities, and who, typically, lack a stable living situation and require variable levels of therapeutic …

Specialized day treatment programs emphasize continued abstinence, development of social support network and necessary lifestyle changes, educational skills, vocational skills, social and interpersonal skills, the understanding of addictive disease, and the continued commitment t…

Outpatient drug treatment programs provide a variety of treatment and therapeutic services intended to enable clients to function drug free and to learn social and psychological skills. Typically, these include services such as psychosocial assessment; group, individual, and fami…

Structured programs that do not fit into existing program classifications but meet the requirements of these rules will be licensed as Special Programs. These programs may be part of other licensed programs or may be individually licensed.

A program shall establish and implement written policies and procedures regarding the rights and responsibilities of clients, and the handling and resolution of complaints. At a minimum, the program must ensure that its clients enjoy the rights and responsibilities listed herein.…

(1) Behavior Management. (a) The program shall develop and implement policies and procedures on behavior management. Such policies and procedures shall set forth the types of clients served in accordance with its program purpose, the anticipated behavioral problems of the clients…

(1) When the department finds that any applicant for any license fails to fulfill the requirements of these rules, the department may, subject to notice and opportunity for a hearing, refuse to grant any license (denial); provided, however, that the department shall not be requir…

The department may, in its discretion, grant waivers and variances of specific rules upon application or petition being filed on forms provided by the department. The department may establish conditions which must be met by the program in order to operate under the waiver or vari…

In the event that any rule, sentence, clause or phrase of any of these rules and regulations may be construed by any court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal, unconstitutional, or otherwise unenforceable, such determination or adjudication shall in no manner affect …

The legal authority for this Chapter is found in O.C.G.A. §§ 37-3-200 et seq, and Chapter 7 of Title 31.

The purpose of these rules and regulations is to establish minimum standards for the licensure and operation of adult residential mental health programs.

In these rules, unless the context requires otherwise, the words, phrases and symbols set forth herein shall mean the following: (1) "Adult residential mental health program" or "ARMHP" or "program" means a subacute residential alternative service of four or more residential beds…

(1) There shall be a governing body which assumes full legal responsibility for the overall conduct of the program and an administrator reporting to the governing body. The administrator must be at least 21 years of age and must have at least one-year of experience in managing a …

(1) The governing body of each program must submit to the department an application for a permit in order to operate. The application for a permit must be made on forms made available by the department and in a format acceptable to the department. (2) No application for licensure…

(1) On and after July 1, 2025, no governing body shall operate a program without having a valid license or provisional license issued pursuant to these rules. (2) The permit must be displayed at the program in a conspicuous place that is visible to clients and visitors. (3) Permi…

(1) The department may issue a provisional license effective for a period not to exceed ninety (90) days to each applicant who has substantially complied with all requirements for a regular license. Provisional licenses shall be renewed at the discretion of the department only in…

(1) Admission Criteria. (a) Mental Illness. In order to be admitted to a program, a client must meet the definition of a mentally ill person. Mentally ill persons applying for admission and thereafter receiving services from a program are referred to within these rules and regula…

(1) Required Approvals. (a) A program shall be in compliance with all applicable local health, sanitation, building, and zoning requirements. (b) A program shall be in compliance with all applicable laws and rules issued by the state fire marshal, the proper local fire marshal or…

(1) Medical Director. Each ARMHP must have a medical director. The medical director must be a psychiatrist who is licensed to practice in this State and who is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. The medical director is responsible for providing or …

(1) The Rules and Regulations for Criminal Background Checks located at Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. et seq. are incorporated herein by reference and such Rules and regulations are applicable to all governing body members, applicants, administrators, on-site managers, and other staff.…

(1) Self-Administration of Medications. Subject to discretion of the Medical Director, Clients who have the capacity to self-administer medications safely and independently without staff assistance or supervision must be allowed to store their own medications securely and self-ad…

(1) A program shall provide each client with meals and snacks of groups and serving sizes which meet the nutritional guidelines of the United States Department of Agriculture. Meals and snacks shall be varied daily. Modified diets based on medical or religious reasons shall be se…

Each ARMHP shall have a Disaster Preparedness Plan which meets the requirements of Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. , et seq.

(1) Admission to a program is voluntary. A client, in the absence of a court order, may voluntarily discharge from the program at any time. (2) The program must ensure that its clients enjoy the rights and responsibilities listed herein: (a) Each client must receive care, and ser…

(1) Behavior Management (a) The program shall develop and implement policies and procedures on behavior management. (b) Program staff shall be made aware of each client's known or apparent medical and psychological conditions and family history to ensure that the staff have adequ…

(1) ARMHPs must maintain all records of any individual seeking treatment at the program for the required duration applicable to the types of records set forth in applicable law and regulation. In the absence of such laws and regulations, the program must maintain such records for…

(1) The staff of the program must contact the local police department with jurisdiction over the program to report any missing client from the program within 30 minutes of the staff receiving actual knowledge that such person is missing from the program. (2) The staff of the prog…

(1) A program that fails to comply with licensing requirements contained in these rules and the Rules and Regulations for General Licensing and Enforcement Requirements, Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 111-8-25, is subject to civil and administrative actions brought by the department to …

(1) The department shall conduct periodic on-site inspection of each ARMHP. Such inspection shall include, but shall not be limited to, the premises, staff, clients, and documents pertinent to the continued licensing of such ARMHP so that the department may determine whether a pr…

(1) A program shall be deemed to be an "unlicensed ARMHP" if it does not have a valid ARMHP license and is not exempt from licensure under these Rules and: (a) The program is providing services; or (b) The program represents itself as an ARMHP. (2) Any program alleged to be opera…

The powers of the disability services ombudsman established under O.C.G.A. § 37-2-30, et seq. shall include oversight of clients at a program licensed under these Rules, with all attendant powers and functions specified by law for such ombudsman.

(1) The department may, in its discretion, grant waivers and variances of specific rules upon application or petition being filed by a program. The department may establish conditions which must be met by the program in order to operate under the waiver or variance granted. Waive…

These rules and regulations establish minimum standards for the operation of end state renal disease facilities in order to ensure the health, safety, and protection of the patients served, and establish procedures and requirements for the licensing of such facilities.

Unless another meaning is specifically indicated by context, these selected terms shall have the following definitions when used in these rules and regulations: (a) Applicant means a person, business entity, corporation, partnership or association applying for a license to operat…

(1) License Requirements. Unless specifically exempted under , no person, business entity, association, partnership, or corporation shall operate an end stage renal disease facility in Georgia without having first obtained a license from the Department. (a) A license issued by th…

(1) All applications for licenses shall be submitted on forms provided by the Department. (2) No application shall be considered by the Department unless it is complete, and is accompanied by all required attachments and fee payments. (3) The Department shall issue an annual lice…