The Independent Care Waiver Program (ICWP) is a Georgia Medicaid waiver program that helps eligible adults with severe physical disabilities or traumatic brain injury receive support services in their own homes or community settings instead of an institution, such as a hospital or nursing facility. Georgia Medicaid states that ICWP serves adults ages 21 to 64 with severe physical disabilities or TBI that substantially limit one or more activities of daily living and require assistance from another person.
At URE Home Care, we support ICWP members by helping them receive safe, reliable, and person-centered care in the comfort of their home.
Services Available Through ICWP
Services are based on the member’s approved needs and plan of care. ICWP services may include:
- Personal support services
- Skilled nursing services
- Homemaker services
- Companion services
- Respite care
- Case management
- Counseling services
- Emergency response services
- Environmental accessibility adaptations or home modifications
- Specialized medical equipment and supplies
- Occupational therapy
- Other approved home and community-based supports
Georgia Medicaid describes waiver programs as services that help eligible members live in their home or community instead of an institution.
ICWP Eligibility Guidelines
To qualify for ICWP, an individual generally must:
- Be a Georgia Medicaid member
- Be between 21 and 64 years old when applying
- Have a severe physical disability and/or traumatic brain injury
- Have a condition that substantially limits one or more activities of daily living
- Require assistance from another person
- Meet a nursing facility or hospital level of care
- Be medically stable but at risk of placement in a hospital or nursing facility without community-based support
- Live in their own home or community setting
- Be capable of directing their own services, unless the individual has a traumatic brain injury, in which case this requirement may not apply
- Not have a primary diagnosis of mental illness or intellectual/developmental disability as the basis for ICWP eligibility
Georgia Medicaid confirms that ICWP eligibility is based on either nursing facility or hospital level of care for adults with severe physical disabilities or traumatic brain injury.
Diagnoses and Conditions That May Qualify for ICWP
ICWP may support adults with severe physical disabilities or traumatic brain injury that limit daily functioning and require assistance from another person. Qualifying conditions may include, but are not limited to:
- Traumatic brain injury, TBI
- Spinal cord injury
- Cerebral palsy with severe physical limitations
- Multiple sclerosis
- Muscular dystrophy
- Paralysis, including paraplegia or quadriplegia
- Stroke-related physical impairment
- Severe neurological conditions that affect mobility or daily functioning
- Amputation with significant functional limitation
- Other severe physical impairments that require hands-on assistance with activities of daily living
A diagnosis alone does not automatically qualify someone for ICWP. The individual must also meet Medicaid eligibility, functional need requirements, level-of-care criteria, and all program rules. ICWP is not intended for individuals whose primary diagnosis is mental illness or intellectual disability.
How URE Home Care Can Help
URE Home Care helps eligible members and families understand their care needs, coordinate approved services, and receive dependable in-home support. Our goal is to help each member remain safe, supported, and as independent as possible in their home and community.