Georgia Pediatric Program (GAPP)

An independent family guide from Heart and Soul Healthcare, a GAPP nursing agency. Not a government website.

Can I Get Paid to Care for My Child in Georgia?

Sometimes, yes. The Georgia Pediatric Program (GAPP) has a Family Caregiver Option that pays a parent for some of the hands-on care a medically fragile child needs. It has firm limits, and many families who search for it turn out not to fit. This page explains how it works, so you know where you stand before you apply.

Start a ReferralCall (470) 635-5774

The Short Answer

Who can be paid
A parent or legal guardian who lives with the child. Not foster parents.
For what
Personal care only, such as bathing, dressing, and feeding. Never nursing or behavioral care.
Which children
Children under 21 with Georgia Medicaid who need skilled nursing. Agency nurses are always part of the plan.
Who pays you
A GAPP agency that hires you as an employee, for the hours the state approves.

What a Parent Can and Cannot Be Paid For

Can Be Paid: Personal Care

  • Bathing and personal hygiene
  • Dressing
  • Feeding and preparing meals
  • Help with mobility, walking, and transfers
  • Light housekeeping around your child's space

Only the tasks and hours in your child's approved plan of care.

Cannot Be Paid

  • Skilled nursing, such as trach care, suctioning, ventilator care, tube feedings, or medications
  • Behavioral support or supervision for autism or behavior
  • Care that is typical for your child's age, such as diapering a toddler
  • General parenting, childcare, or time away from work

A Nurse Is Always Part of the Plan

This is the part most families miss. Since October 2026, every child in GAPP must need medically necessary skilled nursing, and agency nurses provide it in your home. Paid family care comes alongside that nursing, never instead of it. If your child does not need a nurse, or your family does not want nurses in the home, GAPP is not the right program.

Learn what GAPP nurses do.

What It Takes to Be Hired

An agency hires you as an employee

GAPP does not pay families directly. A Medicaid-approved GAPP agency hires you, the same way it hires any aide, and pays you for the approved hours you work.

Background check and fingerprints

Every family caregiver goes through a fingerprint background check, and the agency reports you to the state by name.

CPR and training

You keep a valid CPR card, and the agency trains you on your child's plan of care and checks your skills.

A nurse supervises your care

A nurse visits at least every two weeks to supervise the personal care you provide.

How Your Hours Are Decided

A nurse assesses what your child needs help with, and state reviewers decide how many personal care hours to approve, along with your child's nursing hours. The family and the agency do not set the number. Hours are reviewed every three to six months and can go up or down as your child's needs change.

When This Is Not the Right Fit

We would rather tell you now than after you have waited on a referral. The Family Caregiver Option usually does not work when:

Autism or behavior is the main need

GAPP does not pay families for behavioral care, and its manual sends children with autism to Georgia Medicaid's Autism Spectrum Disorder program instead. If your child also has a medical condition that needs a nurse, GAPP may still fit for that care.

Your child is very young and the care is typical for the age

The state's scoring does not count needs every child that age has. Diapers do not count until after age 3, and not walking does not count until after 18 months. For many babies and toddlers, that leaves no hours a parent can be paid for.

There is no skilled nursing need, or you do not want a nurse

Since October 2026, every child in GAPP must need skilled nursing, and nurses come into the home. Paid personal care is only available alongside that nursing.

You are a foster parent

Foster parents cannot be paid through the Family Caregiver Option.

For autism services, start with Georgia Medicaid's Autism Spectrum Disorder program.

How We Help

This guide is run by Heart and Soul Healthcare, a Medicaid-approved GAPP nursing agency that works with other GAPP agencies across Georgia.

  1. Send a referral

    The form below asks a few questions about your child's needs, so you know right away whether your situation fits.

  2. We review your child's needs

    We look at the nursing and personal care your child needs and what your child's physician has ordered.

  3. We help you get hired

    We connect your family with a Medicaid-approved GAPP agency that hires family caregivers and can staff your child's nursing.

  4. The agency requests the hours

    The agency submits the GAPP paperwork, and the state decides how many nursing and personal care hours to approve.

Paid Caregiver Questions

Can I get paid to care for my child in Georgia?

Sometimes. Through GAPP's Family Caregiver Option, a parent or legal guardian who lives with a medically fragile child under 21 can be hired by a GAPP agency and paid for approved personal care, such as bathing, dressing, and feeding. The child must have Georgia Medicaid and must also need skilled nursing, which agency nurses provide.

Can I get paid to take care of my autistic child?

Not through GAPP for autism-related care. The Family Caregiver Option does not cover behavioral support, and the GAPP manual directs children with autism to Georgia Medicaid's Autism Spectrum Disorder program. If your child also has a medical condition that needs skilled nursing, GAPP may cover that care.

How much does a family caregiver get paid?

Pay is set by the agency that hires you, so it varies. The number of hours is set by the state based on your child's needs, not by the family or the agency.

Can I be paid to be my child's nurse?

No. The Family Caregiver Option is for personal care only and is never available for skilled nursing, even if the parent is a licensed nurse. Nursing comes from the agency's nurses.

Can a grandparent or other relative be paid?

Only a legally responsible adult who lives with the child can be paid, such as a parent or legal guardian. A grandparent who is the child's legal guardian and lives in the home may qualify; other relatives do not.

Do I need to be a CNA or have a certificate?

The GAPP manual does not list a certificate for family caregivers. You need a fingerprint background check and a valid CPR card, and the agency trains you on your child's care. Some agencies add their own hiring requirements.

Who runs this website?

This site is an independent family guide operated by Heart and Soul Healthcare, a Medicaid-enrolled GAPP nursing agency. It is not a government website. For official program questions, contact the Georgia Department of Community Health at GAPP.Inquiries@dch.ga.gov.

Get Started Today

To find out if your child qualifies for GAPP, please fill out the form below:

A 12-digit Medicaid ID is required. If you do not have it handy, check the box to provide it later.

Child's Physician (Optional)

The doctor who will sign your child's plan of treatment, if you know it.

What has your child been diagnosed with?

Check everything that applies. If you are not sure of the exact name, use “Other” and describe it in your own words.

Developmental and behavioral
Seizures and neurological
Genetic and chromosomal
Heart, lung and airway
Other medical

Please check at least one condition, or describe it under “Other”.

Which of these does your child need at home?

Check everything that applies, or the option that says none. This tells us what kind of care your child needs day to day.

Does your child have behaviors that put them or others at risk, or that stop daily activities?

For example, aggression, self-injury, or running away.

What services does your child already receive?

Optional, but it helps us understand what is already in place.

In your own words, what does your child mainly need help with at home?

Are you applying to be your child's paid caregiver?

Your child's GAPP care (nursing or personal care) is the same whether or not a parent is paid to provide it. Being a paid family caregiver is a separate, limited option: it covers personal care only, your child must medically qualify for GAPP, and it is not available for autism, behavioral, or developmental needs. If you choose No, a nurse or aide from our agency, not you, provides your child's care.

Every child in GAPP must have a skilled nurse. Will you accept a nurse or aide from our agency in your home?

Georgia Medicaid requires every child in GAPP to have medically necessary skilled nursing, and GAPP care is provided in your home by a nurse or aide who works for an agency like ours. This applies even when a parent is the paid caregiver: a parent can be paid only for hands-on personal care, and a nurse must still be involved. Answering No ends the referral.

One thing to know before you apply

If your child is currently enrolled in a Medicaid care management organization (CMO), applying for GAPP will remove them from it, and some services their CMO covers may not be available through GAPP.

Sending this form does not apply for GAPP or change your child's Medicaid coverage. It starts a conversation with us. We will go over what your child would gain and lose before anything is filed.