Georgia · Checked October 22, 2026
Your license is the Private Home Care Provider License, issued by Georgia Department of Community Health, Healthcare Facility Regulation Division (HFRD).
| Item | Georgia |
|---|---|
| License / registration | Private Home Care Provider License |
| Issued by | Georgia Department of Community Health, Healthcare Facility Regulation Division (HFRD) — official page |
| Application / initial fee | $800 — CORRECTED from older DCH schedules: under DCH's current Schedule of Licensure Activity Fees, a new applicant pays a $300 application processing fee (any program) PLUS the annual licensure fee per service category — $250/year each for Companion Sitting and $250/year for Personal Care Services. A companion + personal care applicant therefore pays $300 + $250 + $250 = $800 at filing. Adding Nursing Services adds another $250/year. |
| Renewal | $500 |
| Surety bond | No state bond minimum found in the published rules |
| Liability insurance | State sets no minimum |
| Timeline | DCH/HFRD publishes no standard processing-time estimate for PHCP licenses; the license (or a provisional license) issues after application review and demonstration of compliance with Rule 111-8-65. |
| Administrator | The governing body must appoint an administrator with full authority for the operation. Under Rule 111-8-65-.09(3), an administrator must obtain a satisfactory fingerprint records check determination (under the Criminal Background Checks rules, Ch. 111-8-12), participate in the orientation and training the rules require, and must never have been shown by credible evidence to have abused, neglected or exploited any person. |
| State extras | Fingerprint-based background checks for the administrator (and background screening for staff) under Ch. 111-8-12; PCA training pathway in the rules includes a 40-hour training program option (20 hours before serving clients, 20 more within 6 months) when the aide is not otherwise credentialed. |
| Service | Under this license |
|---|---|
| Companionship & supervision | Covered |
| Homemaker help | Covered |
| Hands-on personal care | Covered |
| Live-in / 24-hour care | Not covered by this license |
| Transportation | Covered |
| Skilled nursing or therapy | Home health license + a gate (see below) |
The PHCP license covers nursing services, personal care tasks and companion/sitter tasks as licensed categories — companion/sitter staff may not perform personal care or nursing tasks unless separately qualified, and personal care tasks must be performed by a qualified Personal Care Assistant (PCA) under supervision, per Rule 111-8-65-.09/.10. A PHCP license is not a home health agency license.
Two layers: (1) a PHCP can add the Nursing Services category ($250/year) to its own license for private-pay nursing tasks; (2) a true Home Health Agency is a separate DCH license ($1,000/year per the DCH fee schedule) and Georgia home health agencies are subject to Certificate of Need review — the CON is the gate on the skilled lane.
Certificate of Need applies to the skilled Home Health Agency lane in Georgia — a new home health agency needs CON approval in addition to DCH licensure. The non-medical Private Home Care Provider license itself has no CON or need test.
First hold the PHCP license, then enroll as a Georgia Medicaid provider through GAMMIS (Georgia Medicaid Management Information System). Personal care / community supports are delivered mainly through the CCSP and SOURCE waiver programs via care management organizations and Medicaid contractors.
Georgia Medicaid EVV for personal care services runs through Netsmart (the state's EVV vendor/aggregator arrangement); EVV applies to Medicaid-billed personal care visits, not private-pay work.
The state fee above is one line of the real total. Run the true-cost calculator with Georgia selected — it adds the bond premium, insurance class, screening and the payroll runway your first hires create.
This page is information, not legal advice. Confirm before you file: the agency — not this page — decides your application.
The free checkers give you the verdict and the number. The Kit gives you the working papers: your state's application packet walked through in filing order, the policies-and-procedures binder spec (what your binder must contain — never a boilerplate binder), the administrator self-audit, the insurance & bond spec sheet, the Medicaid gate map, the franchise-vs-independent 10-year worksheets, and the payroll-runway planner.
$49 one-time payment
Included in the $49 HomeCareLicenseCheck Kit
