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Georgia Katie Beckett · Deeming Waiver (TEFRA)

Were you told you make too much money for Medicaid? Maybe not.

Georgia's Katie Beckett pathway ignores parents' income completely. If your child has serious medical needs, it can open the door to Medicaid, and to GAPP in-home skilled nursing, even for families who've been denied before.

See if your child qualifies Try the Path Finder
What Katie Beckett is

The program most families are never told about

Your income doesn't count
Katie Beckett (also called the Deeming Waiver or TEFRA) is the one Georgia pathway that ignores parents' income and assets completely. Only the child's own income and assets are counted, which for most children is nothing.
It's the door to GAPP nursing
Katie Beckett provides Medicaid, and Medicaid is what unlocks GAPP in-home skilled nursing. For a family over the regular Medicaid income limit, this is usually the route that makes in-home care possible.
Ask for it by name
The most common mistake is applying for regular Medicaid and being denied on income. Request the Katie Beckett application specifically, it's evaluated on your child's medical needs, not your paycheck.
You don't do it alone
The application turns on physician documentation of your child's level of care. We help you understand what's needed and, once Medicaid is approved, HeartPath submits the GAPP nursing paperwork for you.
Who it's for

Built around your child's level of care

Katie Beckett is for children who need the kind of care that would otherwise be provided in a hospital or nursing facility, but who can safely be cared for at home. A physician documents that need. Children who often qualify include those who rely on:

  • A tracheostomy, ventilator, or other breathing support
  • A feeding tube (G-tube or J-tube)
  • Frequent skilled nursing, suctioning, medications, monitoring
  • Management of seizures or other complex, ongoing conditions
  • Significant help with mobility, positioning, and daily care needs

Checklists are blunt, and physicians see things a form can't. If your child's needs are greater than a list captures, the door may still be open, the honest next step is a conversation with your child's doctor, or with us.

How to apply

Four steps, and we're with you for them

  1. 1
    Request the application by name
    Contact Georgia's Katie Beckett team ((678) 248-7449) or the DCH portal and ask for the Katie Beckett / Deeming Waiver application specifically.
  2. 2
    Gather physician documentation
    A detailed letter from your child's physician addressing each medical-necessity criterion, a specialist letter carries weight, plus the DMA-6(A), level-of-care statement, and cost-effectiveness form your doctor completes.
  3. 3
    Submit and follow up
    Send the packet to the Katie Beckett team and track it. We can walk you through what each form is asking for.
  4. 4
    Once approved, we take it from there
    With Medicaid active, HeartPath submits the GAPP nursing paperwork and coordinates skilled care in your home.
Georgia Katie Beckett team

You can request the application directly from Georgia's Katie Beckett team. Ask for it by name.

(678) 248-7449
What to know going in

The honest trade-offs

Medicaid, but no cash
Katie Beckett provides Medicaid coverage only, it does not include a monthly cash benefit the way SSI does.
It's a pediatric pathway
Coverage ends in the late teens (around 18–19). It's worth starting transition planning by age 17.
Documentation decides it
Approval rests on a detailed physician letter addressing each criterion. A subspecialist's letter helps a lot.
Questions parents ask

Katie Beckett, answered

Katie Beckett is based on the child's level of medical need, not a specific diagnosis. A child generally qualifies if they need an institutional level of care (the kind of care a hospital or nursing facility provides) that can instead be delivered safely at home. Children who are technology-dependent (tracheostomy, ventilator, feeding tube, oxygen) or who need daily skilled nursing most often meet this standard. A physician's documentation is what actually decides.

Katie Beckett is a pathway to Georgia Medicaid, so it provides full Medicaid coverage for the child. That includes doctor visits, hospital care, medications, therapies, and equipment, and it opens the door to GAPP in-home skilled nursing for medically fragile children. Katie Beckett provides Medicaid only; it does not include the cash payment that SSI does.

This is the part most families don't know: there is no parental income limit. Katie Beckett ignores the parents' income entirely. It looks only at the child's own income and assets (most children have little or none, with a $2,000 asset limit on the child) and the child's medical needs. That's why even higher-earning families can qualify their medically fragile child.

The application involves several forms plus a detailed physician letter documenting that your child needs an institutional level of care. Getting a complete, well-documented package together is the single biggest factor in a faster decision. A provider like HeartPath can walk you through each form and help you assemble it so nothing stalls on missing paperwork.

Timelines vary based on how quickly the medical documentation comes together and the state's review. Getting a detailed physician letter and the required forms completed up front is the biggest factor in a faster decision. A provider can help you assemble a complete package so it isn't delayed by missing paperwork.

Regular children's Medicaid counts the parents' income. Katie Beckett (also called TEFRA or the Deeming Waiver) ignores parents' income entirely and looks only at the child's own income, assets, and medical needs. That's why families who were told they earn too much for Medicaid can still qualify their medically fragile child through Katie Beckett.

Yes. GAPP in-home nursing runs on Medicaid, and Katie Beckett is one of the most common ways a medically fragile child gets onto Medicaid regardless of family income. Once Medicaid is in place, a GAPP provider like HeartPath can pursue in-home skilled nursing.

Let's Find Out If Your Child Qualifies.

It takes about a minute, and a caring member of our team will guide you from there.

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