Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD)
Sets provider enrollment policy and approves new providers of developmental disability services.
404-657-2252Visit siteBack to provider resources
Georgia provider enrollment
How to Become a Medicaid Waiver Provider in Georgia
What Georgia requires before you can deliver home and community-based waiver services, in the order the state actually requires it. Every claim links to the official page it came from.
Last reviewed July 2026. Provider rules change often — confirm fees and deadlines against the linked sources before you rely on them.
Overview
Becoming a waiver provider in Georgia
Georgia does not take applications year-round, and that single fact should shape everything about how you plan. You submit a Letter of Intent during the applicable open enrollment period — outside a window there is nothing to submit. Approval of the LOI is what earns you an invitation to apply; the application is not something you can file on your own initiative. And there is a real penalty for getting it wrong at the end: if the Department of Community Health denies your application, you must wait a full year before reapplying. Between the enrollment windows and that one-year bar, timing and precision matter more here than in states with continuous enrollment.
Who certifies you
The agencies that decide
Georgia Collaborative ASO
Runs the New Provider Enrollment Forum and receives Letters of Intent and New Provider Applications.
Visit siteDepartment of Community Health (DCH)
Handles the Medicaid application that follows DBHDD approval. A DCH denial carries a one-year wait.
Visit siteBefore you apply
What has to be true first
Enrollment is not continuous
Letters of Intent are submitted during the applicable open enrollment period, not whenever you are ready. Check the current forum and enrollment schedule before building a timeline around anything else.
SourceYou cannot apply without an invitation
The New Provider Application becomes available to you only after your Letter of Intent is approved. The LOI is a gate, not a notification.
SourcePolicy 02-701 governs DD provider recruitment
The enrollment process is guided by DBHDD policy "Recruitment and Application to Become a Provider of Developmental Disability Services, 02-701," alongside policy 01-111 for behavioral health and 21-101 for financial requirements.
SourceEnrollment
How to enroll in Georgia
Attend the ASO's enrollment forum, submit a Letter of Intent during an open window, get invited to apply, complete the DBHDD application, then apply to DCH.
Application system: Georgia Collaborative ASO — provider enrollment
- Register for and attend the New Provider Enrollment Forum
The forum is presented by the Georgia Collaborative ASO, and attendance is a prerequisite rather than an option. Dates and registration are published on the ASO's enrollment page.
Source - Submit a Letter of Intent during the open enrollment period
Use the I/DD or BH Agency Provider LOI, or the I/DD Individual Provider LOI if you are applying as an individual. Both are on the ASO's forms page. Outside the window, there is nothing to file.
Source - Wait for the invitation to apply
Once your LOI is approved you receive an invitation to apply. Only then do you complete and submit the DBHDD New Provider Application.
Source - Host a Regional Field Office site visit if required
Site visits may be conducted by DBHDD Regional Field Offices as part of the review.
Source - Complete the DCH online application
Approved applicants move to the Department of Community Health's online application. Get this one right: a DCH denial requires a one-year waiting period before you can reapply.
Source - Attend New Provider Orientation
On DCH approval, DBHDD notifies successful applicants by email with New Provider Orientation details.
Source
Service types
What you can be approved to deliver
Developmental disability waiver services
New Options Waiver (NOW)Comprehensive Supports Waiver Program (COMP)
Agency and individual routes are separate
Georgia runs distinct Letters of Intent for agency providers and for individual I/DD providers, so decide which you are before the window opens.
SourceFinancial requirements are their own policy
DBHDD policy 21-101 covers financial requirements for providers, separately from the recruitment policy. Review it before you file, not after.
SourceTimeline & cost
What this actually takes
A DCH denial costs you a year
Denial at the Department of Community Health stage requires a one-year waiting period before reapplying. Combined with the enrollment windows, a rejected application can push you close to two years out.
SourceThe forum calendar sets your earliest start
Because the enrollment forum is a prerequisite and LOIs are only accepted in windows, your realistic timeline starts from the next published forum date rather than from today.
SourceConfirm by phone
What the state does not publish
Georgia does not publish these in a form we could verify, so we have not guessed at them. Ask directly — and if an answer here would help other providers, tell us and we will add it with its source.
- When is the next open enrollment period, and which service types is DBHDD recruiting for in it?
Ask: Georgia Collaborative ASO, via georgiacollaborative.com/providers/enrollment/
- What background screening and staff training does DBHDD require for NOW and COMP services?
Ask: DBHDD, 404-657-2252
- Is there a fee at the DBHDD or DCH stage, and how long does each review take?
Ask: DBHDD, 404-657-2252
- Which regions have unmet need for your service type? Open enrollment is often targeted rather than statewide.
Ask: Your DBHDD Regional Field Office
Key contacts
Georgia provider contacts
DBHDD Become a Provider
The department's own step-by-step, including the governing policy numbers.
404-657-2252Visit siteGeorgia Collaborative ASO — enrollment
Forum dates, registration, and the current enrollment period.
Visit siteDBHDD Developmental Disabilities Services applications
DD-specific application resources for new and existing providers.
Visit siteApplications for New & Existing Providers
Licensure information, forms, rules, and community provider manuals.
Visit siteFAQ
Georgia provider questions
Can I apply to be a Georgia DD provider today?
Only if an open enrollment period is running. Letters of Intent are accepted during the applicable window, and the application itself is available only after your LOI is approved and you are invited to apply. Outside a window there is no application to file.
What happens if I'm denied?
At the Department of Community Health stage, denial means a one-year waiting period before you may reapply. Given that LOIs are also window-gated, one denial can put you close to two years from operating — which is why the DCH application deserves more care than its position at the end of the process suggests.
Do I have to attend the enrollment forum?
Yes. Registering for and attending the New Provider Enrollment Forum presented by the Georgia Collaborative ASO is part of the process, not an optional briefing.
Is the process different for individuals than for agencies?
The entry point is. Georgia publishes a separate I/DD Individual Provider Letter of Intent alongside the I/DD or BH Agency Provider LOI, so choose the correct form for how you intend to operate.
Looking for the family-facing guide? Browse state waiver guides