Autism Services for Adults in Georgia: A Complete Guide

Medical Disclaimer: This guide is for educational purposes only and does not substitute for professional advice from your state Medicaid office, vocational rehabilitation counselor, or disability rights attorney.

The transition to adult services in Georgia — sometimes called the "services cliff" — hits around age 22 when school-based supports end. Suddenly the speech therapy, OT, structured day, and social skills training that flowed through the IEP require separate applications to separate state agencies, often with multi-year waitlists. This guide walks you through adult autism services in Georgia — the NOW and COMP waivers administered by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD), Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA), day programs, supported living, SSI/SSDI, and how to begin transition planning before your young adult ages out.

The timeline: start transition planning by age 14

Federal IDEA law requires transition planning to begin at age 16, and Georgia districts commonly begin earlier — by age 14. Ask your school's IEP team to:

• Conduct transition assessments (vocational, functional, adaptive)
• Write measurable post-secondary goals into the IEP
• Invite Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA) counselors starting at age 16 (GVRA's "Project SEARCH" and Pre-ETS programs support in-school transition)
• Apply to the DBHDD Planning List at least 2 years before exit — the NOW and COMP waivers have multi-year waits

Your district can invite GVRA and DBHDD representatives to the IEP meeting.

Step 1: Apply for DBHDD Planning List enrollment

Georgia's adult IDD services are administered by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD), through six Regional Offices covering the state. Access to the NOW and COMP waivers requires placement on Georgia's Planning List — the statewide registry used for selection.

• Contact your DBHDD Regional Office to begin intake for developmental disability determination
• Autism with documented functional limitations can qualify for DBHDD eligibility
• Placement on the Planning List is the gateway to NOW and COMP waiver selection
• Georgia's waitlist is long (often 3–7+ years); apply as early as possible

Without Planning List enrollment, you cannot access NOW or COMP waiver services as an adult.

Step 2: Georgia Adult IDD Waivers

New Options Waiver (NOW)

Georgia's HCBS waiver for individuals with IDD who need moderate levels of support. It funds:

• Community Access (Group and Individual) — day services with community integration
• Supported employment — individual job placement with coaching
• Respite — for families providing primary support
• Behavioral supports — positive behavior support, BCBA oversight
• Natural Support Enhancement — strengthening family and community supports
• Transportation and adaptive equipment
• Community Living Support — in-home personal assistance

NOW is designed for adults who live with family or in less-intensive community settings.

Comprehensive Supports Waiver (COMP)

Georgia's HCBS waiver for individuals with IDD needing more intensive supports, typically including 24/7 residential placement. It funds everything NOW covers, plus:

• Community Residential Alternatives (CRA) — group homes and small residential settings with staff coverage
• Host Home arrangements — adult lives with a contracted host family
• More intensive behavioral and nursing supports
• Higher-intensity day services

Both waivers are selected from the same Planning List, with COMP typically reserved for individuals with higher-need profiles.

Step 3: Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA)

GVRA is Georgia's vocational rehabilitation agency. Services include:

• Vocational counseling — career assessment, job matching, skills identification
• Job training — trade skills, on-the-job training, credentials
• Supported employment — job coach during ramp-up
• Assistive technology — communication devices, software, adaptive equipment
• Transition services — Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS), Project SEARCH, and other programs for ages 14–21
• Roosevelt Warm Springs — GVRA's residential vocational training campus
• Secondary education support — help with the University System of Georgia, Technical College System of Georgia, and trade schools

GVRA runs separately from DBHDD — you can use GVRA alongside NOW or COMP waiver services. Apply through your nearest GVRA office and develop an Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE).

GVRA is a federal-state funded program and may apply an "order of selection" waitlist in lean years. Apply early.

Step 4: Day Programs & Supported Employment in Georgia

Common adult day service models funded through NOW and COMP:

• Community Access — Group (CAG) — structured group day services emphasizing community integration and life skills
• Community Access — Individual (CAI) — one-on-one community-based day services
• Individual Supported Employment — competitive integrated employment with job coaching
• Group Supported Employment — small crews working in community settings
• Prevocational services (transitioning out as Georgia aligns with Employment First)

Major provider networks in Georgia:

• The Arc Georgia chapters (including Arc of the Three Rivers, Arc of Chattooga, etc.)
• Easterseals Southern Georgia and Easterseals North Georgia
• Creative Community Services
• Briggs & Associates (Metro Atlanta supported employment)
• Nobis Works (Atlanta area)
• Annandale Village (Suwanee-area residential and day)
• Service Providers Association for Developmental Disabilities (SPADD) — statewide provider network

Your DBHDD Support Coordinator helps match providers to your family member's waiver allocation, needs, and geographic area.

Step 5: Housing Options for Adults with Autism in Georgia

Georgia funds several supported housing models through the COMP Waiver (and to a lesser extent NOW):

• Community Residential Alternatives (CRA) — small-group homes with staff coverage
• Host Home arrangements — adult lives with a contracted host family
• Supported Living — individual or shared apartments with drop-in staff
• Family Model residential care — waiver-funded supports for adult to live with family
• ICF/IID — Intermediate Care Facility for highest-level medical and behavioral oversight

Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers through the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) and local housing authorities, plus Section 811 supportive housing, can stack with waiver-funded supports.

Step 6: SSI and SSDI for Autistic Adults

SSI (Supplemental Security Income)

For adults who cannot work enough to support themselves. In Georgia, SSI approval generally triggers automatic Medicaid enrollment.

• Apply through SSA.gov or your nearest Social Security office
• Expect a 6–12 month application process; most initial applications are denied
• Appeal within 60 days if denied
• Approval often requires a functional capacity evaluation and medical documentation

SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance)

For adults with a qualifying work history or as a "disabled adult child" drawing on a parent's work record. More generous than SSI and includes Medicare after 24 months.

The Disabled Adult Child (DAC) benefit is especially important — if your child became disabled before age 22 and a parent is now retired, deceased, or disabled, your adult child may qualify for SSDI on the parent's record at significantly higher rates than SSI. Georgia's Medicaid Buy-In for Working People with Disabilities also lets working adults retain Medicaid at higher earnings.

Step 7: Georgia-Specific Advocacy & Resources

• Georgia Advocacy Office (GAO) — federally designated protection & advocacy agency, free legal advocacy
• The Arc Georgia — statewide family advocacy, peer mentoring, self-advocacy
• Autism Society of Georgia — statewide resource referrals and family support
• Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) — statewide policy body
• Matthew Reardon Center for Autism (Savannah) and other regional autism-focused organizations
• Institute on Human Development and Disability (UGA UCEDD) — University of Georgia's Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
• Parent to Parent of Georgia — family-led peer support and training
• Georgia 2-1-1 — community resource navigation hotline

Common pitfalls to avoid

1. Waiting to apply to the Planning List. The NOW/COMP waitlist is multi-year. Apply through DBHDD as soon as possible.
2. Assuming school services transfer. They don't. Adult services require new applications through DBHDD and GVRA.
3. Forgetting to reapply for Medicaid at 18. Household composition changes at adulthood.
4. Signing away guardianship reflexively. Consider supported decision-making first. Georgia law recognizes several less-restrictive alternatives.
5. Overlooking GVRA. Many families focus only on DBHDD and miss the vocational path — both can run simultaneously.
6. Not planning for the Disabled Adult Child (DAC) benefit. Often the single largest financial lever for autistic adults.

Where to start today

1. Contact your DBHDD Regional Office to begin developmental disability determination and Planning List enrollment
2. Apply to GVRA if your adult child is not yet working or in vocational training
3. Apply for SSI if appropriate — the process takes months
4. Schedule an IEP transition meeting for your 14+ year old if not already done
5. Connect with Parent to Parent of Georgia, The Arc Georgia, or Autism Society of Georgia for a family mentor

Find Georgia adult services in the Autism Hearts directory →

View the Georgia diagnosis guide if you haven't already →