Council warns thousands await disability waivers as House adds funds but gaps remain

Rena Harris, chief program officer of the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities, told the Senate Health and Human Development subcommittee that Georgia faces a sizable shortfall in community waivers that let people with intellectual and developmental disabilities live outside institutions.

"In reality, everybody on the list needs a waiver once they turn 22," Harris said, detailing program data and urging more support for the NOW and COMP waivers. She told the committee that DBHDD currently lists roughly 7,900 individuals on the NOW/COMP waiver and that the state is on track to enroll about 1,000 new people this year. Harris said the House increased the governor's recommendation from 100 to 200 new waivers but that data show a larger, urgent need: about 1,678 Georgians are in the most urgent category and over 4,600 people older than 22 are waiting for services.

The council urged the committee to fund additional DBHDD administrative staff to manage expansion. "DBHDD will need 26 new staff positions to administer the urgently needed waivers," Harris said, noting the House added $513,558 for administration and the council is requesting an additional $2,033,554 to close the gap.

Why it matters: Waivers permit home- and community-based supports that many families say are essential after a child ages out of school. Committee members pressed for follow-up documentation and data that Harris offered to provide, and made clear they expect more detailed fiscal and operational follow-up from DBHDD.

Committee reaction and next steps: Committee chair (Watson) asked the council to share underlying data and follow up with staff. The hearing did not produce a vote; members signaled they want further information and may consider additional budget adjustments or follow-up oversight requests in coming weeks.

Sources and attributions: Quotes and figures in this article come from Rena Harris's testimony to the subcommittee and the DBHDD figures she cited during the presentation.