Periodic inspection · Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 111-8-65-.08
Georgia private home care inspection: the 10-day clock, and the exemption most agencies miss
Georgia licenses Private Home Care Providers through the Department of Community Health and inspects them periodically under Rule 111-8-65-.08. A cited violation requires a written plan of correction within ten days of receiving the inspection report. Uniquely among the states we cover, the department may exempt an accredited provider from those periodic inspections entirely.
Researched and written by Larry Osakwe · Last verified July 25, 2026
Checked against the published rules of the Georgia Department of Community Health, Healthcare Facility Regulation Division (HFRD), and 7 primary sources linked below. Not a lawyer, not a compliance consultant, and not affiliated with any state agency.
Informational summary of Georgia regulations, not legal advice. We are not affiliated with any state agency. Verify current requirements with the Georgia Department of Community Health, Healthcare Facility Regulation Division (HFRD).
What does Georgia check in a private home care inspection?
Chapter 111-8-65 spreads the written-policy requirements across three rules: .09 for administration and records, .10 for services and quality improvement, and .11 for service plans. Each row below is one cluster an inspector works through, with the documents to have ready and the rule that requires them.
| What the surveyor verifies | What to have ready | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Scope-of-services and service-agreement policies |
| Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 111-8-65-.09(1), .09(2)(a), .10(3) |
| Administrator authority and qualifications |
| Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 111-8-65-.09(3) |
| A complete, separate file for every client |
| Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 111-8-65-.09(4) |
| Supervisory visits at the correct interval for each service type |
| Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 111-8-65-.10(2) |
| Quality improvement documentation, not just a stated intention |
| Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 111-8-65-.10(4) |
Every policy the surveyor checks, written out to Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Chapter 111-8-65 (O.C.G.A. §31-7-300 et seq.) with the citation beside it:
How often does Georgia inspect a private home care provider?
Rule 111-8-65-.08 states that providers shall be inspected by the department periodically. The rule does not publish a fixed interval, and it does not state whether inspections are announced or unannounced, so neither should be assumed. What is published is the consequence: an inspection producing violations starts a ten-day plan-of-correction clock.
- Because no interval is published, there is no schedule to prepare against, which makes standing readiness the only workable posture.
- Georgia is more specific about what happens after an inspection than about when one occurs, so the plan-of-correction rules below are the part worth knowing in advance.
Can accreditation exempt a Georgia provider from inspection?
Yes, and Georgia is the only state in this set where that is true. Under Rule 111-8-65-.08, the department may exempt a provider from periodic inspections if the provider is certified or accredited by a certification or accreditation entity recognized and approved by the department. A provider seeking the exemption submits its certification or accreditation documentation.
- The exemption is discretionary, not automatic: the rule says the department may exempt, so accreditation creates eligibility rather than a right.
- The exemption covers periodic inspections. It is not a shield against a complaint-driven review, and the underlying Chapter 111-8-65 requirements continue to apply either way.
- This changes the arithmetic on accreditation for a Georgia agency, because the cost buys both market credibility and a possible reduction in state inspection exposure.
What happens if a Georgia inspection finds violations?
You have ten days. Rule 111-8-65-.08 requires the provider to submit a written plan of correction in response to the inspection report, stating what the provider will do and when, for each violation identified, within ten days of receiving the written report of licensure inspection.
- The rule requires both halves for every violation: the action and the date. A plan that describes intent without committing to timing is incomplete on its face.
- You may dispute findings. The rule permits explanations or disputes of the findings, but only provided an acceptable plan of correction accompanies the response, so disagreement does not pause the ten-day obligation.
- Contrast Maryland, where the equivalent deadline is 10 calendar days from receipt with an informal dispute resolution conference offered; Georgia folds the dispute into the plan itself rather than into a separate conference.
Do companion and sitter services fall under these rules?
Yes, and that is where Georgia trips up agencies that assume non-medical work is unregulated. Chapter 111-8-65 covers private home care providers offering companion or sitter tasks, and the chapter sets a distinct supervisory-visit interval for them: at least every 122 days, against at least every 92 days for clients receiving personal care tasks.
- Two different clocks in one agency is an easy compliance failure: a client whose services change category changes the interval that applies to them.
- The supervisory visit is not merely performed, it is documented. Supervisory visit findings are a named item in the client file under .09(4)(a).
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Georgia survey FAQ
How long do I have to submit a plan of correction in Georgia?
Ten days from receipt of the written report of licensure inspection. Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 111-8-65-.08 requires a written plan of correction stating what the provider will do, and when, to correct each violation identified in the report.
Can an accredited home care provider avoid Georgia state inspections?
Possibly. Rule 111-8-65-.08 lets the department exempt a provider from periodic inspections if it is certified or accredited by an entity the department recognizes and approves, on submission of the accreditation documentation. The exemption is discretionary and does not displace the chapter's underlying requirements.
Are Georgia private home care inspections announced or unannounced?
The rule does not say. Rule 111-8-65-.08 provides only that providers shall be inspected periodically, without specifying notice or a fixed interval, so an agency should not plan on advance warning in either direction.
How often are supervisory visits required in Georgia?
It depends on the service. At least every 92 days for clients receiving personal care tasks (Rule 111-8-65-.10(2)(b)(2)), and at least every 122 days for clients receiving companion or sitter tasks (.10(2)(c)(2)). Findings from each visit belong in the client file under .09(4)(a).
Does Georgia require a written policy and procedure manual?
Georgia requires written policies and procedures across several rules rather than one named manual: scope of services and client types (.09(1)), service agreements (.09(2)(a)), maintenance and security of client records (.09(4)(b)), and documenting the services actually performed each day (.10(3)). In practice an inspector reads these back to you as one document set.
Who must Georgia's governing body appoint?
An administrator with full authority and responsibility for the operation of the private home care provider (Rule 111-8-65-.09(3)). The administrator must have no credible evidence of abuse, neglect, assault, or exploitation, must have participated in required orientation and training, and must not have made material false statements about their qualifications (.09(3)(a)).
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Home care license requirements by state →Sources
- dch.georgia.gov/divisionsoffices/hfrd/facilities-provider-information/private-home-care-program
- rules.sos.ga.gov/gac/111-8-65
- dch.georgia.gov/office-inspector-general/georgia-criminal-history-check-system-gchexs
- www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/georgia/department-111/chapter-111-8/subject-111-8-65
- www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/georgia/Ga-Comp-R-Regs-R-111-8-65-.08
- www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/georgia/Ga-Comp-R-Regs-R-111-8-65-.09
- www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/georgia/Ga-Comp-R-Regs-R-111-8-65-.10
Last verified: July 25, 2026. Informational summary, not legal advice; not affiliated with any state agency. We do not guarantee survey results. Regulations change, so confirm current requirements with the Georgia Department of Community Health, Healthcare Facility Regulation Division (HFRD) before relying on them.
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