Georgia · Made to order · Founding price
Georgia home care policies & procedures, built to Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Chapter 111-8-65 (O.C.G.A. §31-7-300 et seq.)
Georgia requires a written policy and procedure manual to license a non-medical home care agency. We build yours to Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Chapter 111-8-65 (O.C.G.A. §31-7-300 et seq.), delivered in 3 business days, fully refundable.
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How home care licensing works in Georgia
In Georgia, a non-medical (private-pay personal-care) agency is licensed as a Private Home Care Provider by the Department of Community Health, Healthcare Facility Regulation Division, under Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Chapter 111-8-65 (O.C.G.A. §31-7-300 et seq.). One license covers three service categories, nursing, personal care, and companion or sitter, and a purely companion or sitter business is NOT exempt: it needs the license too. Chapter 111-8-65 requires a governing body that determines all of the provider’s written policies and procedures (§111-8-65-.04) and enumerates the specific policies the rule expects, from scope of services and service agreements through personnel training, supervision, quality improvement, and client rights. The state supplies no manual; your written P&P set is what HFRD inspects.
Your written policy & procedure manual sits inside a larger licensing process. Here is the path the Georgia Department of Community Health, Healthcare Facility Regulation Division (HFRD) expects, and where your manual fits.
- 1Form the legal entity and appoint a governing body; the governing body is expressly responsible for determining all of the provider’s policies and procedures and for compliance with the rules (§111-8-65-.04), and it appoints an administrator with full authority and responsibility for operations (§111-8-65-.09(3)).
- 2Decide which of the three service categories you will offer, nursing services, personal care tasks, or companion/sitter tasks; one Private Home Care Provider license covers them, but the staffing and supervision rules differ by category (§111-8-65-.10(1)).
- 3Complete the fingerprint-based criminal records checks: Georgia’s long-term-care background-check law (O.C.G.A. §31-7-350 et seq.) runs owners, applicants, and employees with direct access through a GBI/FBI check via the Georgia Criminal History Check System (GCHEXS), with the determination posted to the Caregiver Registry.
- 4Develop the full written policy and procedure set Chapter 111-8-65 requires: scope of services (§.09(1)), service agreements (§.09(2)), recordkeeping and retention (§.09(4)), personnel qualifications and training (§.09(5)-(6)), daily service documentation (§.10(3)), the quality improvement program (§.10(4)), supervision (§.10(2)), service plans (§.11), and client rights and complaints (§.12).
- 5Apply to HFRD on the department’s forms with the application fee, the license fee set by the Board of Community Health, and a records-check application for the owner, describing the services offered and the geographic area served (§111-8-65-.06); a separately licensed application and fee are required for each location (§111-8-65-.05).
- 6Cooperate with HFRD inspection: the provider is inspected periodically (§111-8-65-.08), and if the inspection report cites violations, the provider must submit an acceptable written plan of correction within 10 days of receiving the report.
The policies Georgia requires in your manual
These are the specific written policies the Georgia Department of Community Health, Healthcare Facility Regulation Division (HFRD) reviews, each tied to the rule that requires it. Your manual is organized to cover every one in Georgia-specific language, not a generic national template.
Governing body that determines all of the provider’s policies and procedures and ensures compliance, and appoints an administrator with full authority and responsibility for operations
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. §111-8-65-.04; §111-8-65-.09(3)
Scope-of-services policy: written policies defining the private home care services offered and the types of clients served
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. §111-8-65-.09(1)
Service agreements: a written agreement with each client (or responsible party) by the second visit or within 7 calendar days, covering the services, frequency and duration, charges and billing, client rights, the provider’s and the state licensing authority’s contact information, and any authorization to access funds or a vehicle
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. §111-8-65-.09(2)
Recordkeeping: separate client records, personnel records, and complaint/incident files, all retained at least 5 years, with confidentiality limits on disclosure
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. §111-8-65-.09(4)
Personnel qualifications: Georgia-licensed nurses for nursing services; a qualified PCA (nurse-aide training, a recognized competency exam, an approved credentialing program, or a 40-hour PCA training program conducted under RN direction, 20 hours before serving clients and 20 more within 6 months) with demonstrated competency before assignment; and trained companions/sitters
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. §111-8-65-.09(5)
Staff orientation and training: orientation covering policies, client rights and complaints, duties, reporting and medical emergencies, and TB/hepatitis exposure reporting, plus a minimum of 8 clock hours of training annually
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. §111-8-65-.09(6)
Tuberculosis screening documented on employment and annually thereafter, kept in the personnel record
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. §111-8-65-.09(4)
Fingerprint-based criminal records checks for owners, applicants, and employees with direct access, run through GCHEXS with results posted to the Caregiver Registry
O.C.G.A. §31-7-350 et seq. (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. §111-8-65-.06 records check)
Daily service documentation: written policies for documenting the services actually performed for each client each day
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. §111-8-65-.10(3)
Supervision: an RN supervises nursing services and personal care for medically frail or compromised clients, with supervisory home visits at least every 92 days for personal care and at least every 122 days for companion/sitter services
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. §111-8-65-.10(2)
Service plans completed by the service supervisor within 7 working days of starting service, reviewed at least every 62 days for nursing plans and at each supervisory visit otherwise
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. §111-8-65-.11
Quality improvement program that monitors program performance and client outcomes and documents the receipt and resolution of client complaints and any corrective actions
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. §111-8-65-.10(4)
Client rights provided in writing (participation in the plan of service, notice of changes, accepting or refusing services, charges, the supervisor’s contact information, confidentiality, respect for property, and a copy of the most recent licensure inspection report on request) with a complaint procedure and written notice of the department’s address, phone, and licensing/complaint role
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. §111-8-65-.12
Informational summary of what Georgia regulations require, not legal advice. Citations are provided so you can verify each against the source; confirm current requirements with the Georgia Department of Community Health, Healthcare Facility Regulation Division (HFRD).
See what you actually get
A finished, formatted manual organized to the rule, not a checklist or a generic template. A page from your Georgia manual:
Contents: required policies
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. §111-8-65-.04; §111-8-65-.09(3) Governing body that determines all of the provider’s policies and procedures and ensures compliance, and appoints an administrator with full authority and responsibility for operations
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. §111-8-65-.09(1) Scope-of-services policy: written policies defining the private home care services offered and the types of clients served
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. §111-8-65-.09(2) Service agreements: a written agreement with each client (or responsible party) by the second visit or within 7 calendar days, covering the services, frequency and duration, charges and billing, client rights, the provider’s and the state licensing authority’s contact information, and any authorization to access funds or a vehicle
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. §111-8-65-.09(4) Recordkeeping: separate client records, personnel records, and complaint/incident files, all retained at least 5 years, with confidentiality limits on disclosure
Key Georgia facts to know before you apply
Companion or sitter-only agencies are NOT exempt
Unlike Pennsylvania and Maryland, Georgia licenses companion and sitter services as one of the three Private Home Care Provider categories (§111-8-65-.10(1)(c)), and the exemptions in §111-8-65-.07 (individuals providing care directly, licensed home health agencies, personal care home staff, and a few others) do not cover a companion/sitter business. A pure companion agency still needs the license.
One license, three service categories
A single Private Home Care Provider license covers nursing services, personal care tasks, and companion/sitter tasks (§111-8-65-.10(1)), but staffing and supervision differ by category, and each separately maintained location must be separately licensed (§111-8-65-.05).
Fingerprint background checks through GCHEXS
Georgia’s long-term-care background-check law (O.C.G.A. §31-7-350 et seq.) requires fingerprint-based GBI/FBI checks for owners, applicants, and employees with direct access, submitted through the Georgia Criminal History Check System (GCHEXS), with the determination posted to the Caregiver Registry, typically within about 10 to 15 business days.
The 92-day and 122-day supervisory-visit clocks
For personal care to medically frail or compromised clients, an RN or LPN supervises with a supervisory home visit at least every 92 days; for companion/sitter services a qualified supervisor visits at least every 122 days or upon a complaint (§111-8-65-.10(2)). These are concrete, citable Georgia intervals your policies must reflect.
PCA 40-hour training under RN direction
A personal care assistant qualifies through nurse-aide training, a recognized competency exam, an approved credentialing program, or a 40-hour PCA training program conducted under the direction of a Georgia RN, with 20 hours completed before serving clients and 20 more within 6 months, and demonstrated competency before any assignment (§111-8-65-.09(5)).
Inspection plus a 10-day plan of correction
HFRD inspects providers periodically (§111-8-65-.08); when the inspection report cites violations, the provider must submit an acceptable written plan of correction within 10 days of receiving the report. Georgia also issues provisional licenses to new providers on a conditional basis (§111-8-65-.05).
A Georgia manual, not a national template
Free templates and national sample manuals miss the Georgia-specific language and citations reviewers look for. Every manual we build is organized to Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Chapter 111-8-65 (O.C.G.A. §31-7-300 et seq.) and the Georgia Department of Community Health, Healthcare Facility Regulation Division (HFRD) application, and delivered as editable Word + PDF you can brand with your agency name.
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Start-up consultants charge $1,000–$4,000 to assemble these documents by hand, and instant template shops are instant because they sell everyone the same generic document. Every manual is made to order: built from your agency details, organized to your state's rules, and delivered within 3 business days, with a full refund anytime before delivery. Founding pricing is limited to the first 25 agencies; after that the State P&P Manual is $199.
Delivered within 3 business days, with a full refund anytime before delivery. This is a self-prepared operational document you adopt for your own agency, not legal advice, and not a guarantee of license approval.
Georgia home care licensing FAQ
Sources
- rules.sos.ga.gov/gac/111-8-65
- dch.georgia.gov/divisionsoffices/hfrd/facilities-provider-information/private-home-care-program
- 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
Georgia requirements last reviewed 2026-06-30. Regulations change, so verify current requirements with the Georgia Department of Community Health, Healthcare Facility Regulation Division (HFRD) before relying on them.
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