Ga. spending freeze leaves 8,000 disability waiver applicants waiting
Written by GCDD on .
August 4, 2026 - (WRDW) —
By Abby Kousouris ATLANTA (WRDW/WAGT) — A state spending freeze is keeping thousands of Georgians with developmental disabilities stranded on a Medicaid waiver waiting list, and advocates say families are running out of time.
The freeze locks in previous cuts to developmental disability waivers, leaving 8,000 people on the waiting list — more than 1,200 of them in urgent need, according to D’Arcy Robb with the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities.
“When they turn 22, we talk about the cliff... and we hear about the ‘couch kids.’ People literally sit home all day on the couch,” Robb said.
Nina Howard, 74, took in her nephew Larrone after he moved from New York following his mother’s death. After 18 months of paperwork, she said she was told to keep waiting for the Medicaid waiver that would fund a professional caregiver for Larrone if she is ever unable to care for him.
“It’s affected my mental health. I wake up in the middle of the night, between two and four, saying, ‘what is today going to bring?’ I just have to pause because it’s really hard,” Howard said.
Howard said she has the flexibility to stay home with Larrone, but worries about his future.
“Can you imagine the potential that he has, that’s just sitting there on the couch?” Howard said.
Howard said she hopes the situation improves for all affected families.
“I just hope that tomorrow will be brighter. Not just for me, and for him, but all the other families,” she said.
The Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities runs the waiver program. In a statement, a department spokesperson said the agency has received historic investments under Gov. Brian Kemp and will comply with the budget rules.