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Developmental‑disability council urges 1,000 NOW/COMP waivers in amended FY25 to cut waiting list
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Summary
The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities urged the committee to fund 1,000 additional NOW/COMP waivers in the amended FY25 budget and 1,400 in FY26 to address a waiting list of roughly 7,916 people and provider capacity strengthened by last year’s rate study.
Darcy Robb, executive director of the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD), presented council recommendations to reduce the NOW/COMP waiver waiting list and expand services for Georgians with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Robb said the most recent figures the council had were that approximately "13,700 and 11 Georgians" were receiving NOW or COMP waivers and that about 7,916 people were on the waiting list. She described barriers to accessing waivers, including lengthy application processes, inconsistent need‑scoring practices and families being told to wait until a crisis before receiving services.
Robb recommended funding 1,000 new NOW/COMP waivers in the amended FY25 budget (a package she said would cost about $27 million) and an additional 1,400 waivers in FY26 to approach targets recommended by a bipartisan Senate study panel. She said the state’s investment in a provider rate study has begun to restore provider capacity and that now is an appropriate time to expand waiver slots.
A family member and GCDD member, Tyese Kiser, gave first‑hand testimony about difficulty obtaining waivers and supporting families while navigating the complex system.
Ending: GCDD asked the committee to fund waivers now to prevent crisis‑level placements, citing the program as a means to keep people in community settings rather than institutions.
