Disability advocates tell appropriations panel Georgia needs more than 200 waivers a year to meet urgent demand

Reena Harris, chief program officer at the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities, told the House appropriations committee that the state’s current plan for NOW/COMP waivers falls far short of demand.

“We received data from the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities after the governor drafted his budget,” Harris said. She told lawmakers that DBHDD’s numbers show more than 4,600 people waiting for waivers and that 1,678 Georgians are in “dire” need of services. Harris said the council’s work group concluded Georgia needs roughly 1,217 new waivers in state fiscal year 2027 just to cover the most urgent cases.

The council supports the House’s increase — the House added 200 new waivers versus the governor’s recommended 100 — but Harris said that is far short of what is required. She called for additional administrative capacity at DBHDD, saying the agency will need 26 new positions to administer the increased waivers; the House added $513,558 for DBHDD administration but the council requested an additional $2,333,554 to match staffing need.

Harris also described the council’s role in inclusive postsecondary education (IPSY), which serves 158 students statewide across 10 programs. She said the council is working to transition program oversight to another entity by July 2027 and urged lawmakers to consider permanent funding for IPSY scholarships.

Committee members asked for the data Harris cited; the chair asked staff to follow up and receive the charts and breakdowns she offered. No formal vote was taken; the hearing continued with other agency presentations.

What happens next: Harris and DBHDD will provide the committee the underlying wait-list and needs data. Any increase beyond the House’s 200 waivers would require appropriation action before the fiscal year begins.