Get straight answers about Georgia’s Structured Family Care (SFC) program: who qualifies, how pay and taxes work, which counties Freedom Adult Care serves, and how to get started. For the full overview, see our Structured Family Care guide.
Eligibility: Care Recipient
What is Structured Family Care?
Structured Family Care (SFC) is a Georgia program that helps people with Medicaid remain safely at home while a qualified family member provides their daily care. The caregiver receives training, support, and financial support, while the patient benefits from consistent care at home instead of relying on a traditional home care agency or moving to a nursing facility.
Do I need Medicaid to qualify?
Yes. This program requires active Georgia Medicaid coverage. Medicare alone does not qualify. If you don’t have Medicaid but think you may be eligible, call (706) 786-3041 and we can help.
I have Medicare and Medicaid. Will I be eligible?
Yes. If you have Georgia Medicaid, you are eligible to apply.
Will this affect my Medicaid plan, benefits, or other services?
No. SFC will not change your Medicaid plan. It just adds support so your family can help care for you safely at home.
What kind of help can I receive at home?
Help with everyday activities such as bathing and personal hygiene, dressing and grooming, meals, mobility and transfer assistance, medication reminders, housekeeping, companionship, and safety observation.
Can I still qualify if I already receive home care services from an aide or agency?
Yes. You can switch to Freedom Adult Care if you want your care provided by a family member. The transition keeps your approved hours the same and simply moves them to your chosen caregiver.
Eligibility: Caregiver
What age does the caregiver have to be?
18 or older.
Who can be a caregiver in this program?
A family member, biological or by marriage (such as an adult child, sibling, daughter-in-law, or grandchild), who lives in the same household as the care recipient and passes a satisfactory background check (funded by the program). Spouses and legal guardians are not eligible to be paid caregivers under Georgia’s SFC program.
Do I have to live with my loved one to qualify for SFC?
Yes. The caregiver and care recipient must live at the same address. If you don’t live together, ask us about our Family Hire program. You may still be able to get paid to help them.
Can a spouse be paid as my caregiver under SFC?
No. In Georgia, spouses and legal guardians are not eligible to be paid caregivers under the SFC program. See what you can do instead.
Can I work another job while enrolled in Structured Family Caregiving?
No. As the caregiver, you cannot have other employment, nor can you go to school full-time outside of your caregiving responsibilities. If you need to keep your job, ask us about our Family Hire program. We can hire you as your loved one’s aide and pay you by the hour.
Choosing a Provider
Is Freedom Adult Care the same company as FreedomCare?
No. Freedom Adult Care is a separate, family-owned Structured Family Care provider based in Columbus,
Georgia, serving 20 counties across west, middle, and southwest Georgia. FreedomCare is a multi-state company
with a Georgia office near Atlanta. The names are similar, but we are not affiliated, owned by, or
partnered with them.
What’s the difference between Freedom Adult Care and a national provider?
The program rules are identical. Georgia Medicaid sets them, not the provider. The difference is
proximity and continuity: Freedom Adult Care is based in Columbus, has served Georgia families for
over 23 years, and is family-owned, so the team that answers your first call is the team you’ll still
be working with years later. National providers coordinate Georgia families from a larger, multi-state
operation.
What are the requirements to get paid as a family caregiver in Georgia?
Five things have to be true, and they apply to every Structured Family Care provider in the state:
your loved one has active Georgia Medicaid and is enrolled in the CCSP or SOURCE waiver; they need a
nursing-home level of care (generally 5 or more hours of personal support a day); you and your loved
one live at the same address; you’re a family member by blood or marriage, and not their spouse or
legal guardian; and you’re 18 or older and pass a background check, which the program pays for.
Does one provider pay more than another in Georgia?
Georgia sets the Structured Family Care daily rate, so every agency starts from the same floor. The rate is set by your loved one’s assessed level of care. The caregiver’s share starts at that floor, and the agency keeps the
remainder to cover training, support, and administration. Some agencies pay above the floor or raise it
with tenure, so it’s a fair question to ask anyone you talk to, including us. Just make sure you’re
comparing the same program: a rate quoted for Personal Support Services isn’t an SFC rate, and the two
are easy to blur together.
Can I switch to Freedom Adult Care from another provider?
Yes. If you’re already receiving care through an aide, an agency, or another Structured Family Care
provider, you can move to Freedom Adult Care. Your approved hours stay the same. They simply transfer
to your chosen caregiver and our team. Call us and we’ll handle the coordination.
| Freedom Adult Care | National multi-state providers | |
|---|---|---|
| Based in | Columbus, GA (Muscogee County) | Out of state, with a regional Georgia office |
| Serving Georgia families since | 2003, over 23 years | Varies |
| Ownership | Family-owned | Corporate / multi-state |
| Program rules | Identical, set by Georgia Medicaid, not the provider | |
| How pay is set | By the care recipient’s assessed level of care, the same either way | |
| Who you talk to | The same local team, every time | Regional or national coordination |
Still have questions? Call us. We answer in plain English.
Structured Family Care vs. Personal Support Services
Georgia Medicaid funds more than one way for a family member to be paid for care. The two you’ll hear about most are Structured Family Care (SFC) and Personal Support Services (PSS). Freedom Adult Care offers both. Our Family Hire program is our version of PSS: we hire a family member as the paid aide. SFC and PSS are different programs and they pay in different ways, so a pay figure quoted for one tells you nothing about the other. Here’s how to tell which one fits your family.
| Structured Family Care (SFC) | Personal Support Services (PSS) | |
|---|---|---|
| How you’re paid | A daily stipend, paid every day of the week | An hourly wage, for authorized hours only |
| How the amount is set | A set daily amount based on care level | Hourly, for the hours Medicaid authorizes |
| Do you have to live together? | Yes | No |
| Can you keep another job? | No | Yes |
| Taxes | Generally tax-free (IRS Notice 2014-7) | Usually taxable wages, unless you live in the home |
| What Freedom Adult Care provides | Yes | Yes, through our Family Hire program |
Working full time or living apart from your loved one? Family Hire can still work for you. Read how it works. Not sure which program fits? Compare SFC and Family Hire.
How Family Hire pay works. With Family Hire, we hire a family member as the paid aide. The aide is paid by the hour, and only for the hours Medicaid authorizes. That number comes from your loved one’s assessment, not from the agency, so ask how many hours are approved before you compare pay. SFC pays a set amount every day of the week. Neither one is the better deal on its own. It depends on how care actually works in your family.
They fit different families. If you live with your loved one and give care full time, SFC is usually the stronger fit. If you need to keep your job, or you don’t live together, our Family Hire program may be the better answer, and you can still be the one who’s paid to help. Either way, call us and we’ll help you figure out which one fits.
What’s the difference between Structured Family Care and Personal Support Services?
SFC pays a family caregiver a set daily amount,
and requires you to live with your loved one and not hold another job. PSS pays an hourly wage for the
hours Medicaid authorizes, doesn’t require you to live together, and lets you keep other work. They’re
separate programs with separate pay structures, so a rate quoted for one doesn’t apply to the other. Freedom Adult Care offers both, so we can help you pick the one that fits.
Can I get paid to care for my mom and keep my job?
Not under Structured Family Care. SFC is built for full-time, live-in family caregiving, so SFC caregivers can’t hold outside employment. Freedom Adult Care’s Family Hire program works differently. We can hire you as your mom’s aide and pay you by the hour for the hours Medicaid approves, so you may be able to keep your job. Call us and we’ll walk through which program fits.
Another agency quoted me a higher rate. Is that possible?
It can be. Georgia sets a floor, not a ceiling, and a higher assessed level of care carries
a higher stipend, so a top-end figure isn’t necessarily wrong. Two questions will tell you what you’re
actually being offered: is that number for SFC or for PSS, and will you put my monthly amount in writing
before I sign? Ask us both. We’ll give you your figure on one page before you commit to anything.
Pay & Taxes
What is “family pay” for caregivers in Georgia?
“Family pay” usually means Structured Family Care, a Georgia Medicaid program where Freedom Adult Care pays a family member to be the primary caregiver for a loved one on the CCSP or SOURCE waiver. Freedom Adult Care manages this pay and support across 20 west and middle Georgia counties.
How often will I get paid?
Caregivers receive payment by direct deposit on a regular schedule: weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, depending on program arrangements.
How much will I get paid as a family caregiver in Georgia?
Through Freedom Adult Care, you can get paid up to $600 a week. Pay depends on eligibility, qualifications and experience. With Structured Family Care, you get a set daily amount by direct deposit, generally tax-free under the IRS
difficulty-of-care exclusion. If your loved one’s assessed level of care
is higher, your daily amount is higher. It doesn’t shrink on a slow week and it isn’t prorated against hours.
Call us for a free eligibility check and we’ll put your exact monthly figure in writing.
Do I have to pay taxes on my SFC caregiver pay?
Most caregivers do not, thanks to the IRS difficulty-of-care exclusion (IRS Notice 2014-7) for Medicaid waiver payments. We recommend confirming with a tax professional for your specific situation.
What is the CCSP or SOURCE waiver?
These are Georgia Medicaid home and community-based services waivers that fund Structured Family Care. Your loved one must be enrolled in one of these waivers (or be eligible) to participate.
How many hours of care does my loved one need to qualify?
Generally, the care recipient must need a nursing-home level of care, meaning an assessed need of about 5 or more hours of personal support per day.
Service Area
What counties does Freedom Adult Care’s SFC program cover?
Freedom Adult Care serves 20 counties in the Columbus, GA region: Bibb, Chattahoochee, Clay, Dougherty, Harris, Houston, Lee, Macon, Marion, Meriwether, Muscogee, Quitman, Randolph, Schley, Stewart, Sumter, Talbot, Taylor, Troup, and Webster.
Does Freedom Adult Care serve Muscogee County (Columbus, GA)?
Yes. Muscogee County, including Columbus, is one of the core counties Freedom Adult Care serves for Structured Family Care. See our Structured Family Caregiving in Columbus page for how local families start the process.
Does Freedom Adult Care serve Harris County, GA?
Yes. Harris County is part of Freedom Adult Care’s service area, including Hamilton, Pine Mountain, Waverly Hall and Shiloh. Harris County assessments route through the River Valley Area Agency on Aging in Columbus. See our Structured Family Caregiving in Harris County page for how local families start.
Does Freedom Adult Care serve Troup County, GA?
Yes, including LaGrange, Hogansville and West Point. Troup is the one part of our service area that does not route through the River Valley agency in Columbus. Troup assessments go through Three Rivers Area Agency on Aging instead, which is why some families are told they are outside the area when they call the wrong office. Our Structured Family Caregiving in Troup County page walks through the right route.
Getting Started
How do I apply for Structured Family Care with Freedom Adult Care?
Call (706) 786-3041 for a free eligibility check (10 to 15 minutes). From there, we help verify Medicaid/CCSP or SOURCE waiver eligibility, run the caregiver’s background check (paid for by the program), provide required training, and get you started on weekly tax-free pay. See our full Structured Family Care guide for the complete step-by-step process.
Think you qualify? Call us to confirm. It only takes a few minutes.