Atlanta Speech Therapy is not affiliated with the Katie Beckett Deeming Waiver Medicaid Team and cannot answer questions regarding the application process. Please see STEP 2 below.
The Katie Beckett Deeming Waiver in Georgia permits the state to ignore the family’s income for certain children considered disabled. It provides benefits to children, 18 years of age and younger, who qualify as disabled individuals under the Social Security Act (§1614), and live at home rather than an institution. These children must meet specific criteria to be covered.
READ: The Katie Beckett Story
Qualification is not based on medical diagnosis, but on the institutional level of care the child requires. Title 42 Code of Federal Regulations outlines the criteria used to determine eligibility.
Below you will find a step-by-step guide explaining how to apply for Katie Beckett Deeming Waiver in Georgia. If you qualify for Katie Beckett, you may also qualify for a program that pays your family’s entire health insurance premium. This information is provided when you request a copy of the application below.
Benefits of the Katie Beckett Deeming Waiver
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- Provides medical insurance, which helps to cover the costs of doctor visits and therapeutic services for children with physical or developmental disabilities.
- Eliminates all co-payments and deductibles obligated by your private/commercial insurance.
- Provides assistance with monthly insurance premiums of the family’s current private insurance (this means the state may pay for your family’s entire insurance premium each month).
Steps to Completing the Katie Beckett Application
Step 1: SSI Determination
To receive assistance via the Katie Beckett Deeming Waiver in Georgia, it must be established that you do not qualify for Social Security disability benefits (SSI). Call (800) 772-1213 to apply for SSI via phone. If you are approved for SSI, you can bypass the Katie Beckett process and enter the stat’s Medicaid system. If you are not approved for SSI, the denial letter from the IRS will become apart of your application for Katie Beckett.
Step 2: Contact the Centralized Office
Call and request an application packet (or download instantly — see below). This may be a first timer or renewal application.
Centralized Katie Beckett Deeming Waiver Medicaid Team
5815 Live Oak Parkway
Suite D-2
Norcross, GA 30093
678-248-7449 (phone)
678-248-7459 (fax)
Use this contact information for any specific questions about the Katie Beckett process.
Atlanta Speech Therapy cannot answer questions regarding your application. Do not contact Atlanta Speech Therapy for information related to this process. This article is only provided as a service to the community and further assistance can be obtained by contacting the Katie Beckett Team or Sheila Carter (see Additional Resources section below).
Step 3: Gather Your Child’s Medical Records
Make a list of all doctors and providers your child has seen. Contact each professional and request a copy of the medical records. For your child’s therapists, this includes daily notes. A fee may be associated with this request.
Step 4: Begin Completing Forms
(DO NOT DATE ANYTHING)
While you wait for the SSI denial letter to be received via mail, begin completing the forms. This will take approximately 4-8 hours for your initial application and approximately 2 hours for renewal applications.
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- Start with the Financial, Citizenship, TANF, HIPPA, and Insurance form. These forms are similar to those used when applying for a credit card. All forms are paired with instructions to complete as directed.
- Complete the Medical forms with enough information that your primary care physician only has to sign. The information to complete the forms will come from the documents you requested in step 3.
- Physician’s Recommendation for Pediatric Care: (Box #13) The medical records will contain all ICD (diagnoses) identified for your child. (Box #18) Select ICF-MR
- Level of Care Statement is one of the key review points of an application that will determine if you qualify for KB. Children must participate in FIVE THERAPIES per week. If your child does not currently participate in 5 therapies, ask your pediatrician to write a prescription recommending five therapies a week (PT, OT, and/or SLP twice a week). This prescription will become a part of your application. On this form select ICF-MR. Include the current therapies your child receives and attach all therapy evaluations, daily notes, IEPs/IFSPs.
- When completing the Medicaid application, do so as if you are the child. Each question corresponds directly to the child and household members’ (income, wages, employment, etc.).
- The Cost-Effectiveness form must state a good prognosis. Total monthly costs must be less than $2400 a month. Use the Medicaid rates for therapy. These amounts can be determined by calling your provider(s) and asking directly. Examples of amounts are PT $84.12/hr, OT $79.04/hr, and SLP $62.50/30 mins.
- You must complete the Voter Registration Declaration Statement.
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Step 5: Attach/Complete Developmental Evaluation
A licensed professional must complete an evaluation of five domains (psychologist, early interventionist with BCW, etc.). This evaluation must have been completed and dated within the last 3 years. A psychological evaluation should contain an IQ score and needs to be signed by the licensed professional.
Final Notes
- Remember to ask the physician not to date the documents in step 4. The date on the document determines when the next application is due and you want this date to be as late as possible (i.e. the day you actually mail all documents to the centralized office).
- Pay special attention to the Level of Care Statement instructions. This is a critical area which makes or breaks an application. Please also review Georgia Medicaid’s Policies and Procedures for Completing Katie Beckett Application (Google search “Part II Policies and Procedures Manual for Katie Beckett Medicaid Manual” for the most updated manual).
- Do not leave any pages blank, otherwise your application will be returned due to a technical denial.
Additional Resources
- Sheila Carter of CamandMadispromise.org offers FREE assistance securing a Medicaid waiver. You may e-mail her at scarter@camandmadispromise.org. It’s also helpful to know she is the mom of two children who have both been diagnosed with ASD and other medical conditions, and she has gone through this process several times. Find out more about Sheila and why she provides free assistance to families via her ATL Voyage interview in Oct 2019.
- Additionally, assistance completing the Katie Beckett Deeming Waiver forms is available via a FREE 2-hour seminar on Parent to Parent of Georgia’s website. Review Deeming Waiver Basics and A Guide to the Deeming Waiver Application Process. Details of past application instructions can also be found here.
- If you receive a level of care denial, contact Georgia’s Champions for Children; the information you have gathered to apply for Katie Beckett benefits will be used as your application with Champion’s for Children, a less strenuous process.
- You also have other options when it comes to insurance provided by the state, which are FREE or low-cost. Read What You Should Know Before Selecting Your Georgia Medicaid Insurance.
