An independent family service. Not a state agency and not affiliated with the Georgia Department of Community Health.
GAPP CheckHelp for Georgia families

Free GAPP help for Georgia families

GAPP Check helps Georgia families with the Georgia Pediatric Program: appealing hours that were cut or denied, getting paperwork and renewals in on time, choosing or switching nursing agencies, and handling nursing shifts that go unfilled. It costs your family nothing.

You care for them. We handle the paperwork.

How GAPP Check helps Georgia families

One place for the parts of GAPP that take the most time. Pick what fits, or call and we will sort it out together.

More guides: Only approved for 10 GAPP hours? New to GAPP Family Caregiver Option (FCO)

GAPP hours cut or denied? See if an appeal is worth it

Your route and verdict build as you answer.

01

Your decision letter

What happened with your child's hours?
How long ago is the date on the letter?
Are you new to GAPP?
02

Your child's care

How often does your child need a nurse for a skilled task?
Hospital, ER or urgent care visits in the last 12 months?
How many skilled nursing hours a week are you approved for now?
How many personal support or FCO hours a week are you approved for?
Has anything changed recently?
03

Home and paperwork

Is another trained caregiver available to cover?
Has a nurse trained you on your child's skilled tasks (the caregiver skills checklist)?
Do you have a recent doctor's letter and care notes?
04

Have us take it from here

Your answers go with this request, so you do not repeat yourself on the phone.

    We only use this to contact you. See how GAPP Check works and our privacy policy. Prefer to talk now? Call or text (470) 862-2314.

    Answer 2 questions for your checkSee it →

    Who we are

    A second set of eyes on your child's file

    GAPP Check is an independent service that helps Georgia families with GAPP: appeals when nursing or personal support hours are cut, denied, or approved for less than a child needs, paperwork and renewals, choosing or switching agencies, and nursing shifts that go unfilled. We read the letters, gather the records, write the requests, and track every deadline, so you can stay focused on your child.

    We are not a law firm and we are not part of the state. Our help is free for families. No nursing agency pays us or funds GAPP Check, and families never pay. You choose your own nursing agency, and you can change your mind at any time.

    We also tell you when an appeal is not the right move. If your records look thin, we say so before anything is filed, and we only ask for the hours your child needs.

    Hours often change because of what is in the file, not only because of what your child needs. We make sure the file tells the whole story.

    Why families choose us

    Paperwork

    No forms for you

    We gather the records and write the request. You send a photo of your letter and sign once.

    Deadlines

    We track the dates

    Appeal windows are short. We read your letter first and keep the calendar.

    Your agency

    We work with them

    Keep your nursing agency. We coordinate so nothing is sent twice or at the wrong time.

    The letter

    We check the stated reason

    We compare the reason in your decision letter with your child's real needs and the records.

    Straight answers

    We tell you if it is not worth it

    If your records look thin, we say so before we file anything.

    Hearings

    We get you ready

    If the first answer is no, we move to a State Fair Hearing and prepare you for it.

    Hours explained

    The basics, in plain words

    Tap a card to read more.

    Skilled nursing hours

    These cover tasks only a licensed nurse can do, such as tube feeding, suctioning, and trach care. The reviewer scores your child's conditions and equipment from the file, so the file has to show each task and how often it happens.

    The strongest files have a current doctor's letter, hospital records, and nursing notes that agree with each other.

    Personal support and FCO hours

    Personal support covers bathing, dressing, meals, and help moving around. With the Family Caregiver Option, a parent who lives with the child can be hired by the agency and paid for these hours, but not for skilled nursing.

    Daily care logs, lifting and transfer needs, and safety concerns are the records that matter most.

    How a review works
    • Usually one nurse reads your file and checks boxes on a scoresheet for conditions, equipment and treatments.
    • The points suggest a range of hours.
    • Their summary goes to a review team, which usually follows the recommendation.

    Clear, complete records matter more than long letters.

    Appeals and hearings
    • You can ask for a reconsideration within 30 days of the notice.
    • If that is denied, you can ask for a fair hearing within 30 days of the final letter.
    • Packets still go in on time while you appeal, and your agency should not send a change request in the meantime.

    Your decision letter sets your real deadline. If the reason in the letter does not match what the records show, that is worth raising in the appeal.

    New to GAPP

    If you have just started and no letter has arrived, the best first step is usually to keep simple daily notes for about two months. That is our experience, so check it with your agency.

    • The date, time, and skilled task done, and who did it
    • Any gap in coverage
    • Every ER, urgent care or hospital visit
    Reasons hours can go up
    • A change in your child, such as a new diagnosis, surgery or hospital stay
    • New equipment, such as a ventilator, trach or feeding pump
    • A change at home, such as a caregiver who can no longer cover nights
    • Safety needs like overnight monitoring or two-person tasks
    • Missing or old records

    Questions we hear a lot

    Before you work with us

    Who will be helping our family?

    You work directly with our founder, who has worked on the agency side of Georgia's GAPP program: renewal packets, nurse staffing, reviews, and the paperwork that decides a child's hours.

    Are you connected to any GAPP nursing agency?

    No. No GAPP nursing agency owns, pays, or funds GAPP Check, and we are never paid for sending a family to an agency. You never have to switch agencies to get our help.

    How do you protect our records?

    The website form never asks for medical records. When you are ready to share documents, we send you a private, secure upload link, and we ask your written permission before requesting records from a doctor or agency.

    What happens after the first check?

    We contact you at the time you chose, you send a photo of your letter through the secure link, and we tell you plainly whether an appeal looks worth it. Then we draft the request with you, and you review and sign.

    Read the full answers: how GAPP Check works

    About us and cost

    Who are you, and who pays you?

    We are GAPP Check, an independent service that helps Georgia families with GAPP appeals, paperwork and renewals, agency choices, and unfilled nursing shifts. We are not a law firm and we are not part of the state. Our help is free for families. No nursing agency pays us or funds GAPP Check, and families never pay. You choose your own nursing agency and can change your mind at any time.

    Is this free?

    Yes. Working with us is free for families. There is no charge for the quick check, for reading your decision letter, or for the appeal work itself.

    Could an appeal backfire?

    I understand the worry. Hours can go up, stay the same, or be reduced at a regular review, for any child. Before we file, we tell you if your records look thin, and we only ask for what your child needs.

    Do I have to switch nursing agencies?

    No. Your child's hours belong to your child, not to the agency. We work with your current agency, or do the work ourselves if you prefer.

    About your child’s hours

    We just started GAPP. Should we appeal right away?

    If you have a letter with a deadline, call us right away. If not, most new families do better giving it about two months first. We say that from experience, so check it with your agency too. Keep a few simple notes each day: what task was done, who did it, and anything that went wrong. Those notes show a reviewer what a normal week looks like, and we can use them. You do not need to do anything fancy.

    Will earning more money cost my child hours?

    GAPP hours are based on your child's medical needs, not on what you earn. Many children are covered through the Katie Beckett (Deeming) waiver, which does not count parents' income. We confirm which type of Medicaid your child has when we review your case.

    What if my letter's reason looks wrong?

    Tell us. The letter has to give a reason for the change, and that reason should match your child's real needs and the records the reviewer used. If it does not, that is worth raising in the appeal.

    What if I have not learned my child's skilled tasks?

    The state's manual bases hours on medical need and on the training needs written on the caregiver skills checklist. It also expects caregivers to take on some of the care over time. Skilled nursing hours can be reduced as a caregiver learns tasks. So keep the training record accurate: what you have learned, what you have not, and what still needs a nurse. We help make sure it is complete and fair.

    Do I keep sending records while we appeal?

    Yes. The manual says renewal packets still go in on time, or at least every three months while the case is in appeals. If your child is hospitalized or gets worse, your agency tells the reviewer through the portal's contact option and does not send a change request. We keep track of these dates so you do not have to.

    About the Family Caregiver Option

    What is the Family Caregiver Option (FCO)?

    FCO lets a parent or other legally responsible adult who lives with your child be hired by the nursing agency and paid for personal support, like bathing, dressing, meals and help moving around. It does not cover skilled nursing. The agency runs a background check and fingerprinting, checks CPR, and trains you.

    Five questions to ask your agency before choosing FCO

    1. What will I be paid per hour, and how is it paid? 2. Do my child's skilled nursing hours stay the same if I do FCO? 3. Can my personal support hours be reduced at review, and why? 4. What training and checks are required, and who pays for them? 5. What happens to my child's care if I stop or cannot work a shift? Ask for the answers in writing.

    Could my paid FCO hours be cut later?

    We do not know yet, and we will not guess. The manual says FCO covers personal support only, and hours at review follow medical need and the caregiver checklist. Whether personal support hours can drop as a parent gets more skilled is a question we are putting to the state. Ask your agency to answer it in writing before you sign.

    Talk to GAPP Check

    Call or text (470) 862-2314, or use the quick form. Free for families.

    Have these handy if you can

    • Your most recent GAPP letter (a phone photo is fine)
    • Your nursing agency's name
    • Your child's Medicaid type, if you know it

    Please do not send medical records through the form. See our privacy policy.

    Clear

    Plain answers about your route, your deadline, and what it will take.

    Careful

    We check every date and every record against your decision letter.

    On your side

    We do the work so you can spend your time on your child.