Georgia · personal care aide (PCA)
Georgia calls these workers personal care assistants (PCAs). At licensed private home care providers, PCAs need 40 hours of training, with 20 hours done before they serve any client, plus 8 hours every year after the first year. Each PCA must also pass a fingerprint background check.
At a glance
What the state asks of PCAs who work for licensed agencies or Medicaid programs.
| Job titles | Personal care assistant (PCA), personal support services aide, consumer-directed personal support worker |
| Training | 40 hours from your employer, with 20 hours before serving clients and the rest within 6 months. A nurse aide program or recognized credential also counts. |
| Exam | Your agency checks your skills on each task. Passing the nurse aide exam is also accepted. |
| Certification | No state certificate or registry found in state sources |
| Background check | Fingerprint-based Georgia and FBI records check, plus a registry check |
| Yearly training | 8 hours a year after your first year |
| Minimum age | Not confirmed in state sources; ask the agency |
| Agency licensing | Georgia Department of Community Health, Healthcare Facility Regulation Division (private home care provider license) |
Training
There are three ways to qualify: complete a nurse aide program or pass the nurse aide exam, hold a personal care credential the state recognizes, or finish a 40-hour training program from your employer. If you take the 40-hour route, 20 hours must be done before you serve clients and the rest within 6 months.
No PCA may do a task until they have been trained and found competent for it. After your first year, you need 8 hours of training every year. Providers in the Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program (EDWP) must also train staff each year on abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
The steps
The usual path for a new aide.
Family caregivers
Possibly. Georgia’s Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program (EDWP), which includes the Community Care Services Program (CCSP) and SOURCE, offers Consumer-Directed Personal Support Services. Members hire and supervise workers they choose, with help from a Financial Management Services provider.
Whether spouses or other family members can be paid was not confirmed in official sources. EDWP also lists a Structured Family Caregiver service for members whose family caregiver lives with them, but state sources reviewed did not say how that caregiver is paid, so ask the program before you plan on it.
Read our full guide: how to get paid to care for a family member.
Compare
All three help people with daily care. Training, tasks, and pay differ.
| Personal care aide | Home health aide | CNA | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Training | 40 hours, 20 before serving clients | 75 hours federal minimum, including 16 hands-on | State-approved program, 75 hours or more |
| Medical tasks | Mostly not. Help with daily living, like bathing, dressing, meals, and housework | Some, like vital signs, under nurse supervision | Yes, under nurse supervision |
| Where you work | Clients' homes, group homes, assisted living | Clients' homes, through home health agencies | Nursing homes and hospitals |
| Median pay (GA) | $14.07 an hour* | $14.07 an hour* | $18.12 an hour |
*Federal pay data groups personal care aides with home health aides. Many PCAs later become CNAs, which opens more jobs and higher pay.
FAQ
Short answers to what people ask most.
No individual state license was found in state sources. PCAs at licensed private home care providers need 40 hours of training, a nurse aide credential, or another recognized credential, plus a fingerprint check.
40 hours. You need 20 hours before serving clients and the rest within 6 months of starting.
Possibly, if she is in the Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program and uses consumer-directed services. Family pay rules were not confirmed in state sources, so ask the program.
Yes. After the first year, PCAs need 8 hours of training each year.
Home health and personal care aides in Georgia earn a median of $14.07 an hour, based on the May 2025 federal wage survey.