Welcome to Georgia Access! Certified Application Counselors (CACs) play an important role in assisting uninsured residents across the state, particularly in underserved communities.
To assist Georgia consumers on the Exchange for 2025, you must be an employee or volunteer with one of the approved Georgia Access Certified Application Counselor Designated Organizations (CDOs), hold a Georgia Access Specialist License, and complete the Georgia Access Certification Training and Final Assessment.
Certified Application Counselor Designated Organizations (CDOs)
Partnerships with community organizations are vital to reaching uninsured residents across the state, especially in underserved communities. The Georgia Access Certified Application Counselor (CAC) Program is run by Georgia Access, a division of the Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire (OCI). Organizations must apply and be selected to become a Georgia Access CDO.CDOs do not receive grant funding.
CDOs are responsible for overseeing the work of affiliated CACs, including training, day-to-day management, and monitoring CAC activities. CACs are individuals who are certified and licensed by the State to support consumers with applying for health coverage.
The Georgia Access CDOs for Plan Year (PY) 2025 will be determined beginning in July 2024 and announced on a rolling basis through September 2024.
There are seventeen Georgia Access CDOs for PY 2025:
- Athens Neighborhood Health Center
- Birth Defects Research & Education Foundation
- Community Scape Services
- Crisp Regional Hospital
- Disability Link
- Eligibility Screening Services
- First Choice Primary Care
- Georgia Highlands Medical Services
- Good Samaritan Health & Wellness Center
- JC Lewis Primary Health Care Center
- McKinney Medical Center
- MedCura Health
- MedLink Georgia
- Primary Care of Southwest Georgia
- Primary Health Care Center of Dade
- The Family Health Centers of Georgia
- The Medical Center of Central Georgia
There are seventeen Georgia Access CDOs for PY 2024:
- Athens Neighborhood Health Center
- Christ Community Health Services Augusta
- CommunityScape Services
- Curtis V Cooper Primary Health Care
- DisabilityLink
- Eligibility Screening Services
- First Choice Primary Care
- Georgia Highlands Medical Services
- Georgia Mountains Health Services
- Georgia Association for Primary Health Care (GAPHC)
- HealthFund Solutions
- J.C. Lewis Primary Health Care Center
- McKinney Medical Center
- Your Town Health
- Primary Care of Southwest Georgia
- Primary Health Care Center of Dade
- Resource Corporation of America, Augusta
Certified Application Counselors (CACs)
CACs are individuals who are certified and licensed by the State to support consumers with applying for health coverage on Georgia Access.
CAC certification training for PY 2025 is now available at certification.georgiaaccess.gov. All CACs must complete certification and secure licensure by November 1, 2024 to be ready to support consumers on November 1, 2024 for Open Enrollment.
To learn more about CAC licensure, visit Navigators and Georgia Access Specialists (CACs) | Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire.
PY 2025 CDO Application Materials
Applications for PY 2025 are due September 24, 2024 by 5 p.m. EST.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a CDO?
A CDO is an organization selected by the State of Georgia to support CAC activities. CDOs have three main roles:
- Supervise CACs
- Provide quarterly performance metrics to the State
- Receive marketing toolkits and information for consumers
How can an organization become a certified CDO?
Organizations must apply to become a Georgia Access certified CDO. For Plan Year (PY) 2025, CDO applications were released on June 3, 2024 and are due on September 24, 2024. CDO decisions will be announced on a rolling basis.
Who is a certified CAC?
A certified CAC is an individual who is certified and licensed by the State of Georgia to support consumers with applying for health coverage. Certified CACs are also referred to as assisters. Certified CACs are required to be affiliated with a Certified Application Counselor Designated Organization (CDO), either as an employee or volunteer. Certified CACs provide unbiased support and educate consumers on healthcare options. Like Navigators, certified CACs are not permitted to advise consumers on which health plan is best.
What are the requirements for CACs to participate in Georgia Access?
To assist Georgia consumers as a certified CAC on Georgia Access, individuals must be an employee or volunteer with one of the approved Georgia Access CDOs, hold a Georgia Access Specialist License (more information on the OCI Website), and complete the Georgia Access certification training and final assessment.
The Georgia Access Specialist licensing requirements are similar to the Navigator licensing requirements. The State of Georgia created a separate license for PY 2024 to better track licenses between CACs and Navigators. For PY 2025, CACs will not have to complete pre-licensure training nor submit a fee to obtain their Georgia Access Specialist License. CACs can begin the licensure/renewal process at any time, but they must complete certification before obtaining a license.
How do CACs obtain Georgia Access certification?
To obtain Georgia Access certification, the following steps must be taken:
- Begin the certification course, which is available at certification.georgiaaccess.gov.
- Set aside approximately three hours to complete the course.
- Achieve a minimum score of 80% to pass the final assessment; a maximum of three attempts will be permitted.
- Download and save a PDF copy of the certification certificate.
Resources
- Georgia Access Certified Application Counselor Program Application Process (June 25, 2024)
- For questions about the Georgia Access CDO Program, reach out to CDOs@GeorgiaAccess.ga.gov.