# Selling a Home Care Agency in Georgia: 2026 M&A Guide > Georgia is a CON state with restricted home health licensure, dense Atlanta-area buyer competition, and growing demographic demand — making it one of the Southeast's premier home care M&A markets. Source: https://www.hendonpartners.com/insights/selling-home-care-agency-georgia Author: Neli Gertner Published: 2026-05-05 Category: State Guides Tags: Georgia, GA, CON, CCSP, ICWP, M&A, state-guide ---Georgia is one of the Southeast's premier home care M&A markets, anchored by Atlanta's demographic scale, strong PE buyer interest, and CON-protected home health and hospice licensure that create scarcity premiums. For Georgia home care owners, 2026 offers favorable exit conditions across all major sub-sectors. --- ## Georgia Regulatory Framework ### Certificate of Need (CON) Georgia maintains CON requirements for: - **Medicare-certified home health agencies** - **Hospice** - (Skilled nursing, hospital, and other facility-based care) Georgia DCH oversees CON. New entry restrictions create premium valuation for existing CON-protected licensure. ### Private Home Care Provider License GA DCH licenses **Private Home Care Providers** for personal care services. Categories include: - Personal Care Services - Companion Sitter Services - Skilled Nursing Services - Home Health Aide Services ### Medicaid HCBS Waivers - **CCSP (Community Care Services Program)** — primary elderly HCBS waiver - **ICWP (Independent Care Waiver Program)** — physical disability HCBS - **SOURCE** — service options using resources in a community environment - **NOW/COMP** — IDD waivers ### Other - GA EVV compliance - Caregiver background check requirements --- ## Georgia Payer Landscape ### Georgia Medicaid Managed Care GA Medicaid managed care MCOs include CareSource Georgia, Amerigroup Georgia, Peach State Health Plan (Centene), and others. Multi-MCO contracted personal care providers command premium positioning. ### Medicare Standard CMS framework. GA MAC: Palmetto GBA. ### VA Community Care Strong VA presence in Georgia (multiple VA facilities). Important referral source. ### Private Pay Strong private pay market in Atlanta MSA, Savannah, and coastal markets. --- ## Georgia Regional Dynamics ### Atlanta MSA - ~6M population - Most concentrated PE and strategic buyer interest - Multi-county operational complexity (Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Gwinnett, Cherokee, Clayton, etc.) - Diverse payer mix ### Savannah / Coastal Georgia - Growing demographics - Regional buyer interest - Distinctive operational profile ### Augusta - Border with SC - Cross-state operational considerations - Stable buyer interest ### Columbus, Macon, Athens - Secondary metros - Regional and local buyer competition - Specific demographic profiles ### Rural Georgia - More limited buyer pool - Specialty regional consolidators - Distance and density considerations --- ## Valuation Ranges (Q2 2026) | Asset Type | EBITDA Size | Multiple Range | |---|---|---| | Private Home Care (sub-$1M) | sub-$1M | 3.5x–5x | | Private Home Care ($1M–$3M) | $1M–$3M | 4.5x–6.5x | | Private Home Care ($3M+) | $3M+ | 6x–8x | | Medicare home health (CON) | All sizes | 9x–13x | | Hospice (CON) | $1M+ | 9x–13x | | Multi-license CON platform | $3M+ | 9x–13x | Premiums apply for CON-protected licensure, Atlanta multi-county footprint, multi-MCO contracting, strong compliance history. --- ## Most Active Georgia Buyers ### National Strategics - **Aveanna Healthcare** — Atlanta-headquartered, multi-service - **Pennant Group** — Home health, hospice - **BrightSpring Health Services** — Multi-service - **Compassus** — Hospice and home health - **VITAS** — Hospice - **Help at Home** — Personal care - **Addus HomeCare** — Personal care - **BAYADA** — Multi-service ### Regional Strategics - Hospital-affiliated home care (Piedmont, Wellstar, Northside, Emory) - Southeast regional consolidators - Georgia-specific consolidators ### PE-Backed Platforms - Multiple PE-backed Southeast platforms - National PE platforms with GA footprints --- ## Georgia-Specific Diligence - CON licensure transferability and historical filings - Private Home Care Provider license history - CCSP / ICWP / SOURCE waiver participation - Atlanta multi-county operations coordination - EVV compliance - Caregiver workforce stability --- ## How Hendon Partners Helps Georgia Sellers Hendon Partners advises Georgia home care owners across CON-protected home health and hospice, Private Home Care Providers, and multi-license platforms through preparation and sale process. Our buyer network includes the strategic acquirers and PE platforms most active in the Southeast. **[Schedule a confidential Georgia-focused conversation with Hendon Partners →](/contact-us)** --- *Hendon Partners is a sell-side only M&A advisory firm with Southeast home care transaction experience.* --- ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Does Georgia require CON for home health? Yes. Georgia is a Certificate of Need (CON) state for Medicare-certified home health agencies, regulated by the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH). Existing CON-protected home health licenses are scarce and trade at premium multiples. Hospice is also CON-regulated in Georgia. Personal care services and private-duty nursing have separate licensure requirements. ### What licensure does a Georgia personal care agency need? Personal care agencies in Georgia are licensed by GA DCH as Private Home Care Providers. Medicaid-funded personal care flows through the Community Care Services Program (CCSP) waiver, the Independent Care Waiver Program (ICWP), and SOURCE program — each with separate provider enrollment processes. ### What are typical Georgia home care valuation ranges? Personal care / private home care: 4x–6.5x adjusted EBITDA. Medicare home health (CON-protected): 9x–13x adjusted EBITDA. Hospice (CON-protected): 9x–13x. Multi-license CON-protected platforms command meaningful premium. ### Who are active buyers in Georgia? Strategic buyers active in GA include Pennant Group, BrightSpring, Compassus, VITAS, Aveanna Healthcare (Atlanta-headquartered), Help at Home, Addus, and multiple regional Southeast consolidators. PE-backed platforms with Southeast concentration actively pursue Georgia tuck-ins. ### How does Atlanta concentration affect M&A? The Atlanta MSA (~6M population) accounts for the majority of Georgia home care M&A activity. Multi-county Atlanta operations command premium valuation through scale and density. Secondary metros (Savannah, Augusta, Columbus, Macon) attract regional buyer interest with somewhat lower competitive intensity.