LOCAL RULES: RULE 111-8-62

Georgia policy and procedure manual requirements

Your Georgia policy and procedure manual has 7 rules to meet. ReportDraft puts every one on your checklist and checks your draft before you sign.

  • The administrator's name
  • A staffing plan and monthly schedules kept a year
  • Who handles medications in the home
Start free: fill in yours

Policy Manuals from $12 a month. 14-day free trial with up to 5 template downloads. Card required, nothing charged today, cancel anytime.

Georgia's Rules and Regulations for Personal Care Homes, Chapter 111-8-62, tell an owner what the home must have in writing and what staff must actually do: who may be admitted, staffing ratios, training, medications, residents' rights, incident reporting, discharge, disaster plans and inspections. Here is what a Georgia personal care home's policy and procedure manual has to cover, rule by rule.

Last reviewed November 5, 2026 against the official sources listed below.

Policy and procedure manualGEORGIA / FREE CALCULATOR

Staffing minimums

WhatMinimumRule
Residents counted11
Awake direct care staff on site, waking hours1 person (one per 15 residents)Rule 111-8-62-.10 (1)
Awake direct care staff on site, non-waking hours1 person (one per 25 residents, residents with minimal care needs)Rule 111-8-62-.10 (1)
On the premises at all times1 person: the administrator, on-site manager or a responsible staff person, with one on each occupied floorRule 111-8-62-.10 (1) (b)
AdministratorAge 21 or older, with an associate's degree, or a high school diploma or GED and two years' experience (under 25 beds)Rule 111-8-62-.08 (1)
Staff identification badgesNot required (licensed for 24 or fewer)Rule 111-8-62-.10 (8)
Pandemic planNot required under 25 bedsRule 111-8-16-.04 (7)

These are floors: staff above them whenever residents' care needs call for it. Staff who only cook, clean, maintain the building or work for someone else do not count.

Yearly dates

WhatWhenRule
Disaster plan rehearsalsAt least two in each calendar yearRule 111-8-16-.03 (1)
Disaster plan reviewBy November 15, 2027, then at least once a yearRule 111-8-16-.03 (4)
Healthcare coalition drill or meeting, and contact with the local emergency management coordinatorBy November 15, 2027, then at least once a yearRule 111-8-16-.03 (3)
Staff schedules kept untilOne year after each schedule's monthRule 111-8-62-.10 (5)
Continuing education for direct care staffAt least 16 hours a year eachRule 111-8-62-.09 (5)
Put these details in my policy and procedure manual

Sample figures. Change them to work out your own, no sign-up. Then start free and your policy and procedure manual opens with these details filled in: 14-day trial, nothing charged today.

What Georgia requires

  • The administrator or on-site manager ensures the home's policies and procedures are effective and enforced, names qualified responsible staff to act in their absence (never a resident), investigates serious incidents and monitors staff performanceGa. Comp. R. & Regs. 111-8-62-.08 (2)
  • The administrator is at least 21; under 25 beds, an associate's degree or a high school diploma or GED with two years of experience in a licensed personal care home or health care setting; 25 or more beds, a license from the State Board of Long-Term Care Facility AdministratorsGa. Comp. R. & Regs. 111-8-62-.08 (1)
  • Under 25 beds: at least one awake direct care staff person per 15 residents during waking hours and one per 25 during non-waking hours; 25 or more beds: an average monthly minimum of one per 15 waking and one per 20 non-waking, and more whenever residents' needs requireGa. Comp. R. & Regs. 111-8-62-.10 (1)
  • Keep a staffing plan based on residents' needs and monthly work schedules for all employees showing planned and actual coverage for each day and night, and keep completed schedules for at least one yearGa. Comp. R. & Regs. 111-8-62-.10 (4), (5)
  • Everyone working in the home is trained within the first 60 days in first aid, CPR, emergency evacuation, residents' needs, residents' rights, abuse, neglect and exploitation reporting, and infection control; one fully trained staff person is present whenever residents are; direct care staff complete at least 16 hours of training a yearGa. Comp. R. & Regs. 111-8-62-.09 (2) to (5)
  • Before work: fingerprint records check determinations for the administrator, on-site manager and direct access employees, tuberculosis screening and a physical examination within the prior 12 months, and a five-year employment history; personnel files kept for three years after an employee leavesGa. Comp. R. & Regs. 111-8-62-.09 (6) to (11)
  • Only adults who are ambulatory and capable of self-preservation with minimal assistance are admitted and kept, except up to three aging-in-place residents under strict conditions; never anyone needing restraints, isolation or continuous medical or nursing care; a physical examination on the Department's form dated within 30 days before admissionGa. Comp. R. & Regs. 111-8-62-.15
  • A written admission agreement states the fees and charges, 30 days' notice of increases for personal services and 60 days' for room and board, the refund policy, transportation, medication handling, discharge, media and photo practices and the house rules; the resident gets a signed copyGa. Comp. R. & Regs. 111-8-62-.16
  • Each resident's needs are assessed at admission and as they change; homes providing proxy caregivers or memory care write a care plan within 14 days of admission and update it at least yearlyGa. Comp. R. & Regs. 111-8-62-.17 (8), (9)
  • Homes serving residents at risk of elopement train and enforce elopement procedures, use fire-safe devices and keep current photos; staff call local police within 30 minutes of learning a resident is missing (Mattie's Call) and report it to the Department within 30 minutesGa. Comp. R. & Regs. 111-8-62-.18 · Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 111-8-62-.30 (1)
  • Staff who assist residents with self-administration are trained on the listed topics, pass a skills check at hire and yearly, and record on the Medication Assistance Record; homes using certified medication aides check the registry and arrange quarterly nurse or pharmacist observations and pharmacist drug regimen reviewsGa. Comp. R. & Regs. 111-8-62-.20
  • The home has first-aid supplies (gloves, bandages, thermometer, tape, gauze, antiseptic) and an effective infection control program: staff training, outbreak response, observed practice, illness and return-to-work policies, and public health noticesGa. Comp. R. & Regs. 111-8-62-.23
  • The name, address and telephone number of the long-term care ombudsman are posted in a common area of the homeGa. Comp. R. & Regs. 111-8-62-.25 (1) (t)
  • The home posts the name of the Department and the address and telephone number where licensing complaints are received in a common areaGa. Comp. R. & Regs. 111-8-62-.25 (1) (v)
  • Each resident receives the Resident's Bill of Rights at admission, a personal needs allowance of 20 dollars a week unless waived in writing, and may form a resident councilGa. Comp. R. & Regs. 111-8-62-.25
  • After an accident or sudden change the home acts, notifies the representative and records it; in cardiac or respiratory arrest staff follow hospice, DNR or health care agent direction, otherwise start CPR and call emergency medical servicesGa. Comp. R. & Regs. 111-8-62-.26
  • Serious incidents (unexpected death, serious injury needing treatment, assault, abuse, neglect or exploitation, disasters, staff ties to a resident's accounts or will, staff criminal records) are reported to the Department within 24 hoursGa. Comp. R. & Regs. 111-8-62-.30 (2), (3)
  • 30 days' written notice of discharge or transfer to the resident and representative unless an immediate transfer is required; on immediate transfer the resident's file goes to the receiving facility within 24 hours; security deposits are refundedGa. Comp. R. & Regs. 111-8-62-.29 · Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 111-8-62-.28
  • A written Disaster Preparedness Plan covering fire, explosion, utility interruptions, loss of heat or air conditioning and severe weather, rehearsed at least twice each calendar year and reviewed at least once a year (family personal care homes are exempt from Chapter 111-8-16)Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 111-8-16-.03 · Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 111-8-16-.04 · Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 111-8-16-.02
  • When an emergency forces residents to relocate, the home promptly gives the relocation address to residents, their family contacts and representatives, and the DepartmentGa. Comp. R. & Regs. 111-8-62-.08 (6)
  • Evacuation instructions and escape routes posted on each floor, a secondary exit from each bedroom, smoke detectors with battery backup, and a 5 lb. ABC extinguisher on each occupied floor and in the basement checked yearlyGa. Comp. R. & Regs. 111-8-62-.13
  • An individual, confidential file for each resident with the listed contents, including the signed admission agreement and Resident's Rights form, available to the Department, the resident and the representativeGa. Comp. R. & Regs. 111-8-62-.24
  • Within 10 days of receiving a written inspection report, the home files a plan of correction stating the specific actions it will take, and when, for each rule cited; it displays the latest report and plan in the home and links 18 months of them from its website's main pageGa. Comp. R. & Regs. 111-8-62-.11 · Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 111-8-25-.06 (6)

Who runs the home, and on what staffing

The administrator must be at least 21. A home licensed for fewer than 25 beds needs an administrator with an associate's degree, or a high school diploma or GED and two years of experience in a licensed personal care home or other health care setting; a home with 25 or more beds needs one licensed by the State Board of Long-Term Care Facility Administrators. The administrator or on-site manager must make sure the home's policies are effective and enforced, name responsible staff to act in their absence, investigate serious incidents and monitor staff performance.

Homes under 25 beds keep at least one awake direct care staff person per 15 residents during waking hours and one per 25 at night where residents have minimal care needs; homes with 25 or more beds keep a monthly average of one per 15 by day and one per 20 at night. Cooks, maintenance staff and outside sitters do not count. The home keeps a staffing plan and monthly schedules showing planned and actual coverage, and keeps them a year.

Hiring, screening and training

Before anyone starts, the home needs a satisfactory fingerprint records check determination for the administrator, on-site manager and each direct access employee, a tuberculosis screening and physical examination from the previous 12 months, and a five-year employment history. Within 60 days every worker is trained in first aid, CPR, evacuation, residents' needs and rights, abuse reporting and infection control, and direct care staff complete at least 16 hours of training a year. Personnel files stay available for three years after an employee leaves.

Admission, agreements and care

A personal care home may admit and keep only adults who are ambulatory and able to get to safety with minimal help, apart from up to three aging-in-place residents under conditions that include a 13-minute evacuation and monthly fire drills. It never admits anyone who needs restraints, isolation or continuous nursing care. A physical examination on the Department's form, dated within 30 days before admission, comes first.

The written admission agreement lists every fee, promises 30 days' written notice before a rise in personal service charges and 60 days' before a rise in room and board, and covers refunds, transportation, how medications are handled, discharge, photos and social media, with the house rules attached. Needs are assessed at admission and as they change; homes with proxy caregivers or memory care write a care plan within 14 days.

Medications, infection control and residents' rights

Staff who help residents take their own medications must be trained on a set list of topics, pass a skills check at hire and every year, and record each assist. Homes that use certified medication aides add registry checks, quarterly observations and quarterly pharmacist reviews. The infection control program covers training, outbreaks, illness and return-to-work rules, with specific first-aid supplies on hand.

Residents keep a long list of rights, receive the Resident's Bill of Rights at admission and a personal needs allowance of 20 dollars a week unless they waive it in writing. The ombudsman's and the Department's complaint contacts must be posted in a common area.

Incidents, missing residents and discharge

Serious incidents go to the Department within 24 hours. A missing resident is reported to local police within 30 minutes under Mattie's Call, and the call is reported to the Department within 30 minutes too. In cardiac or respiratory arrest, staff follow hospice, a valid DNR order or the health care agent, and otherwise start CPR and call emergency services.

A discharge needs 30 days' written notice to the resident and representative unless an immediate transfer is required; then the resident's file goes to the receiving facility within 24 hours, and any security deposit is refunded.

Disaster plans and inspections

Unless classified as a family personal care home, the home needs a Disaster Preparedness Plan under Chapter 111-8-16 that covers fire, explosion, utility failures, loss of heat or air conditioning and severe weather, rehearsed at least twice each calendar year and reviewed yearly. Escape routes are posted on every floor, with smoke detectors and ABC extinguishers checked yearly. The home tells residents, families and the Department the relocation address if residents must move.

After an inspection cites violations, the home has 10 days from receiving the written report to file a plan of correction saying what it will do, and when, for each rule. The latest report and plan are displayed in the home, and a home with a website links 18 months of them from its main page.

Common mistakes

  • Copying a manual written for another state or for assisted living communities: Georgia personal care homes have their own rules, Chapter 111-8-62.
  • Leaving the ombudsman's and the Department's complaint contacts out of the posted notices.
  • Writing a disaster plan but never rehearsing it twice a year, or skipping the yearly review.
  • Missing the 10-day deadline for the plan of correction after an inspection report arrives.
  • Counting a cook, a maintenance worker or a resident's private sitter toward the staffing ratio.

Sources

Last reviewed November 5, 2026. Next review due February 5, 2027. This page explains published rules to help you write your report. It is not legal advice; the official text linked above governs.