- Home
- Family Caregiver Program
Can a family member become a paid caregiver?
Certain participant-directed programs may allow a qualified family member, friend, or trusted individual to provide paid care. Eligibility, relationship restrictions, background requirements, training, authorization, and program rules apply.
Not everyone qualifies
Program rules decide who may be paid, for which services, and for how many hours. Some relationships are restricted, and some households will not qualify at all. We will be straightforward with you about what we can and cannot confirm.
How it generally works
What a participant-directed program is
In a participant-directed arrangement, the person receiving care has more say in who provides their support. Instead of being assigned a caregiver, the participant may be able to select someone they already know and trust, provided that person meets the program's requirements.
The caregiver is not simply paid by the family. They are onboarded, screened, trained where required, and paid through the program's approved structure, for services that have been authorized in advance.
Potential benefits
Care from a familiar person
Support comes from someone who already knows the household, the routines, and the person's preferences.
Continuity and trust
Fewer new faces, and less need to re-explain how things are done at home.
Recognition for work already being done
Family members often provide substantial help. Approved programs may compensate some of that work.
Agency support behind you
Onboarding, scheduling questions, and payroll administration are handled with our office rather than alone.
General eligibility considerations
These are the areas that typically get reviewed. They are not a checklist for approval, and each program sets its own rules.
- The person receiving care must be enrolled in a program that permits participant direction
- The services must be authorized in that person's approved service plan
- The proposed caregiver must meet the program's relationship rules — some relationships are excluded
- Background screening requirements must be met
- Required onboarding, documentation, and any training must be completed
- The caregiver must be legally able to work and complete employment paperwork
Program limitations
Paid hours are limited to what is authorized in the service plan — not to the number of hours a family member actually spends helping.
Some tasks are not covered, and only authorized services can be billed.
Authorization can change if the participant's plan is reassessed, and program rules may change over time.
Application steps
Contact our office
Tell us who needs care and who is hoping to provide it.
Review the participant's program status
We look at whether the person receiving care is enrolled in a program that allows participant direction.
Complete caregiver onboarding
This includes an application, required screening, documentation, and any training the program requires.
Begin authorized services
Once everything is approved and scheduled, the caregiver can begin providing the authorized services.
Questions
Family caregiver questions
It depends on the program your parent is enrolled in and on that program's rules about relationships, services, and authorization. We can explain the general requirements and help you find out where your family stands.
Some relationships are restricted under program rules, and restrictions differ between programs. Ask us and we will tell you what we know and where to confirm it.
Only the hours authorized in the participant's service plan. That number is set through the program's assessment and authorization process, not by our agency or by the family.
Requirements vary by program and by the services being provided. Onboarding, screening, and any required training must be completed before services begin.
Then the first step is the eligibility process itself. We can point you to the offices that handle applications and explain the general sequence.
Ask us where your family stands
A short conversation is usually enough to know whether this path is worth pursuing.