Can you get paid to care for a family member in Oregon?

Yes, through 3 programs we verified. In Oregon, people who qualify for Medicaid in-home services can hire a relative, such as an adult child, as their paid homecare worker. Through the Independent Choices Program, they can also manage a cash benefit and hire a relative. Spouses can be paid through the Spousal Pay Program, but only when the person has very high care needs and a debilitating medical condition.

Which Oregon programs pay family caregivers?

Medicaid in-home services - Consumer-Employed Provider Program (homecare workers, K Plan / APD)

• Type: Medicaid self-direction
• Who can be paid: Homecare workers employed by the consumer, including a relative (other than a spouse) who enrolls as a homecare worker. A relative can also be paid to provide in-home services to someone living in the relative's home.
• Who qualifies for care: Older adults and adults with physical disabilities who meet Oregon's eligibility for Medicaid in-home services through Aging and People with Disabilities.

Spousal Pay Program

• Who can be paid: The spouse of the person receiving care, enrolled as a homecare worker, who provides most of the authorized service hours. The spouse cannot also be the person's designated representative.
• Who qualifies for care: People eligible for Medicaid in-home services who need full assistance with at least four of six activities of daily living, have a debilitating medical condition (such as late-stage cancer or a spinal cord injury), would otherwise need nursing facility care, and whose needs exceed what one spouse usually does for another.

Independent Choices Program (ICP)

• Type: Medicaid self-direction
• Who can be paid: Employees the participant hires with a cash benefit; a participant's relative may be employed. A designated representative cannot be the paid employee.
• Who qualifies for care: People eligible for Oregon Medicaid in-home services who choose this self-directed cash benefit option.

Are there national programs too?

Yes. Veterans may qualify for VA programs that pay or support family caregivers: Veteran Directed Care and the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers.