Getting paid to care for a family member in Washington
Yes.
In Washington, a family member can be paid to give care through Paid Family Caregiver (Individual Provider) and WA Cares Fund. A spouse can be paid through WA Cares Fund.
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Medicaid self-directed care
Paid Family Caregiver (Individual Provider)
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Who qualifies
The person receiving care must qualify for Medicaid Long-Term Services and Supports. That generally means adults 18 or older who need help with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, eating, using the bathroom, moving around or taking medications, and who meet both the program's financial rules and its care-needs assessment.
Age or income alone does not guarantee approval. Eligibility is reviewed every year and whenever your situation changes.
Yes.
Yes. Family members who provide care to a relative can become paid caregivers if the person receiving care qualifies for Medicaid Long-Term Services and Supports. Consumer Direct Care Network Washington employs them as Individual Providers.
Most paid family caregivers must complete 35 hours of training, including five hours of Orientation and Safety training during hiring, within 120 days of hire. Requirements vary by your relationship to the person you care for.
No.
No. Under Apple Health and the Long-Term Services and Supports program, you cannot be paid to provide care for your spouse.
DSHS names two exceptions outside Medicaid: Veteran Directed Care may let you be hired if your spouse is a veteran who qualifies, and WA Cares lets spouses be paid when the person receiving care has earned WA Cares benefits and meets the level of need.
Washington workers who have earned WA Cares benefits through payroll contributions and who need help with three or more activities of daily living, expected to last at least 90 days. Full benefits ($36,500, growing with inflation) come through the permanent pathway or the temporary pathway (contributions in at least 3 of the past 6 years when you apply); people born before 1968 can earn partial benefits of $3,650 for each year they contributed.
A year counts if you worked at least 500 hours. Washington workers began contributing July 1, 2023. People with an approved WA Cares exemption cannot qualify.
Yes.
Yes. If your loved one has WA Cares benefits, they can use them to pay you for the time you spend giving care, once you become an employee of Consumer Direct Care Network Washington or a home care agency registered with WA Cares. You are paid through that employer, not directly by your loved one.
An authorized user who helps manage your loved one's benefits should not also be paid to provide their care.
Yes.
Yes. WA Cares allows spouses to be paid caregivers if the person receiving care has earned WA Cares benefits and meets the required level of need.
Apply for Long-Term Services and Supports online through Washington Connection, by calling Home and Community Services Intake, or by picking up an application at your local Home and Community Services office. The process includes a financial review and a personal care needs assessment with a social services worker.
Create a WA Cares benefits account through SecureAccess Washington and apply online, or call for help applying by phone. Your local Area Agency on Aging can help in person, by appointment. WA Cares checks your contribution history, then meets with you in person or by phone about your care needs, and sends a letter saying whether you are approved.
