Helping Iowa Families Navigate Medicaid's Consumer-Directed Attendant Care
Iowa Medicaid's Consumer-Directed Attendant Care service lets an eligible person receive help at home from a caregiver they know and trust — in many cases a family member, working through a Medicaid-enrolled agency. We help you check if you qualify and match you with a Medicaid-approved agency — free to families.
Eligibility
Final eligibility is determined by Iowa Medicaid — we help you check in seconds.
A paid caregiver must be at least 18, pass a criminal and abuse background check, and be able to perform the services in the service plan. By Iowa rule, the caregiver cannot be the member’s spouse, or the parent or step-parent of a member who is a minor. The caregiver may live in the same home as the person receiving care.
What's Covered
Why Families Use Us
We're not an agency — we're the free service that gets your family to the right Medicaid-approved agency, faster.
You never pay us a cent. We're paid a flat marketing fee by the partner agency — never by you, and never tied to enrollment.
We connect you with a licensed, Medicaid-approved provider agency that serves your area and handles enrollment and caregiver setup.
Our team helps you check eligibility for Iowa's Consumer-Directed Attendant Care (CDAC) and points you to the right next step — at no cost.
How It Works
Three easy steps to get your family the care they need.
Fill out our free 30-second form or call us to see if you qualify through Iowa's Consumer-Directed Attendant Care (CDAC).
We connect you with a Medicaid-approved home care agency in your area that handles enrollment, paperwork, and caregiver setup.
Once approved, your chosen caregiver is paid through Medicaid — and your loved one gets care at home.
The Program
Funded by Medicaid through Iowa Medicaid — helping families care for loved ones at home.
We help eligible Iowa families connect with a Medicaid-approved provider agency.
Eligible families pay nothing out of pocket for enrollment help.
Approved caregivers are paid through the Medicaid program.
Source: Iowa Medicaid / Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, Consumer-Directed Attendant Care (CDAC).
Already Enrolled?
If you already have Iowa Medicaid Medicaid coverage and are receiving services, call for a free consult to see if switching to a different partner agency is right for you.
Call (641) 232-3300We help Iowa families understand the Consumer-Directed Attendant Care (CDAC), check eligibility, and connect with a Medicaid-approved home care provider agency in their area. The provider agency we match you with handles enrollment paperwork, caregiver onboarding, and ongoing program support.
The Home Care Agency is an enrollment matching service. We are not a Medicaid provider agency. We connect eligible Iowa families with licensed Medicaid-approved provider agencies that deliver care. This service is free to families.
Questions
Program Guide
Consumer-Directed Attendant Care (CDAC) is Iowa Medicaid’s service for hands-on help with daily living at home — bathing, dressing, meals, mobility — delivered by a caregiver the member chooses. It is available as a service under Iowa’s home- and community-based services (HCBS) waivers and is administered by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.
For families, the practical meaning is simple: if your loved one qualifies, Medicaid — not your family — pays for the care, and the person providing it can be someone your family already knows and trusts, working through a Medicaid-enrolled agency.
The person needing care must have (or qualify for) Iowa Medicaid and be enrolled in one of Iowa’s HCBS waivers, which confirm through an assessment that the person needs the covered level of care. Attendant care must be included in the person’s service plan by their case manager. Medicare alone does not qualify.
The caregiver must be at least 18, pass a criminal and abuse background check, and be able to perform the services in the plan. By program rule, the member’s spouse — and the parent or step-parent of a member who is a minor — cannot be the paid caregiver.
Since January 1, 2026, Iowa offers two paths. Under agency CDAC, the caregiver you choose is employed by a Medicaid-enrolled agency, which handles payroll, taxes, and program paperwork. Under the Consumer Choices Option (CCO), the member acts as the employer with a monthly budget, hiring their worker directly with the help of a financial management service.
Iowa previously allowed individuals to enroll as independent CDAC providers; that arrangement ended December 31, 2025 following federal guidance. Families who want a relative or friend to provide the care now do it through one of the two paths above. Our free service matches you with a Medicaid-approved agency for the agency path.
Iowa lets the member choose their caregiver: an adult child, sibling, other relative, friend, or neighbor can all serve, and the caregiver may live in the same home as the person receiving care. The two exclusions are the member’s spouse and, for a minor member, a parent or step-parent.
Eligibility for any caregiver is confirmed during enrollment — the agency and the program handle screening, training requirements, and payment.
Program facts on this page last reviewed October 13, 2026. Program rules change — eligibility is always determined by the state program.
Related guide: Can a spouse be paid to be a caregiver? Medicaid rules, state by state
No cost, no obligation — talk to an expert about Iowa's Consumer-Directed Attendant Care (CDAC) today.
Call (641) 232-3300