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Family Caregiver Pay Map · Massachusetts · Verified October 19, 2026

Massachusetts: Who Can Be a Paid Family Caregiver Under Medicaid

Massachusetts pays a live-in caregiver, related or not, through MassHealth Adult Foster Care provider agencies, and lets Personal Care Attendant members hire their own attendants; both programs exclude the spouse, the parent of a minor and any legally responsible relative.

Spouse
No
Adult child / other relatives
Yes
Friends / neighbors
Yes
Parent of a minor child
No

Who can be paid: Adult children, siblings, grandchildren and other relatives who live with the member, or unrelated live-in caregivers, under Adult Foster Care; relatives and friends hired as personal care attendants; never a spouse, a legal guardian or the parent of a minor child.

The Home Care Agency is a free enrollment matching service — not a home care agency, not a Medicaid plan, and not a government agency. This research is educational. Eligibility, authorized hours and payment are always determined by the state program and, where applicable, the managed care plan.

The programs behind the answer

Adult Foster Care (AFC)

Administered by MassHealth.

  • Who employs the caregiver: Agency employs the caregiver
  • Waitlist: No waitlist
  • Type: State plan entitlement (serves everyone who qualifies)
  • A MassHealth-enrolled AFC provider agency pays a live-in caregiver, related or unrelated, a stipend

Personal Care Attendant (PCA) program

Administered by MassHealth.

  • Who employs the caregiver: Self-directed (participant is the employer)
  • Waitlist: No waitlist
  • Type: State plan entitlement (serves everyone who qualifies)
  • The member or surrogate is the employer; a MassHealth-contracted fiscal intermediary runs payroll

How to apply in Massachusetts

We do not yet have partner agencies in Massachusetts. Start with the program's administering agency — MassHealth — using the official sources below; the state determines eligibility and enrolls participants.

Official sources

Facts on this page were last reviewed October 19, 2026 against the sources above. Program rules change; confirm with the program before making decisions. Method: how the Pay Map is verified.

Questions

Questions About Paid Family Caregiving in Massachusetts

Can a spouse be paid to care for their husband or wife in Massachusetts?
No. Massachusetts's rules exclude the spouse from being the paid caregiver; other family members usually can be.
Who can be the paid caregiver in Massachusetts?
Adult children, siblings, grandchildren and other relatives who live with the member, or unrelated live-in caregivers, under Adult Foster Care; relatives and friends hired as personal care attendants; never a spouse, a legal guardian or the parent of a minor child.
Is there a waitlist for Medicaid home care in Massachusetts?
Adult Foster Care (AFC): no waitlist (A MassHealth-enrolled AFC provider agency pays a live-in caregiver, related or unrelated, a stipend). Personal Care Attendant (PCA) program: no waitlist (The member or surrogate is the employer; a MassHealth-contracted fiscal intermediary runs payroll).
Who decides eligibility?
The state program, never The Home Care Agency. The Home Care Agency is a free enrollment matching service — not a home care agency, not a Medicaid plan, and not a government agency. This research is educational. Eligibility, authorized hours and payment are always determined by the state program and, where applicable, the managed care plan.