Speak with a Medicaid home-care expert Free & no obligation Call (929) 460-3141
(929) 460-3141

Family Caregiver Pay Map · Rhode Island · Verified October 19, 2026

Rhode Island: Who Can Be a Paid Family Caregiver Under Medicaid

Rhode Island's Personal Choice program lets a Medicaid long-term care member hire a relative, friend or neighbor as the personal care attendant through a fiscal intermediary, and RIte @Home pays a live-in caregiver through a contracted agency; neither pays the spouse.

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

Who can be paid: Adult children, siblings, other relatives, friends and neighbors hired by the participant, or a live-in relative, neighbor or friend under RIte @Home; not a spouse, the participant's representative, legal guardian, financial power of attorney or representative payee.

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

Personal Choice program

Administered by Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services.

  • Who employs the caregiver: Self-directed (participant is the employer)
  • Waitlist: No waitlist
  • Type: State plan entitlement (serves everyone who qualifies)
  • The participant is the employer and an EOHHS-certified fiscal intermediary runs payroll; the Independent Provider program merged into Personal Choice in 2024

RIte @Home (shared living)

Administered by Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services.

  • Who employs the caregiver: Agency employs the caregiver
  • Waitlist: No waitlist
  • A contracted agency matches the member with a live-in caregiver who receives a stipend

How to apply in Rhode Island

We do not yet have partner agencies in Rhode Island. Start with the program's administering agency — Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services — 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 Rhode Island

Can a spouse be paid to care for their husband or wife in Rhode Island?
No. Rhode Island's rules exclude the spouse from being the paid caregiver; other family members usually can be.
Who can be the paid caregiver in Rhode Island?
Adult children, siblings, other relatives, friends and neighbors hired by the participant, or a live-in relative, neighbor or friend under RIte @Home; not a spouse, the participant's representative, legal guardian, financial power of attorney or representative payee.
Is there a waitlist for Medicaid home care in Rhode Island?
Personal Choice program: no waitlist (The participant is the employer and an EOHHS-certified fiscal intermediary runs payroll; the Independent Provider program merged into Personal Choice in 2024). RIte @Home (shared living): no waitlist (A contracted agency matches the member with a live-in caregiver who receives a stipend).
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.