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

Vermont: Who Can Be a Paid Family Caregiver Under Medicaid

Vermont's Choices for Care lets a participant or surrogate hire relatives and friends as personal care workers through the fiscal/employer agent, or use an agency or an Adult Family Care home; a spouse may be paid for personal care under the state's spouse-caregiver guidelines, and only the Highest Needs group is exempt from a waiting list.

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

Who can be paid: Adult children, other relatives, friends and neighbors hired by the participant or surrogate employer; a spouse for personal care tasks only, under the state's spouse-caregiver guidelines; not the surrogate employer or a legal guardian.

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

Choices for Care — consumer/surrogate-directed home-based option and Flexible Choices

Administered by Vermont Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living.

  • Who employs the caregiver: Agency or self-directed
  • Waitlist: Some pathways have a waitlist
  • Type: State plan entitlement (serves everyone who qualifies)
  • High and Highest Needs participants may use agency personal care or hire their own workers through the fiscal/employer agent; only the Highest Needs group is exempt from a wait list

Choices for Care — Adult Family Care (shared living)

Administered by Vermont DAIL (authorized agencies).

  • Who employs the caregiver: Agency employs the caregiver
  • Waitlist: Some pathways have a waitlist
  • Around-the-clock care by an approved home provider managed by a DAIL-authorized agency

Attendant Services Program

Administered by Vermont DAIL.

  • Who employs the caregiver: Self-directed (participant is the employer)
  • Waitlist: Waitlist
  • Participant-directed attendant care; Medicaid-funded attendant care cannot pay a spouse

How to apply in Vermont

We do not yet have partner agencies in Vermont. Start with the program's administering agency — Vermont Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living — 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 Vermont

Can a spouse be paid to care for their husband or wife in Vermont?
In defined cases. Vermont allows a spouse to be the paid caregiver only under conditions written into its rules; see the summary and sources on this page.
Who can be the paid caregiver in Vermont?
Adult children, other relatives, friends and neighbors hired by the participant or surrogate employer; a spouse for personal care tasks only, under the state's spouse-caregiver guidelines; not the surrogate employer or a legal guardian.
Is there a waitlist for Medicaid home care in Vermont?
Choices for Care — consumer/surrogate-directed home-based option and Flexible Choices: some pathways have a waitlist (High and Highest Needs participants may use agency personal care or hire their own workers through the fiscal/employer agent; only the Highest Needs group is exempt from a wait list). Choices for Care — Adult Family Care (shared living): some pathways have a waitlist (Around-the-clock care by an approved home provider managed by a DAIL-authorized agency). Attendant Services Program: waitlist (Participant-directed attendant care; Medicaid-funded attendant care cannot pay a spouse).
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.