Research · Methodology · Version October 19, 2026

How the Family Caregiver Pay Map Is Verified

The map covers all 50 states and the District of Columbia. 51 of 51 are published; the rest show "Under review" until every verdict has an official source behind it.

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.

Process

Identify the program. For each state we identify the Medicaid program or programs through which a family member can be the paid caregiver (state plan services, 1915(c) waivers, 1915(k) Community First Choice, or managed long-term care benefits) and the administering agency.
Read the state's own rule. Each verdict — spouse, other relatives, friends or neighbors, parent of a minor child — is taken from the approved waiver application, the state administrative code, or the state Medicaid or aging agency's official pages. Commercial websites, law-firm summaries and news coverage are never cited.
Record the source and date. Every published state lists its sources with the date accessed and the date the row was last reviewed.
Publish only what is sourced. A state appears with verdicts only when every verdict is sourced. Otherwise it is listed as "Under review".
Re-review. Rows are re-checked when a waiver renews or a rule changes, and at least every six months. The version date on the map is the date of the latest dataset build.

What the map deliberately does not state: pay rates, authorized hours, approval timelines or likelihood of approval, and any ranking of programs or agencies. Those are set case by case by the state and are outside the scope of a rules map.

Vocabulary

Who can be paid

Yes — the state's rules allow this relationship to be the paid caregiver.
In defined cases — allowed only under written conditions (for example extraordinary care needs, no other qualified caregiver, or a specific program pathway). The state page names the condition.
No — the state's rules exclude this relationship.
Not yet verified — not yet checked against an official source.

Who employs the caregiver

Agency employs the caregiver — a licensed or enrolled home care agency hires, trains and pays the family caregiver.
Self-directed (participant is the employer) — the person receiving care, or their representative, is the employer of record.
Agency or self-directed — the state offers both pathways.
Paid through a fiscal intermediary — a financial management service handles payroll; no agency employs the caregiver.
County pays the caregiver / State pays the caregiver — a government entity pays the caregiver directly.

Waitlist

No waitlist — the program serves everyone who qualifies.
Some pathways have a waitlist — at least one pathway in the state has no waitlist and at least one does.
Waitlist / Capped enrollment — enrollment is limited and applicants may wait.

Cite or download

Citation: Family Caregiver Pay Map (version 2026-10-19). The Home Care Agency. https://thehomecareagency.com/research/family-caregiver-pay-map. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0.

Download: family-caregiver-pay-map.csv (published rows, with sources). Journalists and researchers who need the full working file or a state we have not yet published can reach us at (929) 460-3141.