National question: Can a family caregiver get paid? Official programs decide eligibility.
Rhode Island Personal Choice Program / Structured Family Caregiving¶
Rhode Island's Personal Choice program allows Medicaid-eligible participants to direct their own care by hiring and managing personal care attendants. The state also offers Structured Family Caregiving through Careforth for live-in caregivers. Family members can be hired as caregivers, but spouses are excluded. Rhode Island was a Cash & Counseling demonstration state.
Rhode Island's Personal Choice program provides consumer-directed personal care services including help with activities of daily living, health maintenance tasks, and homemaker services. Participants hire and manage their own attendants. Family members can be hired as paid caregivers, but spouses are excluded. Hourly pay rates range from $15-$18/hr. Waitlists are typical for waiver services. Structured Family Caregiving through Careforth is also available. Rhode Island was a Cash & Counseling demonstration state.
Some details for this program are still being verified. Check the official source for the most current information.
Eligibility¶
- Care recipient must have a qualifying disability
- Relationship: parent, child, sibling, grandparent, other relative, non relative
Questions to ask the program¶
These are questions to ask the program, not a verdict on your eligibility. Confirm the current rules directly with the program.
- Does the person receiving care live in Rhode Island? — Residency is usually the first thing a program checks.
- Does your relationship to the person — parent, child, sibling, grandparent, other relative, or non relative — count for this program?
- What counts as a qualifying disability or level of care need, and what documentation shows it?
- Is there a caregiver-specific department, coordinator, or support line? Ask for it by name. — Many agencies have one that isn’t advertised on the website.
- What documents do you need from us to start an application?
- Is there a waitlist right now, and how long is it?
What this record does not yet say¶
- exact income limits by household size
- specific rate schedules
Services¶
Rhode Island's Personal Choice program provides consumer-directed personal care services including help with activities of daily living, health maintenance tasks, and homemaker services. Participants hire and manage their own attendants. Family members can be hired as paid caregivers, but spouses are excluded. Hourly pay rates range from $15-$18/hr. Waitlists are typical for waiver services. Structured Family Caregiving through Careforth is also available. Rhode Island was a Cash & Counseling demonstration state.
How to apply¶
- Apply for Medicaid LTSS through RI DHS (mail the Application for Assistance to the RI Department of Human Services, or call the Aging and Disability Resource Center at 401-462-4444); once approved, select Personal Choice as your service-delivery option with a conflict-free case manager.
Use the official program page for application details: official program page.