Guides → Colorado

Getting paid to care for a parent in Colorado

Updated 2026-08-10 · Every figure below is dated and sourced · Rules change — confirm with the agency
The short answer: Colorado's door is CDASS (Consumer-Directed Attendant Support Services) and IHSS (In-Home Support Services) — both now delivered under Community First Choice (CFC), Colorado Medicaid's state-plan attendant care benefit launched July 1, 2025, run by Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF) — Health First Colorado (Colorado's Medicaid program). Pay: CDASS reimbursement is currently about $6.71-$6.95 per 15 min for personal care (~$27-28/hr) and $9.42-$9.52 per 15 min for health maintenance (~$38/hr), per the CFC Fee Schedule effective Oct 1, 2025 (rates were cut 2% from the July 2025 schedule's $7.06/$9.67). The $17-$25/hr realistic attendant wage range and the $17.00 base wage floor ($19.29 Denver, $18.17 Edgewater, eff. Jan 1, 2026) remain correct.

Who can be the paid caregiver

Adult children, siblings, other relatives, friends — and spouses. Colorado is one of the more generous states: under CDASS the member (or their Authorized Representative) hires whoever they choose, including family. Under IHSS a home health agency employs the family member. One catch: in CDASS, the person serving as the member's Authorized Representative cannot also be the paid attendant — one person can't hold both roles.

The spouse question

Yes, spouses can be paid under both CDASS and IHSS — unusual among states. Since the Community First Choice launch (July 2025), legally responsible individuals including spouses may be paid attendants. Family/spouse attendants under IHSS are generally capped around 40 hrs/week (per program guides; confirm your cap with the agency). Live-in family caregivers may also exclude these wages from federal income tax under IRS Notice 2014-7 (difficulty-of-care) — HCPF issued memos on this in 2025-2026; talk to a tax advisor.

Waitlist reality

Genuinely good news: none for attendant care. Community First Choice is a state-plan entitlement — if your parent qualifies, they get it; there is no waitlist by design. Colorado's adult HCBS waivers that add extra services (like the EBD waiver for people 65+/disabled) also have no waitlist for elderly adults. The wait you WILL feel is processing time: Medicaid financial approval plus the functional (level-of-care) assessment by the Case Management Agency typically takes several weeks to a few months.

Worth knowing: Big recent change: on July 1, 2025 Colorado moved personal care, homemaker, and health maintenance services (including the CDASS and IHSS delivery options) into Community First Choice, a state-plan entitlement — older articles describing these as 'waiver services' with waiver-only access are outdated; existing waiver members were transitioned through June 2026. Disqualifiers to be honest about: your parent must actually qualify for Health First Colorado financially (assets under ~$2,000 single; there is a 5-year look-back on asset transfers for long-term care) AND be assessed as needing nursing-facility level of care — a parent who just needs light help around the house will not score in. In CDASS, the Authorized Representative cannot also be the paid attendant, so if you manage the budget for a parent with dementia, a different family member must be the paid caregiver (or vice versa). Wages are W-2 employment through the FMS vendor or IHSS agency; live-in caregivers can often exclude them from federal income tax under IRS Notice 2014-7. Two details rated 'confirm locally': the exact 40-hr/week cap on family attendants under IHSS comes from program guides rather than a rule page we could fetch, and typical CDASS take-home wages above the $17.00 floor depend on each member's monthly allocation.

Other doors in Colorado

ProgramWhat to know
Family CNA program (Medicaid Home Health)If your parent needs skilled-level care, a family member can get certified as a nurse aide (CNA) and be paid by a home health agency for the skilled tasks. More training upfront, but pays for care CDASS hours don't cover. Ask HCPF or a home health agency about the Family CNA pathway.
Veteran-Directed Care (VDC)Available through VA Eastern Colorado and Western Colorado health care systems, run with Area Agencies on Aging (DRCOG AAA in the Denver metro). Veteran gets a flexible budget and can hire family, including a spouse. Start with your VA social worker or County Veterans Service Office.
VA Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC)Monthly stipend to the family caregiver of a veteran with a 70%+ service-connected rating. Apply at caregiver.va.gov or 1-855-260-3274.
Colorado FAMLI (paid family leave)Not caregiver wages, but if you're employed you can take up to 12 weeks of state-paid leave (partial wage replacement) to care for a seriously ill parent. famli.colorado.gov.
Home Care Allowance (HCA)Small county-administered state cash grant (not Medicaid) that helps some low-income adults pay a caregiver when they don't qualify for Medicaid attendant care. Apply through county Human Services; funds are limited.
Area Agency on Aging caregiver supportRespite hours, counseling, and sometimes small grants via the National Family Caregiver Support Program — support, not a paycheck. Find yours at 1-844-265-2372 (Colorado ADRC).

Wartime veteran or surviving spouse in the family? VA Aid & Attendance stacks on top of state programs — see the national guide.

How to apply — step by step

  1. 1. If your parent is NOT yet on Health First Colorado (Medicaid): apply at CO.gov/PEAK (co.gov/PEAK) or through your county Human Services office. For long-term care, financial rules are roughly income under ~$2,900/mo (waiver path, 300% of SSI) or ~$994/mo (regular state-plan path) and assets under $2,000 for a single person — a Medicaid planner can help if they're over.
  2. roughly income under $2,982/mo in 2026 (300% of SSI) for the waiver/long-term-care path, or ~$994/mo regular state-plan path; assets under $2,000 single (both confirmed for 2026).
  3. 3. The CMA does a functional assessment to confirm your parent needs nursing-facility level of care, then writes the care plan and authorizes attendant hours under Community First Choice.
  4. 4. Choose the delivery model: CDASS (your parent or an Authorized Representative is the employer, you set the wage, a Financial Management Services vendor runs payroll) or IHSS (an approved home health agency employs you and handles paperwork).
  5. 5. For CDASS: complete the required training and readiness assessment through Consumer Direct Colorado (consumerdirectco.com), pick an FMS vendor, enroll as the attendant, and start logging hours. For IHSS: enroll as an attendant with an IHSS agency in your area.
  6. 6. First paycheck usually lands within a few weeks of enrollment paperwork clearing; wages are W-2.

Where to start: Health First Colorado Member Contact Center: 1-800-221-3943 (State Relay 711); local Case Management Agency directory: hcpf.colorado.gov/case-management-agency-directory; CDASS training/questions: Consumer Direct Colorado, consumerdirectco.com

Do it yourself vs. get help

Free, accredited help first, always: your Area Agency on Aging (eldercare.acl.gov) walks families through these applications at no charge, and your county Veterans Service Officer files VA claims free. Where Resbit fits: if you're working a job and don't have hours for hold music, Resbit finds what your family qualifies for, fills out the paperwork down to the signature line, and does the chasing — flat $49/month, and the screener that starts it is free.

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Sources & dates checked: Program rules and payment rates change. Everything here is educational — real eligibility is decided by the agencies, based on your family's details.