Getting paid to care for a parent in District of Columbia
One or more details on this page could not be fully confirmed against official sources at publish time — confirm specifics with the agency below.
Who can be the paid caregiver
Adult children, siblings, other relatives, and friends can be hired as the Participant-Directed Worker (PDW) — the parent (or their authorized representative) is the legal employer. The worker must pass a background check and complete enrollment through the program's fiscal management contractor. Spouses and legally responsible relatives are excluded.
The spouse question
No — spouses cannot be paid under Services My Way. Three independent program-guide sources (Medicaid Planning Assistance, Paying for Senior Care, GT Independence) consistently state spouses are excluded; DHCF's own pages do not spell this out, so confirm on the intake call. An adult child caring for a parent — the typical Resbit case — is fine.
Waitlist reality
EPD Waiver is capped (roughly 6,360 slots/year), so it is not an entitlement and a first-come, first-served waitlist can form when full; historically DC slots have generally been available, unlike many states' waivers. Processing takes up to 3 months or longer. Services My Way requires active EPD enrollment first. DC's regular state-plan Personal Care Aide benefit (agency-employed aides, up to 8 hrs/day) has no waitlist but does not self-direct pay to family.
Other doors in District of Columbia
| Program | What to know |
|---|---|
| DC Caregivers' Institute (DCCI) | DACL-funded, run by Home Care Partners — not wages, but a Caregiver Flex Account that reimburses pre-approved caregiving expenses, plus respite (including reimbursing a family/friend respite helper), case management, and training. For unpaid caregivers of DC residents 60+ or adults 18-59 with disabilities. Intake: (202) 464-1513. |
| Veteran-Directed Care (VDC) | Available through the Washington DC VA Medical Center. Veteran gets a flexible budget and can hire family, including in some cases a spouse; secondary sources cite roughly $8-21/hr. Ask the VA social worker at (202) 745-8000. |
| VA PCAFC and Aid & Attendance | PCAFC pays a monthly stipend to caregivers of eligible veterans; Aid & Attendance adds pension money a veteran can use to pay a family caregiver. |
| DC Paid Family Leave | Not caregiving pay per se, but DC employees can take up to 12 weeks of partially paid family leave to care for a parent with a serious health condition (dcpaidfamilyleave.dc.gov). |
| State-plan Personal Care Aide services | No waitlist, up to 8 hrs/day through a home health agency; a relative could work through an agency only if hired and qualified as an aide — not a self-directed path. DC has no structured family caregiving / adult foster care per-diem program for this population. |
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. Call DACL's Aging and Disability Resource Center / Medicaid Enrollment Services unit at (202) 724-5626 (500 K St NE) and say you want to apply for the EPD Waiver so a family member can be the paid caregiver.
- 2. Get a prescription/order for long-term care from a DC Medicaid-enrolled doctor; Liberty Healthcare (DHCF's contractor) then does the in-home level-of-care assessment (must need nursing-facility level of care).
- 3. Submit the Long-Term Care Medicaid application (2026 limits: income about $2,982/month, assets $4,000 single) — DACL helps assemble and file it; expect up to 3 months.
- 4. Once enrolled in the EPD Waiver, tell your case manager you want Services My Way; they amend the care plan (PCSP) to add participant-direction.
- 5. The fiscal management contractor (Consumer Direct DC; GT Independence for UnitedHealthcare dual-eligible members) enrolls your parent as employer and you as the paid worker — background check, payroll paperwork — and you begin logging paid hours.
Where to start: DACL Aging and Disability Resource Center / Medicaid Enrollment Services, (202) 724-5626, 500 K Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 — https://dacl.dc.gov/service/epd-waiver. DHCF Long Term Care Administration: (202) 442-5988.
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.
Free · 10 questions · No account needed · Honest when the answer is "not yet"
Try the free screener Join the waitlist- DHCF — EPD Waiver Services / Services My Way — checked 2026-08-04
- DHCF Transmittal #24-39 — PCA rate $25.52/hr effective 1/1/2025 (PDF) — checked 2026-08-04
- DACL — EPD Waiver enrollment page — checked 2026-08-04
- DHCF — EPD Waiver Participant Handbook (Services My Way section) — checked 2026-08-04
- Medicaid Planning Assistance — DC EPD Waiver (spouse exclusion, 2026 financial limits, slots) — checked 2026-08-04
- Paying for Senior Care — DC EPD Waiver / Services My Way — checked 2026-08-04
- GT Independence — Services My Way DC (family yes, spouse no) — checked 2026-08-04
- Home Care Partners — DC Caregivers' Institute — checked 2026-08-04
- Givers — Get paid as a family caregiver in DC (rate corroboration) — checked 2026-08-04