Getting paid to care for a parent in Idaho
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, grandchildren, other relatives, and friends can be the paid caregiver if they pass a background check, meet Idaho personal-assistant qualifications (Idaho Code 39-5603), and are employed through a licensed Personal Assistance Agency or, under the A&D Waiver's consumer-directed option, through a fiscal intermediary agency. Idaho rule (IDAPA 16.03.10.305/.329) excludes only a participant's spouse and the parent of a minor child.
The spouse question
No — a spouse cannot be the paid caregiver under PCS or the A&D Waiver except in "extraordinary circumstances as defined by the Department," which DHW grants rarely and case-by-case. An adult child caring for a parent is NOT affected by this rule; it only blocks husband-wife pay (and parents of minor children).
Waitlist reality
PCS (state plan): entitlement — no waitlist; the wait is application processing (45-90 days, sometimes up to 3 months). A&D Waiver: enrollment is capped (roughly 15,000 slots/year), so a waitlist is legally possible; Idaho has not historically run long A&D waitlists the way many states waitlist 1915(c) waivers, but check current status with the Bureau of Long Term Care when you call. Idaho's long waitlists are on the DD side, not aged/disabled.
Other doors in Idaho
| Program | What to know |
|---|---|
| Certified Family Homes (CFH) | Idaho's live-in path: you certify YOUR home through DHW as a Certified Family Home, your parent moves in, and Medicaid pays a daily care rate. A relative (not a spouse or legal guardian in most cases) can be the certified provider. Slower to set up but pays for round-the-clock care rather than hourly shifts. Info: healthandwelfare.idaho.gov, search 'Certified Family Homes.' |
| Veteran-Directed Care (VDC) | Available through the Boise VA Medical Center: the veteran gets a monthly budget and can hire family — including a spouse. Ask the Boise VA Caregiver Support Coordinator (va.gov/boise-health-care). |
| VA PCAFC and Aid & Attendance | If your parent is a veteran: PCAFC pays a monthly stipend to a family caregiver of veterans 70%+ service-connected (spouses allowed); Aid & Attendance adds a pension your parent can use to pay you privately. |
| My Voice, My Choice | Idaho's self-direction program — but it is only for the Developmental Disabilities Waiver, not for aging parents. Listed so families don't chase the wrong door. |
| Idaho Commission on Aging — Family Caregiver Support Program | Non-Medicaid help through the six Area Agencies on Aging: respite, supplies, counseling. It does NOT pay ongoing wages. Senior line: 1-800-926-2588. |
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. Apply for Idaho Medicaid: online at idalink.idaho.gov or call DHW at 877-456-1233 (this screens income/assets — 2026 limits roughly $1,047/mo income for PCS, about $3,000/mo for the A&D Waiver, $2,000 assets single).
- 2. Call the Bureau of Long Term Care at 1-877-799-4430 (BLTCCentral@dhw.idaho.gov) and ask for a personal care / A&D Waiver assessment; a nurse assessor scores your parent's needs with the Uniform Assessment Instrument and authorizes weekly hours.
- 3. Tell the assessor you want a specific family member as the caregiver — ask for the consumer-directed option (fiscal intermediary) or pick a licensed Personal Assistance Agency willing to hire your relative.
- 4. The family member completes the agency's hiring process: criminal background check, health screen, and required personal-assistant training.
- 5. Care starts; the caregiver logs hours through Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) and is paid as a W-2 employee of the agency/fiscal intermediary.
Where to start: Idaho DHW Bureau of Long Term Care — 1-877-799-4430 (BLTCCentral@dhw.idaho.gov); Medicaid application: idalink.idaho.gov or 877-456-1233
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- IDAPA 16.03.10.305 — PCS Provider Qualifications (spouse/minor-parent exclusion) — checked 2026-08-04
- IDAPA 16.03.10.329 — A&D Waiver Provider Qualifications (relative rule; fiscal-intermediary employment) — checked 2026-08-04
- Idaho Medicaid Information Release MA25-19 (Oct 16, 2025) — confirms the 4% reduction for non-exempt services effective 9/1/2025, and lists T1019/S5125 at $6.11/15 min among the HCBS rates exempt from that reduction — checked 2026-08-04
- Idaho Medicaid Provider Handbook — HCBS & LTSS (Bureau of Long Term Care contact 1-877-799-4430) — checked 2026-08-04
- Idaho DHW — Self-Directed Services (My Voice, My Choice; DD waiver only) — checked 2026-08-04
- American Council on Aging — Idaho A&D Waiver (2026 financial limits, waitlist, self-direction) — checked 2026-08-04
- American Council on Aging — Idaho State Plan Personal Care Services (16 hrs/week cap, no waitlist) — checked 2026-08-04
- Givers — Get Paid as a Family Caregiver in Idaho (reported $14.19/hr caregiver wage, Jan 2026; secondary) — checked 2026-08-04