Guides → Illinois

Getting paid to care for a parent in Illinois

Updated 2026-08-10 · Every figure below is dated and sourced · Rules change — confirm with the agency
The short answer: Illinois's door is Home Services Program (HSP) — Personal Assistant option (parent under 60); Community Care Program (CCP) (parent 60+), run by Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Rehabilitation Services (HSP); Illinois Department on Aging (CCP). Pay: HSP Personal Assistant: $20.00/hr statewide base as of July 1, 2026 ($19.50 Jan-Jun 2026), union-negotiated, plus seniority add-ons of +$1 to +$4/hr at 10k/20k/30k lifetime hours; rises to $20.75 on Jan 1, 2027. CCP (60+ door): agency-set; typical 2026 range ~$18-$21/hr (AUAF advertises $21/hr, 2026).

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, friends, and neighbors under both programs. HSP: the parent picks and employs the caregiver directly; excluded are the parent's spouse, and anyone with a legal duty of care. CCP: the family member must get hired as a W-2 employee of a state-contracted home care agency (18+, background check, ~24 hours training); live-in adult children are commonly approved. Caregiver does not need a license or CNA certificate in either program.

The spouse question

HSP (under-60 program): NO — the state cannot pay people with a legal duty of care: spouses, parents of a minor customer, or a minor child of the customer. Adult children are fine. CCP (60+ program): historically no spouses, but provider agencies and program-guide sites report Illinois expanded CCP in April 2026 to allow spouses subject to training/background-check approval — we could not confirm this on an official IDoA page, so ask your CCU directly before relying on it. For a spouse who needs certainty: Veteran-Directed Care allows spouse caregivers.

Waitlist reality

Effectively no formal waitlists on either door. CCP does not keep a waitlist — once the DON assessment (score 29+) and financial screen pass, services are authorized; expect weeks, not years, with delays coming from Medicaid application processing and agency onboarding. HSP must issue a written eligibility decision within 60 days of a completed application; the practical wait is the assessment scheduling and paperwork, typically 1-3 months.

Worth knowing: Illinois splits by age 60, which surprises most families. Under-60 door (HSP): must be under 60 at application (exceptions for HIV/AIDS and brain injury), disability expected to last 12+ months, non-exempt assets $17,500 or less, and must pursue Medicaid; the PA is employed by your parent but paid by the state, with SEIU-negotiated wages. 60+ door (CCP): DON score 29+, assets $17,500 or less (home, one vehicle, furnishings exempt), must apply for Medicaid if eligible; the caregiver is NOT self-directed — you become a W-2 employee of a licensed home care agency, and not every agency hires family, so ask the CCU for one that does. Disqualifiers: assets over $17,500; needing round-the-clock skilled nursing; failing the caregiver background check. Unpaid-hours reality: you are paid only for authorized plan hours (often 20-40/wk), not 24/7. Unconfirmed recent change: several provider agencies and program-guide sites report that in April 2026 Illinois expanded CCP to allow spouses as paid caregivers — we could not confirm this on any official IDoA page; verify with your CCU before counting on it. Illinois has no structured-family-caregiving per-diem program like Georgia's.

Other doors in Illinois

ProgramWhat to know
Community Care Program (CCP) — In-Home ServiceThe main door when the parent is 60+. Family members can be hired as the homecare aide through a licensed agency (background check + ~24 hrs training). Agency-set pay, roughly $18-$21/hr in 2026 (AUAF, a large Chicago provider, advertises $21/hr). Not consumer-directed — the agency is the employer.
Veteran-Directed Care (VDC)Available in Illinois through VA medical centers (including Jesse Brown and Hines in the Chicago area) partnered with Area Agencies on Aging such as AgeGuide. Veteran gets a flexible budget and can hire family, including a spouse. Ask the parent's VA social worker.
VA Aid & Attendance / PCAFCIf the parent is a wartime veteran or surviving spouse, Aid & Attendance adds monthly pension cash that can pay a family caregiver informally; PCAFC pays a stipend but generally only for veterans with service-connected disability.
National Family Caregiver Support ProgramThrough Area Agencies on Aging — respite, counseling, and small gap-filling grants for the caregiver of a 60+ parent. Support money, not wages.

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. Figure out which door you're at: parent 60 or older = Community Care Program (Dept. on Aging); parent under 60 with a lasting disability = Home Services Program (DHS Rehabilitation Services).
  2. For 60+: call the Senior HelpLine at 1-800-252-8966 (711 TRS) and ask for the Care Coordination Unit (CCU) that covers your parent's county, or find it at webapps.illinois.gov/AGE/ProviderProfileSearch. The CCU sends a care coordinator to do the in-home Determination of Need (DON) assessment; your parent needs a score of 29+ and non-exempt assets of $17,500 or less. They must also apply for Medicaid if eligible.
  3. For under 60: call IDHS-DRS at 1-800-843-6154 or submit the DRS online referral. A counselor does an in-home assessment; a written eligibility decision is due within 60 days of a completed application.
  4. Get yourself hired. CCP: tell the CCU you want a family member as the caregiver and ask them to name an in-home service agency that hires family (many do, especially in Chicago); you apply to that agency, pass a background check, and complete about 24 hours of pre-service training. HSP: your parent hires you directly as their Personal Assistant — you fill out the state employment paperwork and the state issues your paychecks.
  5. Start work only after the service plan/authorization is approved — hours worked before approval are not paid. Your paid hours equal the hours in the approved plan, not all the hours you actually help.

Where to start: Parent 60+: IDoA Senior HelpLine, 1-800-252-8966, to find your local Care Coordination Unit (CCU). Parent under 60: IDHS-DRS Help Line, 1-800-843-6154, or the DRS online web referral at dhs.state.il.us

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.