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Getting paid to care for a parent in Indiana

Updated 2026-08-10 · Every figure below is dated and sourced · Rules change — confirm with the agency
The short answer: Indiana's door is Structured Family Caregiving (SFC) under the Indiana PathWays for Aging waiver (age 60+) or the Health & Wellness waiver (under 60), run by Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) — Division of Aging / Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning. Pay: Structured Family Caregiving: the state pays the SFC agency a per-diem of $77.54/day (Level 1), $99.71/day (Level 2), $133.44/day (Level 3), effective July 1, 2025. The agency must pass at least 60% through to the caregiver, so the guaranteed caregiver minimum is roughly $46.50-$80.00/day as a tax-reportable stipend (about $17,000-$29,000+/year), with exact take-home set by the agency. Note that the per-diem also covers coach and nurse supervision, training, transportation and respite — it is not a pure caregiver wage. For adults 18 and over, the care manager assigns Level 1, 2 or 3 through a needs-based assessment; the older 1-20 / 21-40 / 41+ attendant-care-hours mapping applied to individuals under 18.

Who can be the paid caregiver

Under SFC: almost any adult who lives (or moves in) with your parent full-time — adult children, spouses, siblings, other relatives, friends, even the power of attorney — as long as they are 18+, pass a criminal background check, and are capable of providing the care. The caregiver is paid a daily stipend through an SFC provider agency, not directly by the state. Under hourly Attendant Care: adult children and other relatives can be hired through an agency, but NOT the spouse or a legal guardian (new arrangements barred since July 1, 2024).

The spouse question

Yes — a spouse CAN be paid, but only through Structured Family Caregiving (FSSA's SFC FAQ confirms spouses may provide SFC and can add it via the care manager at any time). A spouse CANNOT start a new paid Attendant Care (hourly) arrangement — spouses, legal guardians, and parents of minors were barred from new ATTC as of July 1, 2024. Note: this is the spouse of the person receiving care; an adult child caring for a parent is unaffected by the spousal ATTC ban but the parent's spouse is not.

Waitlist reality

Honest answer: yes, real waitlists, and they are long. As of July 2026 (official FSSA count): 11,277 people waiting for PathWays for Aging and 7,002 for the Health & Wellness waiver. Invitations go out monthly — nursing-facility/hospital/CHOICE transitions first, then everyone else by level-of-care assessment date; July 2026 invitations were reaching people assessed by Sept. 2025 (PathWays) and April 2025 (H&W), i.e., roughly a 10-15 month wait for non-priority applicants. Waitlists began April 2024. Track your place at the FSSA online waitlist dashboard (ddrsprovider.fssa.in.gov/ConsumerInfo).

Worth knowing: Big 2024 rule change families must know: since July 1, 2024, spouses, legal guardians, and parents of minors can NO longER start new paid Attendant Care arrangements — Indiana moved family caregivers to Structured Family Caregiving instead. SFC requires the caregiver to LIVE WITH the parent full-time (a shared wall like a duplex counts); if you don't live together, SFC is off the table and you'd look at hourly attendant care through an agency (adult children who don't live in can still do this as agency employees). The SFC stipend is a per-diem, not hourly — no overtime, and it's taxable income paid by the agency. Your SFC tier (1/2/3) is set by how many attendant-care hours per week your parent is approved for (1-20, 21-40, 41+). Disqualifiers: failing the criminal background check; parent not meeting nursing-facility level of care; parent over Medicaid income/asset limits (a Miller trust can fix income overage); caregiver not living in the home. The waitlist is the real bottleneck in Indiana right now — get the level-of-care assessment done as early as possible because invitations go out by assessment date.

Other doors in Indiana

ProgramWhat to know
CHOICE (Community and Home Options to Institutional Care for the Elderly and Disabled)State-funded (non-Medicaid) in-home care through the Area Agencies on Aging for people at risk of nursing-home placement; sliding-scale cost share, no Medicaid required. It generally pays agencies rather than family members, but it is the main bridge while waitlisted — and CHOICE clients get priority for waiver invitations. Apply through your AAA (800-713-9023).
Attendant Care (ATTC) through an agencyHourly personal care under the same waivers. Adult children, siblings, other relatives, friends can be hired by a home-care agency (state pays agencies $34.36/hr as of July 1, 2025; at least 70% must go to direct-care compensation, so worker wages commonly land around $15-20/hr). Spouses and legal guardians cannot start new ATTC arrangements as of July 1, 2024.
Veteran-Directed Care (VDC)Available through Indiana VA medical centers including Richard L. Roudebush VAMC (Indianapolis), run with the Area Agencies on Aging. Veteran gets a flexible budget and can hire family, including a spouse. Ask the VA social worker or call Roudebush at 317-554-0000.
VA Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC)For eligible veterans; monthly stipend to a family caregiver (spouse or adult child) based on the federal GS-4 Step 1 rate for the locality. Apply via VA Form 10-10CG or the VA Caregiver Support Line 855-260-3274.

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 800-713-9023 (FSSA Division of Aging) to reach your local Area Agency on Aging (AAA) — they are the front door for both waivers and the CHOICE program.
  2. Ask the AAA for a level-of-care assessment (your parent must need a nursing-facility level of care) and to be placed on the waiver waitlist — PathWays for Aging if your parent is 60+, Health & Wellness waiver if under 60. The assessment date sets your place in line, so do this immediately.
  3. Apply for Indiana Medicaid at the same time if your parent isn't enrolled (fssabenefits.in.gov or 800-403-0864) — roughly $2,982/month income and $2,000 asset limits for 2025-2026 long-term-care Medicaid.
  4. While waitlisted, ask the AAA about the CHOICE program as a bridge — CHOICE clients also get priority for waiver invitations.
  5. Once invited off the waitlist and enrolled, tell the care manager (your PathWays plan's care coordinator — Anthem, Humana, or UnitedHealthcare — or the H&W waiver case manager) you want Structured Family Caregiving, and pick an SFC provider agency that hires you as the caregiver.
  6. The agency runs your background check, and you start receiving the daily stipend plus coaching/oversight from the agency's nurse.

Where to start: Your local Area Agency on Aging (INconnect Alliance) — call FSSA Division of Aging toll-free at 800-713-9023 to be connected, or find your AAA at https://www.in.gov/fssa/da/area-agencies-on-aging/

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.