How to Get Paid to Care for a Parent in Florida (2026): The PDO and More

ElderHearth offers general information, not financial, tax, or legal advice. Florida Medicaid long-term care is administered through managed care plans, so confirm the details with the Florida Department of Elder Affairs (the Elder Helpline, 1-800-963-5337) or your parent's plan.

If you are caring for an aging parent in Florida, you can often be paid for it through the state's Medicaid long-term care program. The route to get paid to care for a parent in Florida is the Participant-Directed Option (PDO) within Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Long-Term Care (SMMC LTC). The PDO lets your parent act as the employer and hire their own caregiver, and Florida is unusually flexible about who that can be, including, in many cases, a spouse. This guide covers how the PDO works, who qualifies, what it pays, and how to apply.

How to get paid to care for a parent in Florida: the Participant-Directed Option

The Participant-Directed Option (PDO) is the self-direction track inside Florida's SMMC Long-Term Care program. Under it, your parent becomes the employer of record: they choose the caregiver, train and schedule them, and approve timesheets, while their managed care plan sets the pay rate and issues payment.

Florida is more permissive than most states about who can be paid. An adult child can be hired, and even a spouse or other legally responsible individual can provide PDO services, as long as the caregiver is qualified, signs a PDO work agreement, and passes a background check. Your parent can live in their own home or in a family member's home. The PDO is offered by every Florida long-term care plan (Humana, Sunshine Health, Aetna Better Health, Simply Healthcare, and Florida Community Care).

What the PDO pays

Florida does not publish one statewide caregiver wage. Under the PDO, the managed care plan sets the fee schedule and makes the payments, and your parent has some say within that budget. The number of authorized hours comes from an assessment of your parent's needs.

Who qualifies

Eligibility turns on your parent:

• Your parent must qualify for Florida Medicaid long-term care, which for 2026 generally means income at or below about $2,982 a month and countable assets under $2,000 for an individual.
• They must be assessed as needing a nursing-facility level of care, through the state's screening process.
• A waitlist can apply. Florida's long-term care program has, at times, had a waiting list, so it is worth getting on it early.
• You, the caregiver, complete the PDO work agreement and background check.

How to apply in Florida

The process runs through the state's aging network and a managed care plan:

1. Call the Elder Helpline at 1-800-963-5337 (the Florida Department of Elder Affairs) to start a screening for long-term care services and get on the list.
2. Complete the assessment (CARES) that determines whether your parent needs a nursing-facility level of care.
3. Enroll in an SMMC Long-Term Care plan and tell the plan you want the Participant-Directed Option.
4. Set up as the caregiver, signing the PDO work agreement and passing the background check so your hours can be paid.

Other ways to get paid to care for a parent in Florida

The PDO is the main path, but not the only one:

• VA programs, if your parent is a veteran, can pay a family caregiver through Veteran-Directed Care or the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers.
• A personal care agreement, if your parent can pay from their own savings, sets the hours, duties, and pay in writing, which matters for family clarity, taxes, and any future Medicaid application.

For the full national picture of every program and how they compare, see our main guide to how to get paid to care for an elderly parent.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get paid to care for my parent in Florida? Often, yes. The main way is the Participant-Directed Option (PDO) within Florida's Medicaid long-term care program, which lets your parent hire a family caregiver, including an adult child and in many cases a spouse. Your parent must qualify for Medicaid long-term care and be assessed as needing a nursing-facility level of care.

Can a family member be paid to care for a parent in Florida? Yes. Under the PDO, an adult child can be hired, and Florida is unusual in allowing even a spouse or other legally responsible individual to be paid, provided they sign the work agreement and pass a background check.

How much do family caregivers get paid in Florida? Florida does not set one rate. Under the PDO, your parent's managed care plan sets the fee schedule and pays the caregiver, with the authorized hours based on the assessed level of need.

Does Florida pay family caregivers outside of the PDO? Yes, in some cases. The VA pays family caregivers of eligible veterans, and a private personal care agreement lets a parent pay you from their own funds. Florida does not have a state paid family leave program.

Where to start

The fastest first step is to call the Elder Helpline at 1-800-963-5337 to begin the long-term care screening and get on the list early, since a waitlist can apply, then ask your plan about the Participant-Directed Option. If your parent is a veteran, look at the VA programs in parallel. Setting up to get paid to care for a parent in Florida takes some patience, but it is a real way to keep aging in place within reach.

If you would like help figuring out where to begin, you are welcome to reach out.

Sources

• Florida Department of Elder Affairs, Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Long-Term Care Program.
• Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, Statewide Medicaid Managed Care.
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Caregiver Support Program.