How to Get Paid to Care for a Parent in Ohio (2026): PASSPORT and More

ElderHearth offers general information, not financial, tax, or legal advice. Ohio is moving to Next Generation MyCare through 2026, so rules are in flux, confirm the current details with the Ohio Department of Medicaid or your Area Agency on Aging.

If you are caring for an aging parent in Ohio, the state's Medicaid program can often pay you for it, and it is more flexible about who counts as family than most states. The main route to get paid to care for a parent in Ohio is the PASSPORT waiver's participant-directed option, which lets your parent hire and direct their own caregiver, including an adult child and, unusually, even a spouse. This guide covers how it works, who qualifies, what it pays, and how to apply.

How to get paid to care for a parent in Ohio: PASSPORT and participant direction

PASSPORT is Ohio's main Medicaid waiver for adults 60 and older who need a nursing-facility level of care but want to stay home. It includes a participant-directed (also called consumer-directed) option, which makes your parent the managing employer: they recruit, hire, train, schedule, and supervise their own caregiver.

Ohio is notably broad about who can be paid. Under participant direction, your parent can hire an adult child, an adult grandchild, a niece or nephew, or another relative, and in many cases even a spouse. That spouse allowance is unusual, since most states exclude spouses. Ohio also offers Structured Family Caregiving through several of its waivers for live-in caregivers, and the Choices program lets enrollees hire their own attendant through participant direction.

One timing note: Ohio launched Next Generation MyCare on January 1, 2026, and is rolling it out statewide through mid-2026, so the program names and administration are shifting. Confirm the current setup for your county.

What Ohio's programs pay

Ohio does not publish one statewide caregiver wage. Under participant direction, pay is set within your parent's approved budget and the program's rate, and the number of authorized hours comes from an assessment of how much help your parent needs. Structured Family Caregiving pays a daily stipend for a live-in caregiver instead of an hourly wage. Confirm the current rate when you enroll.

Who qualifies

Eligibility runs through your parent:

• Your parent must be on Ohio Medicaid and enrolled in a waiver such as PASSPORT, which requires a nursing-facility level of care and, for PASSPORT, age 60 or older.
• You, the caregiver, can be an adult child or other relative, and often a spouse, under the participant-directed option.
• You complete the program's enrollment, including a background check and any required training, through the financial management service.

How to apply in Ohio

The process runs through Medicaid and your Area Agency on Aging:

1. Apply for Ohio Medicaid for your parent if they are not already enrolled.
2. Contact your Area Agency on Aging to request a PASSPORT assessment, which determines the level of care and the services.
3. Ask for the participant-directed (consumer-directed) option so your parent can hire you as the caregiver.
4. Enroll as the caregiver through the financial management service, completing the background check and paperwork. Confirm how the MyCare transition affects your county.

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

PASSPORT 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 Ohio? Often, yes. The main way is the PASSPORT waiver's participant-directed option, which lets your parent hire and direct a family caregiver such as an adult child, and often even a spouse. Your parent must be on Ohio Medicaid and enrolled in a waiver at a nursing-facility level of care.

Can an adult child be paid to care for a parent in Ohio? Yes. Under participant direction, your parent can hire an adult child, another relative, and in many cases a spouse, which is more flexible than most states.

Does Ohio Medicaid pay family caregivers? Yes, mainly through the PASSPORT waiver's participant-directed option, the Choices program, and Structured Family Caregiving for live-in caregivers. The VA also pays family caregivers of eligible veterans. Note that Ohio is transitioning to Next Generation MyCare through 2026.

How much do family caregivers get paid in Ohio? Ohio does not set one rate. Under participant direction, pay is set within your parent's approved budget, and Structured Family Caregiving pays a daily stipend. The authorized hours depend on the assessed level of need, so confirm the current figures.

Where to start

The fastest first step is to make sure your parent is enrolled in Ohio Medicaid, then contact your Area Agency on Aging to request a PASSPORT assessment and ask for the participant-directed option. If your parent is a veteran, look at the VA programs in parallel, and confirm how the 2026 MyCare transition affects your county. Getting set up to get paid to care for a parent in Ohio is a realistic way to keep aging in place affordable.

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

Sources

• Ohio Department of Aging, PASSPORT.
• Ohio Department of Medicaid, MyCare Ohio and Next Generation MyCare.
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Caregiver Support Program.