How to Get Paid to Care for a Parent in Pennsylvania (2026): Services My Way

ElderHearth offers general information, not financial, tax, or legal advice. Pennsylvania Medicaid long-term care is administered through managed care plans, so confirm the details with the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services or your parent's plan.

If you are caring for an aging parent in Pennsylvania, you can often be paid for it through the state's Medicaid program. The route to get paid to care for a parent in Pennsylvania is Services My Way, the self-direction option under Community HealthChoices (CHC), Pennsylvania's Medicaid managed long-term care program. Services My Way lets your parent hire and direct their own caregiver, and an adult child can be that paid caregiver. 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 Pennsylvania: Services My Way

Services My Way is the participant-directed option within Community HealthChoices, the Medicaid program that covers long-term care for older adults and people with disabilities in Pennsylvania. Under it, your parent directs their own care: they choose the caregiver, set the schedule, and approve the hours, while a financial management agency (Tempus Unlimited) handles payroll and taxes.

Who can be paid follows a common pattern: an adult child, a sibling, or a friend can be hired as the paid direct care worker, but a spouse or a legal guardian generally cannot. So an adult child caring for a parent fits the rules.

What Services My Way pays

Pennsylvania does not publish one statewide caregiver wage. Under Services My Way, your parent has some say in setting the pay within the plan's approved budget, and the number of authorized hours comes from an assessment of how much help your parent needs.

Who qualifies

Both sides of the arrangement have to qualify:

• Your parent must be enrolled in Medicaid through Community HealthChoices. For 2026, that generally means income at or below about $2,982 a month and countable assets under $2,000 for an individual, with the home and one vehicle exempt.
• They must be assessed as needing a nursing-facility level of care.
• You, the caregiver, must pass a background check and complete required training before your hours can be paid.

How to apply in Pennsylvania

The process runs through the state and a CHC plan:

1. Apply for Medicaid long-term care. Contact your county Assistance Office or the state to apply, and request a functional eligibility assessment through the Independent Enrollment Broker.
2. Enroll in a Community HealthChoices plan once eligibility is confirmed.
3. Ask your CHC service coordinator for Services My Way, the participant-directed option.
4. Set up as the caregiver through the financial management agency, completing the background check and training so your hours can be paid.

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

Services My Way 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 Pennsylvania? Often, yes. The main way is Services My Way, the self-direction option under Community HealthChoices, Pennsylvania Medicaid's managed long-term care program. It lets your parent hire a family caregiver such as an adult child, provided your parent qualifies for Medicaid and is assessed as needing a nursing-facility level of care.

Can an adult child be paid to care for a parent in Pennsylvania? Yes. Under Services My Way, an adult child, sibling, or friend can be the paid direct care worker. A spouse or a legal guardian generally cannot be paid.

How much do family caregivers get paid in Pennsylvania? Pennsylvania does not set one rate. Under Services My Way, your parent has some say within the plan's approved budget, and the authorized hours depend on the assessed level of need.

Does Pennsylvania pay family caregivers outside of Medicaid? 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. Pennsylvania does not have a state paid family leave program.

Where to start

The fastest first step is to apply for Medicaid long-term care through your county Assistance Office and request the functional assessment, then enroll in a Community HealthChoices plan and ask your service coordinator for Services My Way. If your parent is a veteran, look at the VA programs in parallel. Setting up to get paid to care for a parent in Pennsylvania takes patience with the paperwork, but it is a real way to keep aging in place affordable.

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

Sources

• Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, Community HealthChoices.
• Pennsylvania Department of Aging, Services and Programs.
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Caregiver Support Program.