Get Paid to Care for Your Elderly Parent in Delaware
Delaware delivers long-term care through the managed Diamond State Health Plan-Plus, which offers a consumer-directed option for personal and attendant care so participants can hire their own caregiver. Unusually, Delaware allows both spouses and adult children to be hired and paid, with a financial management agency handling payroll and taxes.
This guide covers what Delaware family caregivers need to know: the program structure, pay rates, who can be paid, eligibility, how to apply, and other programs that may supplement your income.
Delaware pays family caregivers $13–$21 per hour through the Diamond State Health Plan-Plus self-directed Personal/Attendant Care option within the Diamond State Health Plan-Plus (1115 managed long-term services and supports). Your parent must meet a nursing-facility level of care but prefer to remain at home.
Delaware's Main Program: Diamond State Health Plan-Plus self-directed Personal/Attendant Care
Diamond State Health Plan-Plus self-directed Personal/Attendant Care is a self-directed option within Delaware's Diamond State Health Plan-Plus (1115 managed long-term services and supports), which provides home and community-based care for seniors and adults with disabilities who meet a nursing-facility level of need. Under self-direction, your parent (or you as their authorized representative) can hire, train, schedule, and supervise the personal-care attendant, and that attendant can be you, an adult child.
What the Program Pays For
Authorized self-directed services typically include:
- Personal care: bathing, grooming, dressing, oral hygiene
- Toileting assistance and incontinence care
- Mobility help: transferring, positioning, ambulation support
- Meal preparation and feeding assistance
- Light housekeeping directly related to health and safety
- Medication reminders (not administration, which requires a nurse)
- Supervision for individuals with cognitive impairment, including dementia
Pay Rates Across Delaware
| Region | Typical Hourly Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Wilmington / New Castle County | $16–$21/hr | Urban wage area; rates trend toward the top of the range |
| Dover / Kent County | $14–$19/hr | Mid-range under the DSHP-Plus self-directed budget |
| Sussex County (Georgetown / coastal) | $13–$18/hr | Rate set by assessed need and the MCO's self-direction pay scale |
Rates are set within the participant's approved plan-of-care budget and the state's limits; the figures above are typical ranges, not guarantees.
Who Can Be Paid
Both spouses and adult children may be hired and paid as caregivers under Delaware's consumer-directed option. Always confirm the current rules with Delaware Division of Medicaid & Medical Assistance (DMMA) before you count on a specific arrangement.
Eligibility Requirements
Your Parent Must:
- Be enrolled in full Delaware Medicaid (not just a savings program)
- Meet the clinical criteria for a nursing-facility level of care
- Be enrolled in the Diamond State Health Plan-Plus (1115 managed long-term services and supports) (or its self-directed option)
- Live in Delaware in a community setting (not a nursing home)
- Be able to direct their own care, or have a legal/authorized representative who can
You (the Caregiver) Must:
- Be 18 years of age or older
- Meet the program's relationship rules (see above)
- Pass a criminal background check and registry search
- Complete any required caregiver orientation and training
- Be legally authorized to work in the United States
- Submit timesheets through a financial management agency
How to Apply: Step-by-Step
- Apply for Delaware Medicaid. Apply online at dhss.delaware.gov/dmma/dshpplus or call 1-866-843-7212. Your parent must meet income and asset limits.
- Request a long-term-services assessment. Contact your local Medicaid or aging office to request a comprehensive functional assessment that determines whether your parent qualifies for the Diamond State Health Plan-Plus (1115 managed long-term services and supports).
- Enroll in the waiver. Once deemed eligible, your parent is enrolled in the Diamond State Health Plan-Plus (1115 managed long-term services and supports) and assigned a case manager or care coordinator.
- Request the self-directed (DSHP-Plus) option. During care planning, ask specifically for the consumer/self-directed service model and state that you, the adult child, want to be the hired caregiver.
- Enroll with a financial management agency. Complete enrollment paperwork, W-4, I-9, and background authorization, so payroll, tax withholding, and timesheets are handled for you.
- Complete orientation. Finish any state-required caregiver orientation covering personal-care techniques, emergency procedures, and reporting.
- Begin care and submit timesheets. Provide care per the authorized plan and submit electronic timesheets; payroll is processed on a regular cycle with taxes withheld.
Check Your Parent's Eligibility
Our free Benefits Checker helps identify whether your parent qualifies for Delaware's caregiver-pay programs and other benefits.
Check Eligibility NowOther Programs That May Pay Delaware Family Caregivers
VA Veteran-Directed Care & PCAFC
If your parent is a veteran enrolled in VA healthcare, the Veteran-Directed Care program provides a monthly budget that can pay family caregivers, and the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) offers a monthly stipend for eligible primary caregivers. Contact the caregiver support coordinator at your parent's VA medical center or call 1-855-260-3274.
Personal Care Agreement (Private Pay)
If your parent does not qualify for Medicaid, a formal written Personal Care Agreement lets them pay you from their own funds at fair-market rates. Drafted with an elder-law attorney, it must be prospective and reasonable, and it keeps payments from being treated as "gifts" during the Medicaid 5-year look-back.
State Respite & Caregiver Support
Through the National Family Caregiver Support Program, Delaware's Area Agencies on Aging fund respite, training, and counseling. These rarely pay ongoing wages but reduce your out-of-pocket costs. Find your local agency through the Eldercare Locator (1-800-677-1116) or 1-800-223-9074.
Tax Implications for Family Caregivers
- W-2 wages: The financial management agency issues you a W-2; federal income tax, Social Security, and Medicare are withheld.
- IRS Notice 2014-7: If you live in the same home as your parent (the Medicaid waiver participant), your self-directed wages may be excludable from federal gross income. Consult a CPA before filing, see IRS guidance on Medicaid waiver payments.
- Earned Income Tax Credit: These wages count as earned income and may qualify you for the EITC.
Maintain daily logs of services provided, date, time in, time out, and a brief description. Medicaid audits self-directed arrangements, and accurate records protect both you and your parent.
What Delaware Caregivers Are Actually Earning
At 30 hours per week and about $17 per hour, you would earn roughly $2,210 per month. At 40 hours per week and $21 per hour, earnings reach about $3,640 per month, around $43,680 per year before taxes.
For comparison, a nursing home costs far more per year, and agency home care runs roughly $30–$40 per hour. A self-directed arrangement lets your parent receive care from someone they trust, while you earn income that partially replaces what you may have given up to provide care.
Contact Information
- Delaware Division of Medicaid & Medical Assistance (DMMA): dhss.delaware.gov/dmma | 1-866-843-7212
- Apply for Medicaid: dhss.delaware.gov/dmma/dshpplus
- State aging services: dhss.delaware.gov/dsaapd | 1-800-223-9074
- Eldercare Locator (find local help): eldercare.acl.gov | 1-800-677-1116
- Medicaid (federal): medicaid.gov
Frequently Asked Questions
Family caregivers in Delaware generally earn about $13–$21 per hour, with the highest rates in Wilmington, Dover, and Newark. The exact pay depends on the assessed care level and the managed-care plan's self-directed budget.
DSHP-Plus is Delaware's managed Medicaid long-term care program covering nursing-home, assisted-living, and home and community-based services. It includes a self-directed (consumer-directed) option that lets participants hire and pay their own personal-care attendants.
Yes. Delaware is one of the states that allows a spouse to be hired and paid under the DSHP-Plus consumer-directed option, along with adult children and other relatives. A financial management agency processes the wages and taxes.
The Diamond State Health Plan-Plus (DSHP-Plus) program, operated under Delaware's 1115 managed long-term care demonstration, lets family caregivers be paid through its self-directed attendant-care benefit.
Request an application packet from the DMMA Central Intake Unit at 1-866-940-8963, or call Medicaid Customer Relations at 1-866-843-7212. After enrollment in DSHP-Plus, you choose a managed-care plan and a financial management service to set up self-directed caregiver pay.
Yes. If your parent qualifies for DSHP-Plus long-term care, dementia-related personal and attendant care is covered, and you can be hired through the self-directed option. Delaware even allows spouses, so adult children clearly qualify.
Related Guides
- How to Get Paid to Care for Your Parent (National Overview)
- How to Apply for Medicaid for an Elderly Parent
- Caregiver Tax Deductions 2026
- VA Benefits for Elderly Parents
- Power of Attorney for an Elderly Parent
- Medicaid Spend-Down Rules
This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. Program names, pay rates, and eligibility rules change and vary by county, confirm details with Delaware Division of Medicaid & Medical Assistance (DMMA). Sources: dhss.delaware.gov · dhss.delaware.gov.