Get Paid to Care for Your Elderly Parent in Louisiana
Louisiana's Community Choices Waiver includes a self-direction option that lets a participant hire an adult child or other relative (not a spouse) as a paid personal-care worker, with a financial management agency handling payroll. The companion LT-PCS program uses licensed agencies and does not allow participant-hired family caregivers.
This guide covers what Louisiana 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.
Louisiana pays family caregivers $11–$16 per hour through the Community Choices Waiver — Self-Direction option within the Community Choices Waiver (CCW). Your parent must meet a nursing-facility level of care but prefer to remain at home.
Louisiana's Main Program: Community Choices Waiver — Self-Direction
Community Choices Waiver — Self-Direction is a self-directed option within Louisiana's Community Choices Waiver (CCW), 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 Louisiana
| Region | Typical Hourly Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| New Orleans Metro | $12–$16/hr | Self-directed CCW personal care; rates vary by approved plan-of-care budget |
| Baton Rouge | $11–$15/hr | Hire an adult child or relative through financial management services |
| Shreveport / North LA | $11–$15/hr | Apply via Louisiana Options in Long Term Care intake |
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
An adult child or other relative may be hired as a paid caregiver, but a spouse cannot be paid under the Community Choices Waiver self-direction option. Always confirm the current rules with Louisiana Department of Health, Bureau of Health Services Financing (Medicaid) before you count on a specific arrangement.
Eligibility Requirements
Your Parent Must:
- Be enrolled in full Louisiana Medicaid (not just a savings program)
- Meet the clinical criteria for a nursing-facility level of care
- Be enrolled in the Community Choices Waiver (CCW) (or its self-directed option)
- Live in Louisiana 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 services agency
How to Apply: Step-by-Step
- Apply for Louisiana Medicaid. Apply online at sspweb.lameds.ldh.la.gov or call 1-888-342-6207. 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 Community Choices Waiver (CCW).
- Enroll in the waiver. Once deemed eligible, your parent is enrolled in the Community Choices Waiver (CCW) and assigned a case manager or care coordinator.
- Request the self-directed (CCW) 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 services 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 Louisiana's caregiver-pay programs and other benefits.
Check Eligibility NowOther Programs That May Pay Louisiana 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, Louisiana'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 1-877-456-1146.
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 Louisiana Caregivers Are Actually Earning
At 30 hours per week and about $13 per hour, you would earn roughly $1,690 per month. At 40 hours per week and $16 per hour, earnings reach about $2,773 per month — around $33,280 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
- Louisiana Department of Health, Bureau of Health Services Financing (Medicaid): ldh.la.gov/medicaid | 1-888-342-6207
- Apply for Medicaid: sspweb.lameds.ldh.la.gov
- State aging services: goea.louisiana.gov | 1-877-456-1146
- Eldercare Locator (find local help): eldercare.acl.gov | 1-800-677-1116
- Medicaid (federal): medicaid.gov
Frequently Asked Questions
Under the Community Choices Waiver self-direction option, family caregivers are typically paid roughly $11–$16 per hour, depending on the participant's approved care budget. Exact rates are set in the waiver plan and managed by a financial management agency.
The Community Choices Waiver (CCW) is Louisiana's Medicaid HCBS waiver for the elderly and adults with disabilities who meet a nursing-facility level of care. Its self-direction option lets participants hire and manage their own caregivers, including relatives.
No. Under the Community Choices Waiver self-direction option a spouse cannot be paid, though an adult child or other relative can be hired and paid.
The Community Choices Waiver (CCW) with its self-direction option lets family members such as adult children be paid. Standard LT-PCS personal care must go through a licensed agency instead.
Call Louisiana Options in Long Term Care at 1-877-456-1146 to be screened for the Community Choices Waiver, and apply for Medicaid online through the LA Medicaid Self-Service Portal or by phone at 1-888-342-6207.
Yes. A parent with dementia who qualifies for the Community Choices Waiver at a nursing-facility level of care can self-direct services and hire an adult child as a paid caregiver.
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 Louisiana Department of Health, Bureau of Health Services Financing (Medicaid). Sources: ldh.la.gov · goea.louisiana.gov.