Get Paid to Care for Your Elderly Parent in Oklahoma
Oklahoma's ADvantage Waiver includes a self-direction option called CD-PASS that lets a SoonerCare member become the employer and hire their own personal services assistant, including an adult child or other relative. The member sets the wage within a state maximum, and Acumen Fiscal Agent handles payroll, taxes, and background checks.
This guide covers what Oklahoma 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.
Oklahoma pays family caregivers $11–$16 per hour through the Consumer-Directed Personal Assistance Services & Supports (CD-PASS) option within the ADvantage Waiver. Your parent must meet a nursing-facility level of care but prefer to remain at home.
Oklahoma's Main Program: Consumer-Directed Personal Assistance Services & Supports (CD-PASS)
Consumer-Directed Personal Assistance Services & Supports (CD-PASS) is a self-directed option within Oklahoma's ADvantage Waiver, 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 Oklahoma
| Region | Typical Hourly Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma City Metro | $11–$16/hr | Member negotiates the PSA wage within the state maximum |
| Tulsa Metro | $11–$16/hr | Advanced personal services assistant (APSA) rate is higher |
| Rural Oklahoma | $11–$15/hr | Wages tend toward the lower end of the allowed range |
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
Adult children and other relatives can be hired as the paid personal services assistant; a spouse may be hired only in rare, limited situations. Always confirm the current rules with Oklahoma Health Care Authority (SoonerCare) before you count on a specific arrangement.
Eligibility Requirements
Your Parent Must:
- Be enrolled in full Oklahoma Medicaid (not just a savings program)
- Meet the clinical criteria for a nursing-facility level of care
- Be enrolled in the ADvantage Waiver (or its self-directed option)
- Live in Oklahoma 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 Acumen Fiscal Agent
How to Apply: Step-by-Step
- Apply for Oklahoma Medicaid. Apply online at www.mysoonercare.org or call 1-800-987-7767. 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 ADvantage Waiver.
- Enroll in the waiver. Once deemed eligible, your parent is enrolled in the ADvantage Waiver and assigned a case manager or care coordinator.
- Request the self-directed (CD-PASS) 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 Acumen Fiscal Agent. 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 Oklahoma's caregiver-pay programs and other benefits.
Check Eligibility NowOther Programs That May Pay Oklahoma 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, Oklahoma'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 1-877-809-0035.
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 Oklahoma 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
- Oklahoma Health Care Authority (SoonerCare): oklahoma.gov/ohca.html | 1-800-987-7767
- Apply for Medicaid: www.mysoonercare.org
- State aging services: oklahoma.gov/okdhs/services/aging.html | 1-877-809-0035
- Eldercare Locator (find local help): eldercare.acl.gov | 1-800-677-1116
- Medicaid (federal): medicaid.gov
Frequently Asked Questions
Through CD-PASS the member negotiates the caregiver's hourly wage up to a state-set maximum, typically in the range of about $11–$16 per hour. Advanced personal services assistants who perform certain health-related tasks can be paid at a higher rate.
CD-PASS (Consumer-Directed Personal Assistance Services & Supports) is the self-direction option under the ADvantage Waiver. It lets the Medicaid member act as the employer to recruit, hire, train, and supervise their own personal services assistant.
In general a spouse cannot be the paid caregiver under CD-PASS and may be hired only in rare, limited circumstances. Adult children, grandchildren, siblings, nieces, and nephews are typically allowed to be hired.
The ADvantage Waiver, Oklahoma's home and community-based services waiver for frail elders and adults with physical disabilities, allows paid family caregiving through its CD-PASS self-direction option.
Apply for SoonerCare online at mysoonercare.org or by phone at 1-800-987-7767, then request the ADvantage Waiver and a level-of-care assessment by calling Aging Services at 1-877-809-0035.
Yes, if your parent qualifies for the ADvantage Waiver at a nursing-facility level of care, dementia-related care needs can support eligibility. Under CD-PASS your parent can hire you, an adult child, as their paid personal services assistant.
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 Oklahoma Health Care Authority (SoonerCare). Sources: oklahoma.gov · oklahoma.gov.