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.