Get Paid to Care for Your Elderly Parent in Oregon
Oregon's Independent Choices Program (ICP) gives a participant a monthly cash benefit they control to hire their own caregiver — including an adult child or spouse — with the participant negotiating the hourly wage (no less than Oregon minimum wage). Acumen Fiscal Agent handles payroll and taxes.
This guide covers what Oregon 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.
Oregon pays family caregivers $15–$22 per hour through the Independent Choices Program (ICP) option within the Oregon Health Plan / APD K Plan home and community-based services. Your parent must meet a nursing-facility level of care but prefer to remain at home.
Oregon's Main Program: Independent Choices Program (ICP)
Independent Choices Program (ICP) is a self-directed option within Oregon's Oregon Health Plan / APD K Plan home and community-based services, 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 Oregon
| Region | Typical Hourly Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Portland Metro | $17–$22/hr | Participant negotiates the wage; ICP pays a monthly cash benefit, not a fixed state rate |
| Salem / Willamette Valley | $16–$20/hr | Must be at least Oregon minimum wage; adult child or spouse may be hired |
| Eastern / Rural Oregon | $15–$19/hr | Lower minimum-wage tier; arranged through local APD/AAA office |
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 can be hired, and Oregon is unusual in also allowing spouses to be paid through ICP and the separate Spousal Pay Program. Always confirm the current rules with Oregon Department of Human Services — Aging and People with Disabilities (Oregon Health Plan) before you count on a specific arrangement.
Eligibility Requirements
Your Parent Must:
- Be enrolled in full Oregon Medicaid (not just a savings program)
- Meet the clinical criteria for a nursing-facility level of care
- Be enrolled in the Oregon Health Plan / APD K Plan home and community-based services (or its self-directed option)
- Live in Oregon 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 Oregon Medicaid. Apply online at benefits.oregon.gov or call 1-800-282-8096. 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 Oregon Health Plan / APD K Plan home and community-based services.
- Enroll in the waiver. Once deemed eligible, your parent is enrolled in the Oregon Health Plan / APD K Plan home and community-based services and assigned a case manager or care coordinator.
- Request the self-directed (ICP) 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 Oregon's caregiver-pay programs and other benefits.
Check Eligibility NowOther Programs That May Pay Oregon 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, Oregon'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 1-855-673-2372.
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 Oregon Caregivers Are Actually Earning
At 30 hours per week and about $18 per hour, you would earn roughly $2,340 per month. At 40 hours per week and $22 per hour, earnings reach about $3,813 per month — around $45,760 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
- Oregon Department of Human Services — Aging and People with Disabilities (Oregon Health Plan): www.oregon.gov/odhs/seniors-disabilities/Pages/default.aspx | 1-800-282-8096
- Apply for Medicaid: benefits.oregon.gov
- State aging services: www.adrcoforegon.org | 1-855-673-2372
- Eldercare Locator (find local help): eldercare.acl.gov | 1-800-677-1116
- Medicaid (federal): medicaid.gov
Frequently Asked Questions
Under ICP the participant sets the wage, which must be at least Oregon's minimum wage; in practice family caregivers are commonly paid about $15–$22 per hour, and total monthly benefits can reach roughly $3,500 depending on assessed need.
The Independent Choices Program (ICP) is Oregon's self-directed Medicaid option that provides a monthly cash benefit a participant uses to hire and pay their own in-home caregiver — who can be a friend, adult child, or spouse — with Acumen Fiscal Agent processing payroll.
Yes. Oregon is one of the few states that lets a spouse be paid, through ICP and the dedicated Spousal Pay Program, in addition to allowing adult children and other relatives.
Family caregivers are paid through the Independent Choices Program (ICP) and the homecare worker program under Oregon's Aging and People with Disabilities Medicaid (Oregon Health Plan).
Contact your local Aging and People with Disabilities (APD) or Area Agency on Aging office, or call ODHS at 1-800-282-8096, and apply for the Oregon Health Plan online at benefits.oregon.gov.
Yes. A parent with dementia eligible for Oregon Health Plan long-term services can use ICP to hire an adult child as a paid caregiver, subject to a care assessment and monthly benefit limits.
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 Oregon Department of Human Services — Aging and People with Disabilities (Oregon Health Plan). Sources: www.oregon.gov · www.adrcoforegon.org.