Get Paid to Care for Your Elderly Parent in Wyoming
Wyoming's Community Choices Waiver (CCW) is a statewide 1915(c) Medicaid waiver whose Participant Direction option lets enrollees hire and pay their own caregivers, including an adult child, as the direct service worker. Payroll and employer taxes are handled by the fiscal management agency ACES$, and the program has limited enrollment slots.
This guide covers what Wyoming 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.
Wyoming pays family caregivers $13–$22 per hour through the Community Choices Waiver – Participant Direction option within the Community Choices Waiver (1915(c) HCBS Medicaid waiver). Your parent must meet a nursing-facility level of care but prefer to remain at home.
Wyoming's Main Program: Community Choices Waiver – Participant Direction
Community Choices Waiver – Participant Direction is a self-directed option within Wyoming's Community Choices Waiver (1915(c) HCBS Medicaid 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 Wyoming
| Region | Typical Hourly Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Statewide (Participant Direction) | $13–$22/hr | Participant sets the worker's wage from the waiver budget; cannot exceed 40 hrs/week |
| Cheyenne / Laramie County | $15–$22/hr | Apply via a county Benefits & Eligibility Specialist; ACES$ processes payroll |
| Rural Wyoming | $13–$20/hr | Limited waiver slots; functional assessment by a Public Health Nurse required |
Rates are set within the participant's approved plan-of-care budget and the state's limits; the figures above are typical ranges, not guarantees.
Who Can Be Paid
Spouses, legal guardians, and powers of attorney cannot be paid; adult children and other relatives may be hired as the direct service worker. Always confirm the current rules with Wyoming Department of Health, Healthcare Financing (Wyoming Medicaid) before you count on a specific arrangement.
Eligibility Requirements
Your Parent Must:
- Be enrolled in full Wyoming Medicaid (not just a savings program)
- Meet the clinical criteria for a nursing-facility level of care
- Be enrolled in the Community Choices Waiver (1915(c) HCBS Medicaid waiver) (or its self-directed option)
- Live in Wyoming in a community setting (not a nursing home)
- Be able to direct their own care, or have a legal/authorized representative who can
You (the Caregiver) Must:
- Be 18 years of age or older
- Meet the program's relationship rules (see above)
- Pass a criminal background check and registry search
- Complete any required caregiver orientation and training
- Be legally authorized to work in the United States
- Submit timesheets through ACES$ (Annkissam/ACES$ Financial Management Services)
How to Apply: Step-by-Step
- Apply for Wyoming Medicaid. Apply online at health.wyo.gov/healthcarefin/hcbs or call 1-855-294-2127. 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 (1915(c) HCBS Medicaid waiver).
- Enroll in the waiver. Once deemed eligible, your parent is enrolled in the Community Choices Waiver (1915(c) HCBS Medicaid waiver) 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 ACES$ (Annkissam/ACES$ Financial Management Services). 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 Wyoming's caregiver-pay programs and other benefits.
Check Eligibility NowOther Programs That May Pay Wyoming 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, Wyoming'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 1-800-510-0280.
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 Wyoming 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 $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
- Wyoming Department of Health, Healthcare Financing (Wyoming Medicaid): health.wyo.gov/healthcarefin/hcbs | 1-855-294-2127
- Apply for Medicaid: health.wyo.gov/healthcarefin/hcbs
- State aging services: health.wyo.gov/aging | 1-800-510-0280
- Eldercare Locator (find local help): eldercare.acl.gov | 1-800-677-1116
- Medicaid (federal): medicaid.gov
Frequently Asked Questions
Under the Community Choices Waiver's Participant Direction option, family caregivers are generally paid about $13–$22 per hour, with the wage set by the participant from the waiver budget. Direct service workers cannot work more than 40 hours per week.
The Community Choices Waiver (CCW) is Wyoming's statewide 1915(c) Medicaid long-term care program for seniors and adults with disabilities at risk of nursing-home placement. Its Participant Direction option lets enrollees self-direct services and hire their own caregivers.
No, spouses, legal guardians, and powers of attorney cannot be hired to provide paid care under the CCW. Other family members, such as an adult child, can be hired as the participant's direct service worker.
The Community Choices Waiver (CCW), through its Participant Direction (self-direction) option, lets family caregivers be paid. It is administered by the Wyoming Department of Health, with payroll managed by the fiscal agent ACES$.
Call the CCW program at 1-800-510-0280 and contact a county Benefits & Eligibility Specialist; you must first qualify for Wyoming Medicaid (1-855-294-2127). The process includes choosing a case management agency and a functional assessment by a Public Health Nurse.
Yes. If your parent qualifies for the Community Choices Waiver at a nursing-home level of care, an adult child can be hired and paid through Participant Direction to provide care, including dementia care. Enrollment depends on available waiver slots.
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 Wyoming Department of Health, Healthcare Financing (Wyoming Medicaid). Sources: health.wyo.gov · health.wyo.gov.