Illinois caregiver benefits
Last checked: May 18, 2026
Illinois has more than one home care route. Some routes may let a family member get paid, but the rules depend on the program, the age of the person who needs care, and whether the worker is legally responsible for that person.
This guide explains where to start, what to ask, and what can slow down payment.
Quick answer
Yes, some Illinois home care programs can allow a family member to be paid. The right route depends on the person who needs care.
For many adults under 60 with severe disabilities, the main route is the Illinois Department of Human Services Division of Rehabilitation Services Home Services Program, often called HSP. For many adults age 60 and older, the main route is the Illinois Department on Aging Community Care Program, often called CCP.
Do not assume a spouse can always be paid. In HSP, legally responsible relatives cannot serve as the Individual Provider. In CCP In-Home Service, a provider agency may choose to hire a family member, including a spouse, if that worker meets the program and agency rules.
Start here: first 3 actions
- Match the person to the right age and need route. If the person is 18 to 59 and has a severe disability, ask DHS/DRS about HSP. If the person is 60 or older, ask the Illinois Department on Aging or the local Care Coordination Unit about CCP.
- Ask about family caregiver payment in the program’s words. Say: “I want to know if we can use Personal Assistant, Individual Provider, or In-Home Service family caregiver hiring.”
- Do not start paid hours before approval. Ask for the service plan, provider packet, background check step, EVV or timesheet rule, and the first date the worker may be paid.
Main Illinois programs and where to start
| Program or route | Who it may help | Where to start | Family caregiver payment point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home Services Program (HSP) Personal Assistant or Individual Provider | Many adults 18 to 59 with a severe disability who need help at home. Some exceptions may apply for traumatic brain injury or HIV/AIDS. | Contact a DHS/DRS local office, the DRS Hotline, or the person’s HSP counselor if already enrolled. | The customer hires and supervises the worker, but legally responsible relatives are not allowed to serve as the Individual Provider. |
| Community Care Program (CCP) In-Home Service | Many Illinois adults age 60 or older who meet CCP rules and need help to stay at home. | Contact the local Care Coordination Unit, the Illinois Department on Aging Senior HelpLine, or the current CCU case manager. | An In-Home Service provider may choose to hire a family member, including a spouse, if the worker meets qualifications and agency rules. Not all providers do this. |
| HSP Homemaker Services | HSP customers who cannot direct a Personal Assistant, have not found one, or do not want to direct one. | Ask the HSP counselor or managed care coordinator. | A family member or friend may need to be hired, trained, and supervised by a provider agency rather than hired directly by the customer. |
| Managed Long Term Services and Supports or HealthChoice Illinois plan coordination | Some Medicaid members who receive waiver services or long-term services through a health plan. | Call the plan care coordinator and also keep the HSP counselor or CCU involved. | The plan may manage parts of the service plan, but HSP or the provider agency may still handle worker packets, timesheets, or payment steps. |
| Developmental Disabilities Home-Based Services | Children or adults with developmental disabilities who are connected to the DD waiver system. | Contact the local Independent Service Coordination agency and ask about PUNS and Home-Based Services. | This route has its own Employer of Record, fiscal agent, Personal Support Worker, and legally responsible person rules. |
Illinois warning: Rules can change. Counties, managed care plans, waiver contractors, Care Coordination Units, and provider agencies may use different names. Confirm the current rule with the official Illinois office that controls the person’s case before a family member starts work.
What self-directed care means
Self-directed care means the person getting services has more say in who helps them and how approved care is arranged. It does not mean Medicaid gives the family cash to spend any way they want.
In Illinois HSP, the self-directed route is often called Personal Assistant services or Individual Provider services. The customer may choose, hire, train, and supervise the worker. The work must match the approved service plan.
In CCP, the older adult does not usually become the direct employer in the same way. In-Home Service is delivered through a provider agency. That agency may choose to hire a family member or friend as the home care aide if the worker meets the rules.
In the developmental disability Home-Based Services route, the person or an Employer of Record may direct services using a budget and a fiscal employer agent. That route is only for people in the DD waiver system.
For a broader plain-English overview, see Medicaid HCBS waivers explained.
Program name in Illinois
For many adults under 60: Home Services Program
The Illinois Department of Human Services Division of Rehabilitation Services runs HSP. HSP helps people with severe disabilities stay at home.
HSP can include Personal Assistant services, Homemaker services, home health, home delivered meals, adult day care, respite, assistive equipment, and home changes when approved.
Ask for: “Home Services Program Personal Assistant services” or “Individual Provider services.”
For many adults 60 and older: Community Care Program
The Illinois Department on Aging runs CCP through local Care Coordination Units. CCP can include In-Home Service, adult day service, emergency home response, and care coordination.
Ask for: “Community Care Program In-Home Service” and “a provider that will consider hiring a family member.”
If a health plan is involved
Some people get long-term services through a Medicaid managed care plan. If so, the care coordinator may help build the service plan and answer questions about providers.
Ask for: “my waiver service plan,” “Personal Assistant or In-Home Service options,” and “who handles the worker packet and timesheets.”
Who controls the care plan or budget?
In HSP, the customer and HSP counselor work together on a service plan. If a managed care plan is involved, the MCO care coordinator may help build the service plan. The service plan lists approved tasks and hours.
With HSP Individual Providers, the customer is the employer for the worker. That means the customer must be able to find, hire, train, supervise, and end the worker if needed. If the customer cannot do that, Homemaker services through an agency may be used instead.
In CCP, the Care Coordination Unit assesses need. In-Home Service workers are hired and supervised by the provider agency. A family member may still apply to work for that provider agency if the agency allows it.
In DD Home-Based Services, the Personal Plan and monthly budget control what can be bought. The Employer of Record handles many worker duties, and the fiscal employer agent helps with payroll and related paperwork.
Who can be hired?
The answer depends on the route.
HSP Personal Assistant or Individual Provider
HSP says Personal Assistants are selected, employed, trained, and supervised by the customer. The worker may help with household tasks, personal care, and certain health care procedures if a doctor gives permission.
The worker must complete the required provider packet and be approved before paid work starts. The state runs a background check after the packet is turned in. The worker must be enrolled as a Medicaid provider through the state’s provider system.
CCP In-Home Service
In CCP, In-Home Service providers may choose to hire a family member, spouse, power of attorney, representative payee, legal guardian, friend, or neighbor. The worker must meet qualifications, pass a background check, complete 24 hours of pre-service training, and agree to be supervised by the provider.
Not every provider agency hires family members. If one agency says no, ask the Care Coordination Unit whether another approved provider in your area has a family-hire option.
DD Home-Based Services
The DD Home-Based Services handbook says family members can be hired as Personal Support Workers in the adult and children’s waiver routes. Legally responsible people are restricted. The family must confirm the current rule with the Independent Service Coordination agency and fiscal employer agent.
Spouse and adult child rules
Do not use one family rule for every Illinois program. HSP and CCP treat family hiring in different ways.
Spouses
In HSP, a spouse cannot serve as the Individual Provider for their disabled spouse because HSP bars legally responsible relatives from that role.
In CCP In-Home Service, Illinois Department on Aging says a provider agency may choose to hire a family member, including a spouse, if the worker meets the listed rules. This is not automatic. The provider agency must allow it.
In DD Home-Based Services, spouse rules depend on the waiver and legally responsible person rules. Confirm with the ISC agency before counting on spouse pay.
Adult children
An adult child may be possible in some routes if they are not legally responsible for the person and they meet all worker rules. In HSP, the official payment policy bans children under 18 from working for a disabled parent. It does not state the same blanket ban for adult children.
If the adult child is also the legal guardian, power of attorney, representative payee, or lives in the home, ask for a written answer about both the worker rule and the signature rule. Some roles may affect who can sign timesheets or act as employer.
Live-in family members
Illinois official pages reviewed for this guide did not give one simple live-in rule that applies to every route. HSP focuses on approved tasks, approved hours, EVV, and work done for the customer under the service plan. CCP focuses on whether the provider agency will hire and supervise the worker.
If the worker lives with the person, ask the program office how to record shifts, breaks, overnight time, and EVV. Do this before the first paid shift.
Payroll and timesheets
Self-directed care has paperwork. Payment can be delayed if the worker starts too soon, the packet is incomplete, EVV is wrong, or timesheets are late.
For HSP Individual Providers
- The customer asks the HSP counselor or managed care coordinator for the Individual Provider employment packet.
- The worker completes the packet. This may include tax and identity forms. The local office cannot complete the W-4 or I-9 for the worker.
- The state runs checks and enrolls the worker as needed.
- After approval, the worker receives a Santrax ID for Electronic Visit Verification, called EVV.
- The worker clocks in and out and also completes the required timesheet.
- The customer and worker check the timesheet for accuracy before submitting it.
HSP says the customer and Individual Provider are responsible for accurate timesheets. Providers can only be paid for hours worked for the customer under the HSP service plan. HSP also says services for family members, guests, animals, or other people in the home are not reimbursed.
Customers should not pre-sign timesheets. Workers should not put hours on a timesheet for someone else. Workers should not bill for hours not worked or for tasks outside the approved plan.
For CCP In-Home Service
The provider agency is the employer. Ask the agency what hiring forms, background check, training, schedule, pay method, and timesheet process it uses. Also ask whether the family member can work only for one client or for other clients too.
When there is a fiscal employer agent
In DD Home-Based Services, the fiscal employer agent helps with payroll taxes, background checks, paperwork, and payment for directly hired Personal Support Workers. The Employer of Record still has duties and must follow the service authorization and budget rules.
Phone script: what to say
For HSP or DHS/DRS:
“I am calling about the Home Services Program. My family member needs help at home with daily tasks. We want to ask about Personal Assistant or Individual Provider services. Can you tell me how to apply, who can be hired, and what has to be approved before a family member can be paid?”
For CCP or the Care Coordination Unit:
“I am calling about the Community Care Program In-Home Service. My family member is 60 or older and needs help at home. Do any approved In-Home Service providers in this area hire family members or spouses as home care aides?”
For a Medicaid managed care plan:
“I need to speak with the care coordinator about long-term services and supports. I want to know whether the plan can help with Personal Assistant, Individual Provider, or In-Home Service options, and who handles the service plan and worker paperwork.”
For more scripts, see caregiver phone scripts.
Documents to gather before you call
- Full name, date of birth, address, and phone number for the person who needs care.
- Medicaid card, RIN, Medicare card, and managed care plan card if they have them.
- Doctor names, diagnoses, hospital papers, discharge papers, and medicine list.
- A simple list of care tasks: bathing, dressing, transfers, toileting, meals, laundry, cleaning, shopping, safety checks, and rides.
- A weekly care schedule showing when help is needed.
- Proof of income, assets, rent or mortgage, and insurance premiums if Medicaid or spend-down is an issue.
- Power of attorney, guardianship papers, representative payee papers, or other legal documents if someone helps with decisions.
- Name, address, phone number, Social Security number, and work history for the family member who wants to be paid.
- Current agency name, worker schedule, service plan, denial letters, or notices.
For a broader planning list, use caregiver checklists. If Medicaid income or asset rules are the barrier, read Medicaid spend-down and Medicaid look-back period.
How to switch from agency care
Do not cancel the current agency worker until the new route is approved and the family worker has a start date. A gap in care can be hard to fix.
If the person is in HSP
- Call the HSP counselor or MCO care coordinator.
- Ask whether the service plan can be changed to Personal Assistant or Individual Provider services.
- Ask whether the customer is able to supervise the worker or whether a representative can help.
- Ask for the provider packet and the exact first date the worker may begin paid care.
- Keep the agency schedule in place until the new worker is approved, trained, and ready.
If the person is in CCP
- Call the Care Coordination Unit case manager.
- Ask for In-Home Service providers that may hire family members.
- Ask whether the current provider agency has a family-hire policy.
- If the agency says no, ask whether you may choose a different approved provider.
- Ask how the family member applies for the job and when the agency can place that worker on the case.
If the care hours are not enough, track the unpaid care you are giving and ask for a reassessment. You can also use the care cost calculator to organize hours and costs before the call.
Common problems that delay payment
- Calling the wrong office. DHS/DRS handles HSP. IDOA and CCUs handle CCP. A managed care plan may also be involved.
- Using the wrong words. Ask for Personal Assistant, Individual Provider, In-Home Service, Homemaker, Personal Support Worker, or family-hire option.
- Starting work before approval. Past unpaid care is usually not paid later just because the person later qualifies.
- A legally responsible relative is the proposed worker. This can block payment in HSP and DD Home-Based Services.
- The worker packet is incomplete. Missing tax forms, identity forms, or provider documents can stop the worker from getting a start date.
- EVV and timesheets do not match. HSP Individual Providers must use EVV and timesheets as required.
- The worker bills for tasks outside the plan. Medicaid will only pay for approved services for the customer.
- The agency does not hire relatives. In CCP, not all In-Home Service providers hire family members.
- No backup plan. If the family worker gets sick or quits, care can stop unless another worker is ready.
How to apply or ask for screening
For HSP: Use the DHS Rehabilitation Services referral or contact a DHS/DRS local office. Ask for the Home Services Program. If you do not know the local office, call the DRS Hotline.
For CCP: Contact the Illinois Department on Aging Senior HelpLine or use the service locator to find the local Care Coordination Unit. Ask for a CCP screening and In-Home Service options.
For Medicaid: Illinois uses the Application for Benefits Eligibility site, called ABE, for Medicaid applications and benefit management. If the person already has Medicaid, keep the Medicaid case active and answer all renewal letters.
For DD Home-Based Services: Contact the Independent Service Coordination agency and ask about PUNS, waiver status, Home-Based Services, Personal Support Workers, and the fiscal employer agent.
If you are not sure which route fits, start with the person’s age: DHS/DRS for many adults under 60 with severe disabilities, and the Care Coordination Unit or Senior HelpLine for adults age 60 and older.
Related caregiver guides
FAQ
Can I get paid by Illinois Medicaid to care for my parent?
Maybe. If your parent is 60 or older, ask the local Care Coordination Unit about CCP In-Home Service and whether an approved provider agency hires family members. If your parent is under 60 and has a severe disability, ask DHS/DRS about HSP Personal Assistant services. Do not start paid hours until the program approves the worker and start date.
Can a spouse be paid as a caregiver in Illinois?
It depends on the program. HSP does not allow a spouse to serve as the Individual Provider for their disabled spouse. CCP In-Home Service may allow a provider agency to hire a spouse if the agency chooses and the spouse meets the worker rules.
Does Illinois HSP pay for care already provided?
Do not count on back pay. HSP payment depends on an approved service plan, approved worker packet, EVV, and timesheets. Ask the HSP counselor for the first date paid work can begin.
Who pays the family caregiver?
In HSP, the Individual Provider is paid through the program after the worker is approved and timesheets are processed. In CCP, the provider agency is the employer and pays the worker. In DD Home-Based Services, the fiscal employer agent handles payroll for directly hired Personal Support Workers.
What if the agency says it does not hire relatives?
Ask the CCU case manager whether another approved In-Home Service provider in your area has a family-hire option. If the answer is still no, ask what other services, reassessment options, or appeal rights are available.
Resumen en español
En Illinois, algunas rutas de cuidado en casa pueden pagar a un familiar, pero depende del programa. Para muchas personas menores de 60 años con una discapacidad severa, pregunte por Home Services Program de DHS/DRS. Para muchas personas de 60 años o más, pregunte por Community Care Program y In-Home Service.
Antes de empezar, confirme si el familiar puede ser contratado, quién firma las hojas de tiempo, si se necesita EVV, y cuál es la primera fecha pagada. No trabaje horas pagadas antes de recibir aprobación.
About this guide
This guide was written for family caregivers who need a practical starting point. It focuses on Illinois Medicaid-related home care routes, family caregiver payment rules, worker paperwork, and what to ask before applying.
Program rules can change. Always confirm your case with DHS/DRS, the Illinois Department on Aging, the local Care Coordination Unit, the managed care plan, or the Independent Service Coordination agency.
Official sources used
- Illinois Department of Human Services Division of Rehabilitation Services: Home Services Program
- Illinois DHS: HSP Customer Handbook
- Illinois DHS: Individual Provider Payment Policies
- Illinois DHS/DRS: Electronic Visit Verification for HSP
- Illinois Healthcare and Family Services: Persons with Disabilities Waiver
- Illinois Healthcare and Family Services: Home and Community Based Services Waiver Programs
- Illinois Department on Aging: Community Care Program
- Illinois Department on Aging: In-Home Service
- Illinois Department on Aging: In-Home Care
- Illinois Healthcare and Family Services: Illinois Managed Care Programs
- Illinois Healthcare and Family Services: Managed Long Term Services and Supports Enrollment
- Illinois Application for Benefits Eligibility: ABE
- Illinois HFS: Applying for Medicaid
- Illinois DHS Division of Developmental Disabilities: Consumer Handbook for Home-Based Services
- Illinois DHS Division of Developmental Disabilities: In-Home Supports
- Medicaid.gov: Self-Directed Services
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services: Self-Directed Home and Community-Based Services
Disclaimer
This is general information, not legal, tax, medical, or financial advice. For legal or tax questions, talk with a qualified professional in your state. Confirm current program rules with official Illinois sources before making care or work decisions.
