Can You Get Paid to Care for a Child With a Disability in Maryland or Michigan?

If you have set an alarm at 3 a.m. for a feeding tube and gone to work the next morning, you know caring for a loved one with a disability is a full-time job. So it is fair to ask whether family members can get paid for the hours they give. The answer depends on which programs apply, the child's age and health, and whether you are the parent or another relative or person. This guide covers what Medicaid waiver programs and services allow, which family members and caregivers are eligible, what caregiver benefits and support look like, and how a family member gets paid as a caregiver.

Quick Answer for Busy Families

In Michigan, most programs do not let a parent get paid as a caregiver for their own minor child; the rules treat parents and legal guardians as "legally responsible" for care services, even though many other family members can become paid caregivers under these same programs. In Michigan, another relative can only be paid in place of a parent if the parent can't provide the care because of their own disability or because they have a job and aren't available. In Maryland, a parent can't be paid to care for their own minor child either, but there is no extra step: if another relative or friend is able to provide the care, they can usually be approved as the paid caregiver more easily. In both states, this only applies while the child is a minor: once your child turns 18, a parent can be paid as their caregiver. Both states, and every program and its services, are covered below for families.

Can a Parent Get Paid to Care for a Disabled Child in Michigan?

For most Michigan Medicaid waiver programs, the short answer is no: a parent generally cannot be paid as a caregiver for a minor child. This surprises families, since Michigan lets other family members get paid to provide personal care services; the state draws a line at the parent-child relationship while a child is a minor, so eligible caregivers among these programs are usually not the parent. That changes at 18: once your child turns 18, you can become their paid Home Help caregiver.

Michigan's Home Help Program

Michigan's Home Help Program (opens in new tab) is a state Medicaid program providing personal care services to families whose child receives Medicaid and needs help with daily activities. It is a main program for caregiver pay, letting many family members (adult children, siblings, grandparents, and friends) enroll as paid caregivers or professional caregivers. Under standard rules, this program does not allow payments to parents of minor children for providing personal care services, since a parent is legally responsible. Another adult relative can only be approved as the paid caregiver for a minor child if the parent can't provide the care because of their own disability or because they work and aren't available. The relative then completes a background check and enrollment through the MDHHS CHAMPS system. As of January 2026, the Home Help rate for caregivers paid directly by the state is $17.13 per hour, while caregivers who work through an agency like Family Love Care can earn $18 or more per hour; the program pays every eligible caregiver by the hour, so pay depends on approved hours.

Michigan's MI Choice Waiver and MI Coordinated Health

Michigan's MI Choice Waiver is a self-directed program that lets family caregivers be paid for personal care and other services, letting families hire relatives such as an adult child. Care recipients must meet a nursing home level of care, and this program serves participants age 65 and older, or age 18 and older with a qualifying disability affecting daily health, so it does not cover minor children at all. Once an adult child qualifies, a parent can be hired as their paid caregiver under MI Choice. MI Coordinated Health (MICH), which replaced MI Health Link in 2026, covers personal care through a single plan for adults who have both Medicare and Medicaid in certain regions of Michigan, including Wayne County, Macomb County, Southwest Michigan, and the Upper Peninsula. It can apply to an adult child with a disability who has Medicare, but not to a minor child.

Michigan's Children's Waiver Program

Michigan's Children's Waiver Program (CWP) is a program serving children under 18 with a developmental disability or emotional impairment who would otherwise need institutional care. It is easy to assume CWP is a workaround that lets a parent get paid, but it is not. CWP funds caregiver services, including a respite care program, home care training, and other health services, but follows the same rule as Home Help and MI Choice: a parent cannot be paid as the child's caregiver, since parents are legally responsible. Other family members (a grandparent, aunt, or family friend who is not the child's guardian) can become paid caregivers under this program once they meet provider qualifications, but as with Home Help, only if the parent can't provide the care because of their own disability or a job.

Who Can Be a Paid Caregiver in Michigan

Michigan allows family members to get paid as caregivers but has stricter rules for parents of minor children. Spouses cannot be paid under Home Help (MI Choice allows it only in limited situations), and a parent cannot be paid for personal care, daily care, or respite care provided to a minor child. Grandparents, adult siblings, aunts, and friends can become the family caregiver of record, but only when the parent can't provide the care because of their own disability or a job. These situations are easy to get wrong, so working with an experienced agency can help prevent an incorrect denial. These caregivers pass the same screening every paid caregiver in Michigan's programs completes, and eligible families of any age can apply for caregiver benefits through these programs, which many families across Michigan use.

How Much Does Maryland Pay for Family Caregivers?

Maryland doesn't allow a parent to be paid for their own minor child either. Unlike Michigan, though, Maryland doesn't require the parent to show they can't provide the care themselves, so if another relative or friend is available, it is usually simpler to get them approved and paid through Maryland's home care programs. Once your child turns 18, a parent can be hired as their paid caregiver.

Maryland's Community First Choice Program

Maryland's Community First Choice (CFC) (opens in new tab) is one of several programs funding personal assistance and personal care services for families needing daily living help, compensating eligible family caregivers through a self-directed option. Families can hire a relative or friend, an adult child, a spouse, or any other eligible person, as long as that person is not the participant's authorized representative, which for a minor child includes the parent. These caregivers, like caregivers in other services, become employed through a Medicaid personal assistance agency handling tax withholding and payments for families. Through Family Love Care, Maryland caregivers typically earn $15 to $18 per hour, depending on the program, location, and care needs, so total pay depends on approved hours.

Maryland's CPAS Program and Community Options Waiver

Maryland's Community Personal Assistance Services (CPAS) program covers people who need help with at least one activity of daily living but don't meet a nursing facility level of care. The Community Options Waiver serves adults 18 and older who do meet a nursing facility level of care, though enrollment is capped and there is a waiting list. As with CFC, a parent can't be paid to care for their own minor child, but other relatives and friends can be hired through a licensed agency.

Other Maryland Rules Worth Knowing

Caregivers in Maryland do not need to live with, or be related to, the person receiving care to get paid under most waiver and CFC programs offering personal assistance, health support, and other services. Spouses can be paid caregivers too, unlike under Michigan's Home Help Program. Eligibility requirements vary by program, so a family eligible for one Maryland waiver is not automatically eligible for another; an assessment arranged through Maryland Access Point is the starting point.

Michigan and Maryland Programs at a Glance

Here is the short version, program by program, for families and the caregivers in those families:

• Home Help Program (Michigan): The program pays family caregivers hourly; parents can't be the caregiver for their minor child.
• MI Choice Waiver and MI Coordinated Health (Michigan): For adults; MI Choice requires a nursing home level of care, and MICH covers people with both Medicare and Medicaid in certain regions.
• Children's Waiver Program (Michigan): Funds respite care and other services for children; parents excluded from direct pay.
• Community First Choice (Maryland): Pays family caregivers through a licensed agency; families choose their caregiver, though a parent of a minor child cannot be the paid caregiver.
• Community Personal Assistance Services (Maryland): Pays family caregivers through a licensed agency for people who need help with at least one daily activity; parents of minors excluded.
• Community Options Waiver (Maryland): For adults 18 and older who meet a nursing facility level of care; waiting list applies.

All six programs require paperwork and background checks, but the financial relief is worth it for the families and caregivers providing care every day, so every eligible family caregiver and their family members know these caregivers are valued.

Who Qualifies, and at What Age

Eligibility is not only about a disability; caseworkers weigh the child's age, daily needs, and health too. Michigan's Children's Waiver requires an institutional level of care, and Home Help requires a documented need for help with daily activities, while Maryland's CFC and CPAS programs base eligibility on Medicaid enrollment and a nurse assessment of daily needs. A family caregiver paid under one of these programs is not automatically an eligible family caregiver under another, so ask a supports coordinator before assuming a family member will qualify; each program pays caregivers differently, and few parents of minor children get paid as caregivers under Michigan's rules.

What States Pay Parents to Care for Disabled Children?

Families want to know whether their own state is an outlier. Medicaid waiver programs vary by state in eligibility and compensation, since each state designs its own Medicaid program. Federal Medicaid rules generally don't allow payment to legally responsible relatives, such as spouses and parents of minor children, so a state that wants to pay them has to request approval from CMS. Michigan and Maryland both do not allow payment to parents caring for their minor child; a spouse can be the caregiver for their spouse in Maryland, but Michigan doesn't allow that either. Outside Michigan or Maryland, check your state's programs, since different rules can apply to your family and its caregivers.

How Can I Make Money While Caring for a Disabled Child?

For families who qualify, here is a path toward getting paid as a caregiver for a loved one:

1. Apply for Medicaid; personal care services and waiver programs require the child to already receive Medicaid.
2. A needs assessment lets a caseworker determine which programs and support, and how many hours of personal assistance and health care, the child qualifies for.
3. Ask about self-directed programs: a parent can't be paid for a minor child in either state, so another relative will need to be the provider, and in Michigan the parent must show they can't provide the care because of a disability or a job.
4. Identify the right family caregiver among your family members; in both states, a grandparent, adult sibling, or friend usually needs to be the paid caregiver for a minor child.
5. Enroll and complete screening: most programs require background checks for every paid caregiver these families choose.
6. Look beyond one program: financial assistance is not limited to a caregiver's paycheck; local area agencies and a respite care program often provide extra assistance or home modifications that lower costs.
7. Know what is separate from caregiver pay: Social Security Disability Insurance is for disabled workers, not caregiver benefits families receive through Medicaid.

Respite Care and Other Support for Families

Even when a parent cannot be the paid caregiver, every program above still offers support to families. A respite care program gives the primary caregiver breaks by paying another caregiver, often a family member. Local area agencies and county health departments or community mental health offices point families toward a respite care program, home modifications, and community-based services and benefits. Case managers in both states help families find daily living assistance beyond one program, so a loved one stays supported in their own home, with friends and family members providing care.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can adult children be paid to care for a parent or disabled sibling?

Yes; they are treated like other eligible individuals and can become a family caregiver, unlike a parent caring for a minor child. Parents can also be paid once their child turns 18.

Do I need to be a professional caregiver to qualify?

No. Professional caregivers are one path, but family members without a license can enroll as a personal care provider after background checks and training, since these caregiver benefits exist for support at any age or disability.

Does every disability qualify for caregiver benefits?

Eligibility ties to a disability and a needs assessment; developmental disabilities and daily-activity limits can qualify, but a state assessment decides each case.

What if my family does not qualify for one program?

Ask about the other programs: local area agencies, a respite care program, home health care benefits, and community-based services often help families and their caregivers, even when a program pays for only part of the cost.

Let Family Love Care Help You Get Started

Figuring out which Medicaid waiver programs apply to your family, and whether you personally can be paid as a caregiver or need another relative as the paid provider, should not fall on a stretched-thin parent. Family Love Care (opens in new tab) helps Michigan and Maryland (opens in new tab) families enroll in home care benefits like Home Help and Community First Choice, with support from the first eligibility question through ongoing payroll support for the family caregiver who provides personal care for a loved one. If you are wondering whether your child qualifies, or which of your family members should be the paid caregiver, reach out to Family Love Care for a free consultation, and let our caregivers and support team guide your family through every program until your family caregiver starts to get paid for the care they provide.