Louisiana Family Caregiver Pay is real: Louisiana Medicaid can pay a daughter, son or other relative to be the caregiver a parent would otherwise get from an agency. This Louisiana family caregiver pay guide names the program, says who may be paid — including whether a spouse can — explains how the pay is set and delivered, and lays out the enrollment steps in order.
One rule first. The parent must qualify for Louisiana Medicaid home care: the same medical and financial tests as a nursing home. The caregiver’s own income does not matter. Figures and program names come from the state agency; where Louisiana has not published one we say so.
In This Louisiana Family Caregiver Pay Guide:
Louisiana Family Caregiver Pay at a Glance (2026)
| Program | Monitored In-Home Caregiving (MIHC), a service of the Community Choices Waiver (CCW), administered by the Louisiana Department of Health, Office of Aging and Adult Services (OAAS). |
| Can a spouse be paid? | MIHC is built around a live-in caregiver, and in practice that caregiver is usually an adult child, another relative, or a trusted friend who shares the home. |
| Parent must qualify for | Louisiana Medicaid home care (nursing-home level of care) |
| How pay is set | MIHC is billed per diem — a daily rate paid to the caregiver rather than wages for hours worked — and the rate falls into tier levels based on the participant’s assessed level of need as scored by OAAS. |
| Where to start | Louisiana Department of Health, Office of Aging and Adult Services (OAAS), through its single point of entry, Louisiana Options in Long-Term Care, at 1-877-456-1146, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
The Louisiana Program Behind Louisiana Family Caregiver Pay
MIHC is not hourly. A licensed MIHC agency provider approves the home, contracts with the caregiver, and pays the caregiver a daily stipend, while the agency’s care manager and registered nurse train, monitor, and support that caregiver. The caregiver helps with activities of daily living and instrumental activities, accompanies the person outside the home, and submits electronic daily progress notes.
Self-directed PAS works differently: it is hourly employment managed by the participant with a Fiscal Employer Agency handling payroll and taxes.
The full eligibility picture for the parent is in our guide to Louisiana Medicaid home care.
Who Can Be Paid Under Louisiana Family Caregiver Pay
MIHC is built around a live-in caregiver, and in practice that caregiver is usually an adult child, another relative, or a trusted friend who shares the home. Under the self-directed Personal Assistance Services option, a participant’s spouse is treated as a Legally Responsible Individual, so paying a spouse is not automatic; it requires a referral to the OAAS Service Review Panel documenting extraordinary care needs and the participant’s best interest.
Whether a legal guardian or curator may be paid is UNVERIFIED — ask OAAS directly.
Every program also requires the caregiver to pass a background check and, in most states, a short training, and to keep timesheets that match the approved care plan.
How the Louisiana Family Caregiver Pay Is Set and Delivered
MIHC is billed per diem — a daily rate paid to the caregiver rather than wages for hours worked — and the rate falls into tier levels based on the participant’s assessed level of need as scored by OAAS. The state sets those per diem rates; the caregiver does not negotiate them.
Under self-directed Personal Assistance Services the mechanism is different: an hourly rate within limits set by the state, paid through the Fiscal Employer Agency. No dollar figures here are verified — UNVERIFIED.
Pay arrives through a payroll agent as W-2 wages in most consumer-directed programs, or as a stipend through the provider agency in structured models. It does not reduce the parent’s Medicaid benefits.
How to Enroll in Louisiana Family Caregiver Pay
Start by requesting services through Louisiana Options in Long-Term Care, which places the person on the Request for Services Registry until a waiver opportunity is offered. When an offer comes, OAAS completes a level-of-care and functional assessment, Medicaid financial eligibility is determined, and a support coordinator builds the plan of care.
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The family then chooses an enrolled MIHC provider agency, which assesses and approves the home, screens the caregiver, and provides required training before services begin.
Where: Louisiana Department of Health, Office of Aging and Adult Services (OAAS), through its single point of entry, Louisiana Options in Long-Term Care, at 1-877-456-1146, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. — start here.
The Veteran Route to Louisiana Family Caregiver Pay
Yes. If the person needing care is a veteran enrolled in VA health care, the VA’s Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers and the Program of General Caregiver Support Services are available in Louisiana as an alternative or complement, and a caregiver support coordinator at VA Southeast Louisiana Health Care or another Louisiana VA facility can walk a family through it. The national VA Caregiver Support Line is 1-855-260-3274.
Taxes on Louisiana Family Caregiver Pay
Medicaid waiver payments to a caregiver who lives with the person cared for can be excluded from federal income under IRS Notice 2014-7; payments to a caregiver who lives elsewhere are ordinary wages. Ask the fiscal agent how it reports, and keep the care plan with your tax records.
The Other Route: a Personal Care Agreement
When a parent does not yet qualify for Medicaid but has some savings, the family can put a written personal care agreement in place: the parent pays the caregiver a fair market rate for defined services, with timesheets. Done properly it is not a gift, so it does not trigger the Medicaid look-back later, and it lets the parent’s own money pay for care in the family before Louisiana family caregiver pay becomes available.
Done informally, with cash and no contract, Medicaid treats the payments as transfers. An elder law attorney can draft one in an hour.
Protecting Yourself as the Paid Caregiver
Caregiving that pays is still caregiving. Ask the case manager about respite hours, which most programs include; use them. Keep every timesheet and the care plan for three years; audits happen. If you are paid as an employee, the fiscal agent handles withholding and you may be eligible for unemployment if the arrangement ends.
Talk about the money with siblings early: Louisiana family caregiver pay paid to one child is a common source of family conflict, and the care plan is the neutral document that shows the work was real.
When the Parent’s Needs Change
If the parent enters a nursing home, Louisiana family caregiver pay ends with the last day at home; the same Medicaid case usually converts to nursing home coverage without a new financial application. If the parent’s needs grow, ask for a reassessment and a revised care plan rather than working unpaid hours. If the parent dies, the final timesheet is paid and the case closes; the caregiver owes nothing back.
Where to Get Help Free
Two free doors exist in every state: the Louisiana SHIP counselor for the Medicare side and the state’s Aging and Disability Resource Center for the Medicaid side. Neither sells anything. For a Louisiana family caregiver pay question involving a house, a spouse at home or a recent gift, a local elder law attorney or legal aid office is the next call.
Official Sources
- Monitored In-Home Caregiving (MIHC), a service of the Community Choices Waiver (CCW), administered by the Louisiana Department of Health, Office of Aging and Adult Services (OAAS).: https://ldh.la.gov/office-of-aging-and-adult-services/community-choices-waiver-ccw
- Louisiana Department of Health, Office of Aging and Adult Services (OAAS), through its single point of entry, Louisiana Options in Long-Term Care, at 1-877-456-1146, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.: https://ldh.la.gov/form/15
- Medicaid.gov spousal impoverishment standards: medicaid.gov
- Medicare.gov Medicare Savings Programs: medicare.gov
This Louisiana family caregiver pay guide was checked against the state Medicaid agency, CMS and the statute cited above in September 2026. Figures reset on their own calendars (most on January 1); if a number here disagrees with a notice you received, the notice wins — and please tell us. This page is general information, not legal, financial or medical advice.