Ohio
Ohio programs that pay family caregivers
Ohio pays family members through 4 Medicaid programs. Each has its own rules for who qualifies, who can be paid and what it pays.
Who do you care for?
PASSPORT Medicaid Waiver
PASSPORT is Ohio's Medicaid waiver for adults 60 and older who need nursing-home-level care but want to stay at home. It is run by the Ohio Department of Aging through local PASSPORT administrative agencies (Area Agencies on Aging). Through its participant-directed options, a member can hire a relative as their paid worker, and PASSPORT also offers Structured Family Caregiving for a live-in caregiver.
Varies (not published as a caregiver wage)
How it works →Structured Family Caregiving (SFC)
Structured Family Caregiving is a waiver service in Ohio's PASSPORT, Ohio Home Care and MyCare waivers for adults 18 and older. It pays an SFC agency a daily rate when a caregiver lives with the member and gives daily care and support, and the agency passes a share to the caregiver along with coaching from a nurse or social worker. Family members, including spouses under Ohio's legally-responsible-person rules, can be the caregiver.
$102.68/day to the SFC agency
How it works →Next Generation MyCare Ohio
Next Generation MyCare is Ohio's managed care program for adults who have both full Medicare and full Medicaid. It launched January 1, 2026 in the 29 former MyCare counties and was scheduled to reach every county by August 1, 2026. Members who need nursing-home-level care can get MyCare waiver services, including participant-directed care where a relative or spouse can be hired and Structured Family Caregiving.
Varies (not published as a caregiver wage)
How it works →Ohio Home Care Waiver
The Ohio Home Care Waiver is an Ohio Department of Medicaid program for people 59 and younger with disabilities who need nursing-facility-level care at home. It pays personal care aides, nurses and Structured Family Caregiving. Parents of minor children and spouses can be paid only as agency employees and only under Ohio's strict legally-responsible-person rules.
Agency rate $28.96/hr; non-agency $22.32/hr (Medicaid rates, not wages)
How it works →The overview: the Ohio caregiver program · Ohio caregiver pay · spouse rules
Find out in 2 minutes
Answer 5 easy questions. See your programs and pay before you share any contact info.
Across the line
States that border Ohio
Each state writes its own rules, and they differ more than people expect — a spouse who can be paid on one side of the line often cannot be on the other.