Ohio · waiver service
Next Generation MyCare Ohio in 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.
Also called: MyCare Ohio · Next Gen MyCare · NextGen MyCare · MyCare waiver · Ohio dual eligible plan
Who do you care for?
Quick facts
- Pay
- Varies (not published as a caregiver wage)
- Adult children & other relatives
- Yes
- Spouse
- Sometimes
- Parent of a minor child
- MyCare serves adults.
- Waitlist
- none
Who qualifies for Next Generation MyCare Ohio
- Has both full Medicare and full Medicaid (dual eligible).
- Age 21 or older (as reported; confirm with ODM).
- Lives in a county where Next Generation MyCare is available (scheduled to be statewide from August 1, 2026).
- For waiver services, needs a nursing facility level of care.
Who can be paid as the caregiver
- Adult children & other relatives Yes
- relatives can be hired through participant-directed personal care or Choices home care attendant; a relative with legal decision-making authority is limited to 40 paid hours a week.
- Spouse Sometimes
- a spouse can be paid through an agency or financial management service only if no other willing provider is available and the care meets Ohio's extraordinary-care test, up to 40 hours a week.
- Parent of a minor child
- MyCare serves adults.
- Living together
- required only for Structured Family Caregiving.
Who employs the caregiver: Either. Members can use agency providers, participant direction with a financial management service, or an SFC agency for a live-in caregiver.
Spouse rules differ by program — see spouse pay in Ohio.
How much Next Generation MyCare Ohio pays
Varies (not published as a caregiver wage). No single family-caregiver wage is published. In Choices home care attendant the member sets the hourly rate within a budget; participant-directed personal care uses a state-set rate; Structured Family Caregiving pays the SFC agency up to $102.68 a day.
Hours and budget: Your MyCare plan's care coordinator assesses your needs and writes a person-centered services plan that sets the waiver services and hours. Waiver service coordination for MyCare members is handled with the local Area Agency on Aging in many regions.
Compare with other Ohio programs on the Ohio caregiver pay page, or across states in pay rates by state.
Is there a waitlist?
MyCare has no enrollment cap and no waiting list for eligible members.
How to apply for Next Generation MyCare Ohio
- Make sure you have full Medicaid and Medicare; apply for Medicaid through the Ohio Benefits portal or your county Job and Family Services office if needed.
- Choose a Next Generation MyCare plan (Anthem, CareSource or Molina were listed as statewide plans).
- Ask your plan's care coordinator for a waiver assessment.
- If approved, choose participant direction or Structured Family Caregiving to have a family member paid, and enroll that person with the financial management service or SFC agency.
- Ohio Department of Medicaid Consumer Hotline · 1-800-324-8680 · official site
- Local Area Agency on Aging (MyCare waiver members) · 1-866-243-5678 · official site
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Next Generation MyCare Ohio questions
Who can join Next Generation MyCare?
Adults who have both full Medicare and full Medicaid and live in a county where it is available. It was scheduled to be statewide from August 1, 2026.
Can I be paid to care for a family member on MyCare?
Yes. MyCare waiver members can hire relatives through participant-directed services or use Structured Family Caregiving with a live-in caregiver.
Can a spouse be paid under MyCare?
In limited cases: no other willing provider, extraordinary care, through an agency or financial management service, and 40 hours a week or less.
Is there a waiting list for MyCare?
No. MyCare is not capped.
Which plans offer Next Generation MyCare?
ODM listed Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, CareSource and Molina HealthCare of Ohio as the statewide plans.
Sources: dam.assets.ohio.gov · dam.assets.ohio.gov · codes.ohio.gov · codes.ohio.gov · ohiohospitals.org · medicaidplanningassistance.org · Updated 2026-10-08. Program rules change — always confirm with the program.
Where most Ohio caregivers are
Counties with the most residents aged 65 and older. The rules are the same everywhere in Ohio — pick yours for the local picture.
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.