Ohio · waiver service
PASSPORT Medicaid Waiver in Ohio
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.
Also called: PASSPORT · PASSPORT waiver · Pre-Admission Screening System Providing Options and Resources Today · Ohio PASSPORT program · PASSPORT participant direction · Choices home care attendant
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
- PASSPORT serves adults 60 and older.
- Waitlist
- possible
Who qualifies for PASSPORT Medicaid Waiver
- Age 60 or older.
- Financially eligible for long-term care Medicaid.
- Needs a nursing facility level of care, confirmed by an in-home assessment.
- Can live safely at home with PASSPORT services.
- People who get both Medicare and Medicaid are generally served through Next Generation MyCare instead.
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 services; a relative who holds legal decision-making authority (such as a power of attorney) is limited to 40 paid hours a week.
- Spouse Sometimes
- a spouse can be paid only if no other willing and able provider is available, the care meets Ohio's extraordinary-care test, and the spouse works through an agency or a financial management service; paid care is capped at 40 hours a week. A spouse can also be the live-in Structured Family Caregiving caregiver under the same rules.
- Parent of a minor child
- PASSPORT serves adults 60 and older.
- Living together
- required only for Structured Family Caregiving.
Who employs the caregiver: Either. You can use agency providers, or participant direction, where you hire your own worker and a financial management service handles payroll. Structured Family Caregiving runs through a certified SFC agency.
Spouse rules differ by program — see spouse pay in Ohio.
How much PASSPORT Medicaid Waiver pays
Varies (not published as a caregiver wage). Ohio sets maximum rates for PASSPORT services in Ohio Administrative Code 5160-1-06.1, but does not publish a single family-caregiver wage. In Choices home care attendant, the participant sets the hourly rate within their budget; participant-directed personal care uses a state-set rate. Structured Family Caregiving is paid to the SFC agency at up to $102.68 a day, and the agency pays the caregiver a share.
Hours and budget: A PASSPORT case manager from your local administrative agency assesses your needs and writes a person-centered services plan that sets which services and how many hours you get. Paid care from a spouse or a relative with legal authority is limited to 40 hours a week unless the state grants an exception.
Compare with other Ohio programs on the Ohio caregiver pay page, or across states in pay rates by state.
Is there a waitlist?
PASSPORT has a capped number of slots each year, and a waiting list can form when they fill.
How to apply for PASSPORT Medicaid Waiver
- Call your local Area Agency on Aging (statewide number below) and ask for a PASSPORT screening.
- Apply for Ohio Medicaid through the Ohio Benefits portal or your county Job and Family Services office, and answer yes to the waiver or long-term-care question (form ODM 02399 requests waiver services).
- Complete the in-home assessment with a PASSPORT case manager.
- Choose participant direction or Structured Family Caregiving if you want a family member to be paid, and enroll that person with the financial management service or SFC agency.
- Local Area Agency on Aging / PASSPORT (Ohio Department of Aging statewide line) · 1-866-243-5678 · official site
- Ohio Department of Medicaid Consumer Hotline · 1-800-324-8680 · official site
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PASSPORT Medicaid Waiver questions
Can I get paid to care for my mom through PASSPORT?
Yes. If she is on PASSPORT, she can use participant direction to hire you as her worker, or choose Structured Family Caregiving if you live with her.
Can a spouse be paid under PASSPORT?
Only in limited cases: no other willing provider is available, the care passes Ohio's extraordinary-care test, the spouse works through an agency or financial management service, and paid hours stay at 40 a week or less.
What is the age limit for PASSPORT?
You must be 60 or older. People under 60 use the Ohio Home Care Waiver.
Is there a waiting list for PASSPORT?
There can be. PASSPORT has a capped number of slots each year.
Who runs PASSPORT locally?
Your regional Area Agency on Aging acts as the PASSPORT administrative agency and does assessments and case management.
How much does PASSPORT pay a family caregiver?
It depends on the service. In Choices home care attendant, the participant sets the rate within a budget. Structured Family Caregiving pays the agency up to $102.68 a day.
Sources: codes.ohio.gov · codes.ohio.gov · codes.ohio.gov · dam.assets.ohio.gov · 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.