Rhode Island · self-direction option
Independent Provider Program (merged into Personal Choice) in Rhode Island
The Independent Provider (IP) Program let Rhode Island Medicaid LTSS members self-direct non-medical personal care and homemaker services by choosing aides from a registry. Under the Personal Choice Self-Directed Personal Care Services Act of 2023 and an EOHHS rule effective February 12, 2024, IP was merged into Personal Choice, which kept the registry option. People searching for IP today enroll through Personal Choice.
Also called: IP Program · Independent Provider · RI IP program · independent provider PCA Rhode Island
Who do you care for?
Quick facts
- Pay
- $15–$21/hr
- Adult children & other relatives
- Yes
- Spouse
- Not right now
- Parent of a minor child
- Not right now
- Waitlist
- none
Who qualifies for Independent Provider Program (merged into Personal Choice)
- Adult Rhode Island Medicaid LTSS members living at home (IP served all adult LTSS consumers in a home setting).
- Today, new enrollees must meet Personal Choice rules: 18+ with a disability or 65+, high or highest level of care.
Who can be paid as the caregiver
- Adult children & other relatives Yes
- relatives other than a spouse can be hired as the aide (now under Personal Choice).
- Spouse Not right now
- spouses were barred under IP and remain barred under Personal Choice.
- Parent of a minor child Not right now
- adult program.
- Living together
- not required.
Who employs the caregiver: Self-directed; the participant is the employer and an EOHHS-certified fiscal intermediary handles payroll.
Spouse rules differ by program — see spouse pay in Rhode Island.
How much Independent Provider Program (merged into Personal Choice) pays
$15–$21/hr. Former IP members now follow Personal Choice pay rules: the participant sets the aide's wage between $15 and $21 per hour (210-RICR-50-10-2), with collective bargaining terms carried over from IP.
Hours and budget: Monthly budget set by EOHHS from a functional assessment; aides capped at 40 hours a week.
Compare with other Rhode Island programs on the Rhode Island caregiver pay page, or across states in pay rates by state.
Is there a waitlist?
IP is closed to new enrollment; use Personal Choice.
How to apply for Independent Provider Program (merged into Personal Choice)
- Contact The POINT at 401-462-4444 or RI DHS at 855-697-4347 about Medicaid LTSS.
- Ask to enroll in Personal Choice (the program that replaced IP) and use the aide registry if you need help finding a worker.
- The POINT (Aging and Disability Resource Center) · 401-462-4444 · official site
- RI DHS Call Center · 855-697-4347 · official site
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Independent Provider Program (merged into Personal Choice) questions
Does the Independent Provider program still exist?
No. Rhode Island merged it into Personal Choice by a rule effective February 12, 2024. Members were moved to Personal Choice.
Can I still pick an aide from a registry?
Yes. Personal Choice kept the registry option that IP used.
Did pay change after the merger?
Personal Choice lets the participant set the wage between $15 and $21 an hour, which gives more flexibility than IP had.
Can a relative still be my paid aide?
Yes, unless the relative is your spouse, representative, financial power of attorney or Social Security payee.
Sources: rulesstaging.sos.ri.gov · webserver.rilegislature.gov · eohhs.ri.gov · Updated 2026-10-08. Program rules change — always confirm with the program.
Where most Rhode Island caregivers are
Counties with the most residents aged 65 and older. The rules are the same everywhere in Rhode Island — pick yours for the local picture.
Across the line
States that border Rhode Island
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.