Utah · waiver service
New Choices Waiver (NCW) in Utah
The New Choices Waiver helps Utah adults who have lived long term in a nursing home, assisted living or similar facility move back to a home or community setting. Its services include attendant care and homemaker services, and some can be self-directed with financial management services, which lets the participant hire a relative such as an adult child.
Also called: New Choices Waiver · NCW · Utah New Choices · New Choices Medicaid waiver
Who do you care for?
Quick facts
- Pay
- Not published
- Adult children & other relatives
- Yes
- Spouse
- Sometimes
- Parent of a minor child
- the waiver serves adults 18 and older.
- Waitlist
- capped
Who qualifies for NCW
- Age 18 or older and meets Utah Medicaid financial rules.
- Needs nursing-facility level of care at application and throughout participation.
- Primary condition is not mental illness; does not need an 'Intensive Skilled' level of care; not eligible for an ICF/ID.
- Has been in Medicaid nursing-facility care 90+ days, or in a licensed medical institution 30+ days with discharge to a nursing facility for 60+ days, or in assisted living or a Type N facility 365+ days, or is in another Utah waiver with an immediate need for nursing-facility care.
Who can be paid as the caregiver
- Adult children & other relatives Yes
- participant-directed attendant and homemaker services let participants hire friends and relatives such as an adult child (secondary sources).
- Spouse Sometimes
- secondary sources disagree (some say spouses and legal guardians cannot be paid, others say 'in some cases'); the state does not publish the rule on its New Choices pages.
- Parent of a minor child
- the waiver serves adults 18 and older.
- Living together
- participants may live in their own home or the home of a friend or family member.
Who employs the caregiver: Either. Services can come from agencies, or some services can be participant-directed with financial management services handling payroll.
Spouse rules differ by program — see spouse pay in Utah.
How much NCW pays
Not published. Utah does not publish a caregiver wage for New Choices. Under self-direction the wage is set between the participant and the worker within the authorized services, and a financial management services agency handles payroll and taxes.
Hours and budget: Participants get only the services they are assessed as needing, written into a care plan by their chosen case management agency.
Compare with other Utah programs on the Utah caregiver pay page, or across states in pay rates by state.
Is there a waitlist?
The waiver serves a limited number of people and most slots are reserved for people in nursing facilities, hospitals or other medical facilities. The state says it does not expect to hit the cap.
How to apply for NCW
- Confirm the person meets the facility-stay requirement (for example 90+ days in a Medicaid nursing facility).
- Apply online through the PRISM 'Apply for New Choices Waiver' link on medicaid.utah.gov (a UtahID account is required), or call the program office for a paper application.
- Choose a case management agency from the list for your county.
- Ask your case manager about self-directed attendant care if you want to hire a relative.
- New Choices Waiver program office (Salt Lake area) · 801-538-6155, option 6 · official site
- New Choices Waiver program office (outside Salt Lake) · 800-662-9651, option 6 · official site
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NCW questions
Do you have to be in a nursing home to get New Choices?
Yes, you must be living in a qualifying facility when you apply, such as a nursing home for 90+ days or assisted living for 365+ days. You cannot apply from your own home.
Can my daughter be paid to care for me on New Choices?
Self-directed attendant care lets participants hire relatives such as an adult child, according to program guides. Confirm with your case manager.
Can a spouse be paid under New Choices?
It is unclear. Published guides disagree, and the state's New Choices pages don't say. Ask the program office before you count on it.
Is there a waiting list?
The waiver has a participant cap, but the state says it does not expect to reach it, and people in facilities can apply any time.
Can I live with family after leaving the nursing home?
Yes. The state lists the home of a friend or family member as an allowed setting.
Sources: medicaid.utah.gov · medicaid.utah.gov · medicaidplanningassistance.org · payingforseniorcare.com · Updated 2026-10-08. Program rules change — always confirm with the program.
Where most Utah caregivers are
Counties with the most residents aged 65 and older. The rules are the same everywhere in Utah — pick yours for the local picture.
Across the line
States that border Utah
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.