Get paid to care for family in Lee County
Most of the 5,230 people in Lee County who are 65 or older are cared for at home, by a relative. Virginia Medicaid can pay you for that work.
Lee County at a glance
- Aged 65+
- 5,230
- Aged 85+
- 515
- Rank in VA
- 72nd
- Median age
- 44.7
24% of residents
when daily help usually starts
of 133 counties, by residents 65+
older than the country
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Population Estimates (Vintage 2024). Lee County is one of the most rural counties in the country (Rural-Urban Continuum Code 8).
- 50 + DC
- states covered
- 3,144
- counties with local data
- $0
- it is always free to apply
- 2 min
- to see if you qualify
Population figures from the U.S. Census Bureau · Rules from each state's published Medicaid program
Care in Lee
What being a paid caregiver looks like here
About 5,230 people in Lee County are 65 or older — 24% of everyone who lives here. That is an older county than Virginia overall, so more families here are already doing this work. Roughly 515 are 85 or older, the age when daily help usually starts. Out here, hiring an outside agency often is not realistic at all. Being paid to do the care yourself is not a workaround — it is how these programs were designed to work.
Statewide, 1.5 million people in Virginia are 65 or older — 18% of the state, across 133 counties.
What Virginia pays family caregivers
$13.88–$17.97/hr
Your exact pay is set by the program and your care plan. We'll tell you your real number before you enroll.
Source: Virginia Medicaid program data · Updated September 2026
Virginia's programs at a glance
- CCC Plus Waiver consumer direction
- LRI option (spouses & parents)
- Spouse paid?
- Sometimes
- Parent paid for a child?
- Sometimes
- Waitlist
- Some programs have no waitlist.
These rules are set by the state, so they are the same in every county. Read the full Virginia guide →
Towns and cities in Lee County
Virginia sets eligibility, not your town — so a family in Pennington Gap and a family at the far edge of the county apply the same way. The largest communities in Lee County:
- Pennington Gap1,575
- Jonesville851
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Subcounty Population Estimates.
How families in Lee apply
You do not need a county office to start. Families in Lee County start with Virginia's program:
Apply for Medicaid via Cover Virginia or the local Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) office and request a functional (nursing-facility level of care) screening through local DSS.
Or skip the phone tag — our free 2-minute check tells you which Virginia program fits your family, then we help with the forms.
See if you qualify →Lee questions, answered honestly
Can I get paid to care for a family member in Lee County?
Yes. Virginia runs real Medicaid programs — like CCC Plus Waiver consumer direction — that pay family caregivers, and they cover families in Lee County. We help you enroll, and applying costs you nothing.
How much do family caregivers earn in Lee County?
Reported figures in Virginia are around $13.88–$17.97/hr, but rates vary — the program sets your exact pay. We'll tell you your real number before you enroll.
Where do families in Lee County apply?
Families in Lee County start with the state, not the county. Apply for Medicaid via Cover Virginia or the local Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) office and request a functional (nursing-facility level of care) screening through local DSS.
Can I get paid to care for my spouse in Lee County?
Sometimes — it depends on the program. The fine print for Virginia: limited — spouses payable only as Legally Responsible Individuals for 'extraordinary care' (ADLs only, not IADLs/supervision) when circumstances prevent a non-LRI caregiver; capped at 40 hrs/week; LRI rules updated eff. 7/1/2025
How many people in Lee County might need this?
5,230 residents of Lee County are 65 or older and about 515 are 85 or older, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 population estimates. Most of them are cared for at home by a relative rather than in a facility. Virginia's programs exist to pay for exactly that care.
Which towns in Lee do you cover?
All of Lee County — including Pennington Gap and Jonesville. Eligibility is set by Virginia, not by your town, so where you live inside the county does not change whether you qualify.
Program facts come from Virginia's published Medicaid program rules · Population figures from the U.S. Census Bureau · Updated September 2026. Rules change — always confirm with the program.
Guides
For families in Lee County
Start with the Virginia caregiver program, then read how the pieces fit together.
Nearby
Counties next to Lee
The counties Lee touches, by Census boundaries — a few of those borders run across water. Ones marked with a state abbreviation are across the line, and their rules are their state's, not this one's.
Find out in 2 minutes
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