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Get paid to care for family in Washington County

Most of the 13,800 people in Washington County who are 65 or older are cared for at home, by a relative. Virginia Medicaid can pay you for that work.

Washington County at a glance

Aged 65+
13,800

25% of residents

Aged 85+
1,360

when daily help usually starts

Rank in VA
31st

of 133 counties, by residents 65+

Median age
47.3

older than the country

The front porch of an ordinary home, typical of Washington County

U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Population Estimates (Vintage 2024). Washington County is a smaller-city county (Rural-Urban Continuum Code 2).

50 + DC
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Population figures from the U.S. Census Bureau · Rules from each state's published Medicaid program

Care in Washington

What being a paid caregiver looks like here

About 13,800 people in Washington County are 65 or older — 25% of everyone who lives here. That is an older county than Virginia overall, so more families here are already doing this work. Roughly 1,360 are 85 or older, the age when daily help usually starts. There are only so many home-care agencies in a county this size, and the ones that are here do not always cover evenings, weekends, or the far end of the county.

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

Rates vary — check with the program.

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 Washington County

Virginia sets eligibility, not your town — so a family in Abingdon and a family at the far edge of the county apply the same way. The largest communities in Washington County:

  • Abingdon8,316
  • Glade Spring1,368
  • Damascus790
  • Saltville162

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Subcounty Population Estimates.

How families in Washington apply

You do not need a county office to start. Families in Washington 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 →

Washington questions, answered honestly

Can I get paid to care for a family member in Washington County?

Yes. Virginia runs real Medicaid programs — like CCC Plus Waiver consumer direction — that pay family caregivers, and they cover families in Washington County. We help you enroll, and applying costs you nothing.

How much do family caregivers earn in Washington 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 Washington County apply?

Families in Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington County might need this?

13,800 residents of Washington County are 65 or older and about 1,360 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 Washington do you cover?

All of Washington County — including Abingdon, Glade Spring, Damascus and Saltville. 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.

Nearby

Counties next to Washington

The counties Washington 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.

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