ARChoices Family Caregiver Pay: Who Can Be Paid (2026)

ARChoices in Homecare can pay an adult child or other relative in Arkansas who meets its provider certification and Medicaid enrollment rules to provide help at home. ARChoices is a Medicaid program that covers attendant care with bathing, dressing and meals for people 65 and older and adults 21 to 64 with a physical disability, and it never pays a spouse.1,2 ARChoices family caregiver pay starts with a free call to the Choices in Living Resource Center at 1-866-801-3435.3

Who Can Get ARChoices Family Caregiver Pay?

Section 212.600 of the ARChoices provider manual lets a relative by blood, marriage or adoption provide ARChoices services, but under no circumstances may Medicaid pay a spouse, legal guardian of the person, or attorney-in-fact granted authority to direct care.2

Caring for your husband or wife? Self-direction doesn't get around the ARChoices spouse bar.2 Our guide to getting paid to care for a spouse in Arkansas covers the options that remain, including VA caregiver benefits.

What You Have to Meet as a Relative Caregiver

All ARChoices providers, including relatives, must meet ARChoices provider licensure or certification requirements and Arkansas Medicaid enrollment requirements, and must provide services according to your parent's person-centered service plan (PCSP).2

Your parent can get ARChoices attendant care through an agency, or can self-direct it through IndependentChoices, provided they're capable of directing their own care.2 In IndependentChoices, your parent is the employer of record and hires their personal assistant. IndependentChoices lets family members other than those with legal responsibility for your parent serve as personal assistants. An IndependentChoices personal assistant must be 18 or older, sign a Work Agreement, have a valid Social Security number, and pass registry and criminal background checks.5

If your parent names a Representative in IndependentChoices, that person can't be paid for the role or be your parent's employee.5

How ARChoices Sets Your Hours

ARChoices sets no fixed number of hours for a family caregiver. A DHS nurse uses the Arkansas Medicaid Task and Hour Standards to set the attendant care hours that are reasonable and medically necessary; that monthly figure is your parent's approved maximum. The projected cost of attendant care plus every other service in the plan can't exceed your parent's Individual Services Budget.2

ARChoices also doesn't cover help that's available from another source, including family members, someone in your parent's household, or other unpaid caregivers.2

Does Your Parent Qualify for ARChoices?

ARChoices is a Medicaid home and community-based services waiver, operated by DHS's Division of Aging and Adult Behavioral Health Services (DAABHS). To qualify for ARChoices, your parent must meet all three requirements:1

• Be 21 through 64 with a physical disability, or 65 or older.
• Meet established financial criteria.
• Meet the nursing home admission level of care criteria.

Applicants must also need at least one ARChoices service.6 ARChoices services include attendant care, home-delivered meals, an emergency call button, adult day services, adult day health, respite care, and home changes such as grab bars or a wheelchair ramp.6

For 2026, the ARChoices income limit for a single applicant in Arkansas is $2,982 a month, and countable resources can't exceed $2,000. The home (within its equity limit), one car and household goods don't count toward the 2026 ARChoices $2,000 resource limit. Income over the ARChoices limit isn't the end of the road: your parent may still qualify through an income trust, and only the income above the limit has to go into it. VA Aid and Attendance isn't counted as income for ARChoices Medicaid eligibility.7 Check where your parent stands with our guide to Arkansas Medicaid income and asset limits.

The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) record of the ARChoices waiver lists its approval period as ending June 30, 2026, with no renewal posted, but DHS continues to run ARChoices, so that date doesn't mean the program ended.6

What ARChoices Family Caregiver Pay Looks Like

Typical pay: about $13.30 an hour, the BLS May 2025 Arkansas median for home health and personal care aides. That's an occupation estimate, not a rate ARChoices pays a family caregiver.4 Our sources publish no ARChoices rate for a relative, so ask the agency or IndependentChoices what you'd earn.

On taxes, IRS Notice 2014-7 treats qualified Medicaid waiver payments as excludable from gross income only when you give the care in your own home, where your parent lives under their care plan, not for care given outside the home where you live.8 See whether Medicaid caregiver payments are taxable, and ask a tax professional.

How to Start Getting Paid Through ARChoices

Learn More

Find personalized help getting paid to care for a parent through ARChoices at brevy.com.

The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.