Family caregivers in Arkansas, such as an adult child helping a parent at home, can be paid through IndependentChoices, the self-directed way to get Medicaid personal care from Arkansas Medicaid. IndependentChoices makes the person you care for the employer who hires their personal assistant. A family member can be that assistant, but not one with legal responsibility for them, such as a spouse or guardian. In IndependentChoices, the person you care for gets a cash allowance and can use all of it to pay you.

Who Can Be Paid Through Arkansas IndependentChoices?

IndependentChoices covers two kinds of help: Medicaid personal care for Arkansas Medicaid beneficiaries, and attendant care for people on the ARChoices in Homecare waiver, who can choose it instead of attendant care through a certified agency.

Your relationship IndependentChoices (your parent hires) Agency personal care
Adult child Yes, if you meet the worker rules Ask the program (No if you act as your parent's guardian of the person)
Other relative with no legal responsibility for them Yes, if you meet the worker rules Ask the program
Relative who lives with them Ask the program Ask the program
Spouse No No
Legal guardian No (court-appointed guardian) No (guardian of the person)
Power of attorney No No, if it gives authority to direct their care
Income payee No Ask the program

If you're an adult child, the door is open. If you're a spouse doing this care every day, that's a hard answer. If your spouse is a veteran, the VA's family caregiver program can pay an approved spouse caregiver a monthly stipend when the veteran meets its eligibility rules, as our Arkansas spouse guide explains.

How Arkansas IndependentChoices Pays a Family Caregiver

In IndependentChoices, your parent (or their representative) decides how to spend the personal care allowance: all on their personal assistant, or part on other items that support their care and independence. IndependentChoices is a section 1915(j) state plan service, and your parent is the employer of record.

As the employer, your parent hires or fires their personal assistant, directs and schedules the work, tracks and approves your time, and keeps receipts for anything bought with the allowance.

Payroll goes through PPL First (Public Partnerships, LLC), the Financial Management Service vendor the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) has contracted with since October 1, 2023. It handles payroll, tax withholding and filing, and timesheets, but isn't a provider and has no employer authority.

What You Need to Be Hired as the Personal Assistant

Under section 260.420 of Arkansas's IndependentChoices manual, the personal assistant must:

  • Be 18 or older.
  • Sign a Work Agreement with the participant or their Representative.
  • Have a valid Social Security number.
  • Submit to registry and criminal background checks.
  • Not be someone considered legally responsible for the participant, such as a spouse or guardian.

Your parent can name a Representative, such as a family member or friend, to help run things, but an IndependentChoices Representative may not be paid for that role or be the participant's employee. If you're the one being paid, you can't also be your parent's Representative.

How Many Hours Can Be Paid?

You don't pick the hours, which is hard when you know what your parent needs. Arkansas Medicaid covers up to 14.75 hours a week (64 a calendar month) of IndependentChoices personal care for participants 21 and older. On ARChoices, a DHS registered nurse sets personal care and attendant care hours with Arkansas's Task and Hour Standards, within the ARChoices Individual Services Budget.

Agency Personal Care vs. IndependentChoices

For agency care, Arkansas Medicaid's Personal Care manual requires a certified personal care aide who is not a member of the beneficiary's family, and only Class-A or Class-B home health agencies and private care agencies may provide it. Arkansas's agency family definition covers a spouse, a legal guardian of the person and an attorney-in-fact with authority to direct care, and Arkansas's approved State Plan also counts anyone acting as an adult's guardian of the person. That family rule doesn't name adult children or say whether agencies can hire them; ask the agency. Arkansas's agency personal care family rule "is not applicable to the IndependentChoices program." Arkansas Medicaid agency personal care also has a 64-hour monthly cap for adults 21 and older.

What Arkansas IndependentChoices Family Caregiver Pay Looks Like

You'll want a number before cutting back at work. DHS's IndependentChoices page doesn't publish an allowance amount, so ask what your parent's allowance will be.

Taxes depend on the program: IRS Notice 2014-7 excludes qualified Medicaid waiver payments for care in your own home, and for a program that isn't a waiver the IRS says it "will depend on the nature of the payments and the purpose and design of the program." Ask a tax professional; see whether Medicaid caregiver payments are taxable and whether you'll get a W-2 or 1099.

How to Start Getting Paid Through IndependentChoices in Arkansas

1
Step 1

Call Arkansas's Choices in Living Resource Center

at 1-866-801-3435, 8:00 to 4:00 Monday through Friday, or email choices.in.living@dhs.arkansas.gov. There's never a cost.

2
Step 2

Make sure your parent has Arkansas Medicaid

see how to apply for Arkansas Medicaid.

3
Step 3

Ask for IndependentChoices

and say your parent wants to hire you as their personal assistant.

4
Step 4

Complete the worker steps

above.

5
Step 5

Set up payroll with PPL First

, which processes your timesheets.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I be paid through IndependentChoices if I live with my parent?

IndependentChoices rules don't separately address a relative who lives with the participant, so ask the program. The IndependentChoices manual won't cover services available from another source, including family members, household members or other unpaid caregivers, so tell the assessor which help is unpaid and which you'd be paid for.

Does the family rule change if my parent is on ARChoices?

Not for a spouse. ARChoices won't pay a spouse, legal guardian of the person, or attorney-in-fact with authority to direct care, even for self-directed attendant care, but an adult child who meets its provider certification and Arkansas Medicaid enrollment requirements can be paid.

Learn More

CaregiverHow to Get Paid as a Family Caregiver in ArkansasArkansas paid family caregiver options in 2026: ARChoices and Independent Choices self-direction, VA PCAFC, Aid and Attendance, and private agreements. CaregiverHow to Get Paid to Care for Your Spouse in ArkansasCan you get paid to care for your spouse in Arkansas? Arkansas Medicaid does not pay a spouse, even through self-direction, but the VA can. Here is how. CaregiverCaregiver Programs in ArkansasEvery caregiver program in Arkansas: ARChoices waiver care, NFCSP respite through Area Agencies on Aging, VA caregiver benefits, and taxes for 2026. MedicaidArkansas Medicaid HCBS WaiversArkansas Medicaid HCBS waivers pay for home care through ARChoices in Homecare, a 1915(c) waiver for seniors 65+ and adults 21-64 with a physical disability. CaregiverHow Consumer-Directed Care WorksHow Medicaid self-direction lets a family member be your paid caregiver: employer authority, budget authority, the 1915(j) spouse rule, and how to get started.

Find personalized help getting paid to care for a parent through Arkansas IndependentChoices 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.

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