Delaware Attendant Services Program: Can Family Be Paid? (2026)

For Delaware families caring for an adult relative with a disability, the Delaware Attendant Services Program lets that relative hire and manage their own paid in-home attendant.1 Neither Delaware's Community-Based Attendant Services Act nor the state's program page says whether a family member can be the paid attendant in the Attendant Services Program, so ask the Delaware Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) at 1-800-223-9074 before you plan around it.1,2 If your relative qualifies for Medicaid long-term care, Delaware's Diamond State Health Plan Plus (DSHP-Plus) program does let a family member such as an adult child be hired, though whether a spouse can is not stated.3

What Delaware's Attendant Services Program Pays For

Delaware's Division of Services for Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities (DSAAPD) describes the program as a self-directed model that "puts you in charge of who supports you and how." It runs under the Community-Based Attendant Services Act, which tells the state to run it as a statewide program.1

Under that law, attendant services make up for what your relative can't manage on their own with daily living, self-care or getting around, at home or in the community. The services it lists include:1

• cleaning, laundry, shopping and chores
• transportation, escort, and help with written, oral and electronic communication
• help with bill paying and money management, planning activities and decision-making
• transfers to and from a bed, wheelchair or vehicle
• help with routine bodily functions

DSAAPD's own page adds help with getting dressed, bathed or moving around, preparing meals and doing household tasks, and communicating or getting to work.1

Does Your Relative Qualify for the Attendant Services Program?

For the Attendant Services Program, DSAAPD says your relative must be 18 or older, have a disability, and meet financial and functional eligibility.1

For Delaware's Attendant Services Program, state law defines an eligible participant as a Delaware resident with a severe, chronic mental or physical disability that keeps them from, or seriously limits them in, daily living, self-care or mobility. Under Delaware's Community-Based Attendant Services Act, chronic means a medically determinable impairment expected to last at least 12 months. That isn't the whole test: the Act leaves it to the state to clarify program eligibility, so DSAAPD's age, financial and functional rules still apply.1

Can a Family Member Be the Paid Attendant in Delaware?

The answer isn't written down: neither the Community-Based Attendant Services Act nor DSAAPD's program page says whether a relative can be the paid attendant.1

In the Attendant Services Program, your relative can act through a guardian or appointed representative, but Delaware's Community-Based Attendant Services Act doesn't say whether that person can also be paid as the attendant. The Act leaves the rules that disqualify someone from being an attendant to state regulations.1 So when you call, ask directly: "Can my relative hire me, their daughter (or spouse), as their paid attendant?" If not, the Medicaid route below may still work for an adult child.

How the Attendant Services Program Works

Your relative is the employer. Delaware's law requires the program to offer training that helps a participant take on that employer role.1

Hours aren't a fixed number. The care follows a written individualized service plan, based on a needs assessment, that spells out the nature, frequency and financial side of each service. The sources we cite state no hours cap.1

Your relative may owe part of the cost: Delaware's Community-Based Attendant Services Act requires an income-based sliding fee schedule for the Attendant Services Program, but the sources we cite don't list the amounts, so ask what your relative would pay. The state carries out these duties "within the limits of appropriations and other available funds," so it's also fair to ask whether there's a wait.1

Delaware's Community-Based Attendant Services Act requires a criminal background check at state expense for every Attendant Services Program attendant, plus checks of the sex offender registry and of abuse, neglect, mistreatment and financial exploitation registries. Anyone seeking to be an attendant in the Attendant Services Program must share the information needed for a Delaware and federal criminal history report, fingerprints included.1

What Attendant Pay Looks Like in Delaware

Typical pay: about $16.50 an hour (estimate based on BLS home care aide wages in Delaware, May 2025). That's a wage estimate for the occupation, not a rate any program pays a family caregiver.4 Ask the program what it pays an attendant.

If Your Relative Qualifies for Medicaid Long-Term Care

Diamond State Health Plan Plus (DSHP-Plus) is Delaware Medicaid's managed care program for long-term care for residents who are elderly or physically disabled, and attendant care directed by the member is one of its benefits.2 Delaware Medicaid's 2020 managed care contract says DSHP-Plus members who self-direct can hire a neighbor, friend or family member as the attendant, so an adult child can be paid. The sources don't say whether a spouse can be paid, so a spouse should ask DSHP-Plus directly. Under DSHP-Plus, a representative who directs your relative's services can't also be the paid attendant.3

How to Apply for Delaware's Attendant Services Program

Learn More

Find personalized help with Delaware's Attendant Services Program and paying a family caregiver 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.