Caregiver Programs in Delaware: Paid, Respite & Support (2026)

Delaware has real programs that pay family caregivers, fund free respite, and add VA benefits on top. Through Delaware Medicaid's Personal Attendant Services, a participant can hire a family member or friend as a paid personal attendant.1

If you are caring for an aging parent, a spouse, or an adult child with a disability in Delaware, the hard part is rarely whether help exists. It is knowing what is there and where to start. This guide maps every major Delaware caregiver program for 2026, from paid-caregiver pathways to free respite grants and VA benefits.

You don't have to figure this out alone, and you don't have to fund all of it from your savings.

In This Guide

• Delaware Caregiver Programs at a Glance
• Who Pays Family Caregivers in Delaware?
• How to Start Paid Caregiver Support in Delaware
• Where to Get Free Respite in Delaware
• Where to Get Help
• VA Caregiver Benefits in Delaware
• Taxes for Delaware Caregivers
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Learn More

Delaware Caregiver Programs at a Glance

Who Pays Family Caregivers in Delaware?

If you are already doing the hands-on work of bathing, dressing, or supervising a loved one, Delaware Medicaid may be able to pay you for it. The state delivers its long-term care through Diamond State Health Plan-Plus (DSHP+), a managed long-term-services program, and its Personal Attendant Services let a participant hire, train, and supervise their own personal care attendant, including a family member or friend. This self-direction is what turns "the family already provides the care" into "the family caregiver gets paid for it." The Delaware Aging and Disability Services Administration administers these programs.1

Whether a spouse specifically can be the paid attendant, and which other relatives can serve, is set by program rules you confirm with the Delaware Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) at 1-800-223-9074. Delaware does not publish a single statewide hourly rate for family attendants; the hours and pay are authorized within the participant's DSHP+ service plan based on the assessed level of need, so the amount depends on the care the plan approves rather than a flat number.1

Getting paid rests on two tests, both applied to the person receiving care. The first is a functional need for help with daily activities, determined by a state assessment. The second is financial eligibility for long-term-care Medicaid: in 2026, Delaware sets the special income limit at about $2,485 a month for a single applicant, and the countable-asset limit is generally $2,000. An applicant over the income limit can still qualify by setting up a qualified income trust, often called a Miller trust, and long-term-care Medicaid applies a 60-month look-back on asset transfers.6

If your family is over the Medicaid income limit and not connected to a veteran, the paid-attendant route may not fit, but you are not out of options. Families in that position typically combine private-pay home care with the free NFCSP respite below, which is open regardless of your loved one's Medicaid status, and lean on the ADRC to point them to local sliding-scale supports. For the full walkthrough of who can be paid and how the paychecks work, see How to Get Paid as a Family Caregiver in Delaware.2

How to Start Paid Caregiver Support in Delaware

Getting paid feels bureaucratic from the outside, but it comes down to four steps, and the first phone call is free.

Where to Get Free Respite in Delaware

Caregiving without a break is how burnout starts, and respite exists precisely because no one can be on call around the clock indefinitely. Delaware funds it whether or not your loved one is on Medicaid.

The National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP), funded by Title III-E of the Older Americans Act, flows through Delaware's Area Agencies on Aging. Services include in-home respite, adult day vouchers, caregiver training, and counseling. Because NFCSP is a caregiver-support grant program separate from Medicaid, you qualify based on the caregiving relationship (caring for an adult 60 or older, or a person of any age with Alzheimer's or a related dementia) rather than on your loved one's Medicaid status. Call 1-800-223-9074 (Delaware ADRC) to reach your regional agency, or dial 211.2

State Medicaid programs and waivers can also authorize respite within the care plan. For the full respite guide, see Respite Care in Delaware.

Where to Get Help

You do not need to know which program you qualify for before you call. A counselor will identify what is available in your area and help you start an application. These are the front doors, and every call below is free.

VA Caregiver Benefits in Delaware

If the person you care for is a veteran enrolled in VA health care, an entirely separate and often more generous set of benefits opens up, on top of anything Medicaid offers.

VA Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC)

The PCAFC pays a monthly stipend to the Primary Family Caregiver of an eligible veteran. The stipend is calculated from the federal General Schedule (GS) grade 4, step 1 annual rate for the veteran's locality, divided by 12, then multiplied by a level factor. It is federal tax-free and allows paid spouses. To qualify, the veteran needs a VA disability rating of 70 percent or higher, a need for at least six months of continuous, in-person personal care, and enrollment in VA health care.3

VA Aid and Attendance Pension

Wartime veterans and surviving spouses who meet the functional criteria and have countable assets and income under the net-worth limit ($163,699 in 2026) may receive the Aid and Attendance pension. A single veteran with Aid and Attendance receives up to $2,424 per month ($29,093/year); a veteran with one dependent up to $2,874 per month. The pension goes to the veteran, who typically pays a family caregiver from it.4

The Delaware state veterans agency and county or town Veterans Service Officers help file at no cost.

Taxes for Delaware Caregivers

Once you are being paid to provide care, the natural next question is how that income is taxed, and the rules confuse almost everyone the first time through. The good news is that they are often more favorable than families expect.

IRS Notice 2014-7

If you live in the same home as the person you care for and are paid through a Medicaid program, your wages may be excluded from federal gross income under IRS Notice 2014-7. This exclusion reaches qualified Medicaid waiver payments made to a caregiver who shares the home of the person receiving care; it does not reach ordinary private-pay wages. This applies to many Delaware self-directed caregiving arrangements. Talk to a tax preparer familiar with the rule before filing.5

Delaware State Income Tax

Delaware does levy a state personal income tax, and how it treats Medicaid waiver payments can differ from the federal rule. Confirm the current treatment of caregiver wages with the Delaware Division of Revenue or a tax preparer before you file.

VA PCAFC Stipend

The PCAFC monthly stipend is federal tax-free and is not reported on a W-2.3

Learn More

Find personalized help navigating Delaware caregiver programs 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.