For Illinois families caring for a parent 60 or older, the Illinois Community Care Program lets a provider agency hire and pay a family caregiver, such as an adult child, as the home care aide.,, Illinois Community Care Program aides help with household tasks such as cleaning, meals, laundry, shopping and errands. From January 1, 2026, subject to federal approval, Illinois law sets an $18.75 hourly minimum wage for Illinois Community Care Program homemaker direct service workers. A spouse can also be hired as an Illinois Community Care Program aide, but only for extraordinary care.

Who Can Be Hired as an Illinois Community Care Program Family Caregiver?

In the Illinois Community Care Program (CCP), run by the Illinois Department on Aging, the paid family caregiver is hired and employed by an In-Home Service provider agency, not by the person receiving care. Those agencies may choose to hire a family member, but not all of them hire family, and a spouse qualifies only for extraordinary care (below).,

Illinois's Persons who are Elderly waiver (IL.0143.R08.00, a renewal effective October 1, 2026) lets relatives and legal guardians provide all the in-home services in the person's assessment and Person-Centered Plan (PCP).

Your relationship Can you be the paid aide? What decides it
Adult child or other relative Yes, if the provider hires family The assessment and the Person-Centered Plan
Legal guardian Yes, if the provider hires family Treated like a relative
Spouse, power of attorney (medical, legal, or financial) or representative payee Only for extraordinary care A legally responsible individual; the Care Coordination Unit documents it
A relative who lives with the person Not stated in the cited sources Ask the Care Coordination Unit

The Extraordinary-Care Test for Spouses

Illinois defines a legally responsible individual (LRI) as anyone with a legal duty to provide care for the person, including spouses, powers of attorney and representative payees. The waiver and the Department on Aging's rule, 89 Ill. Adm. Code 240.160, both say an LRI can be paid through the Illinois Community Care Program when the care is extraordinary, and any one of three situations qualifies:

  1. The care goes beyond what someone the same age without a disability or chronic condition would ordinarily get, and it's needed to protect the person's health and welfare and avoid institutionalization, as documented by the Care Coordination Unit (CCU).
  2. The CCU documents that no other qualified homecare aides are available to provide the services in the person's plan.
  3. The CCU documents that the LRI has a unique ability to meet the person's needs, and the LRI's care is in the person's best interest.

If you're the spouse, describe your extraordinary care at the assessment. Our Illinois spouse guide covers other routes, including the VA.

Does the Person You Care For Qualify?

Your paid job exists only once the person you care for is enrolled in the Illinois Community Care Program, so this test comes first. The Illinois Department on Aging lists these program requirements:

  • Age 60 or older and an Illinois resident
  • A U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen within specific categories
  • Non-exempt assets of $17,500 or less (2026)
  • A risk of nursing-facility placement on the Determination of Need (DON) assessment
  • Apply for and, if eligible, enroll in Medicaid

The home, car and personal furnishings are exempt from the Illinois Community Care Program's $17,500 asset limit (2026), so owning them doesn't by itself put your parent over it. For the Medicaid step, see how to apply for Illinois Medicaid.

What an Illinois Community Care Program Family Caregiver Is Paid

Under the Illinois Act on the Aging, 20 ILCS 105/4.02, from January 1, 2026 and subject to federal approval, the homemaker services rate paid to Illinois Community Care Program provider agencies is $30.80 an hour, set to sustain an $18.75-an-hour minimum wage for direct service workers. The $30.80-an-hour Illinois Community Care Program agency rate isn't your wage; an agency may pay more than the $18.75-an-hour wage floor from January 1, 2026, so ask each provider what it pays family aides.

Your paid hours as an Illinois Community Care Program aide come from the assessment and the Person-Centered Plan. Illinois's Persons who are Elderly waiver doesn't state a separate weekly hours cap for family aides; for a spouse or other LRI, paid services are limited to the specific in-home services and hours in the plan. For people under 60 and other Illinois routes, see the Illinois how-to-get-paid guide.

The Rules Once You're Hired

  • You clock your visits. Under the Persons who are Elderly waiver, paid relatives must use electronic visit verification (EVV).
  • You can't sign for your parent. Under the Persons who are Elderly waiver, a paid relative or legal guardian can't be the person's authorized representative or sign the Client Agreement, Vendor Selection or Eligibility forms, Consent Form, or PCP.

How to Get Hired, Step by Step

1
Step 1

Call the Senior HelpLine

at 1-800-252-8966 (TTY 1-888-206-1327), the number Illinois Legal Aid Online gives for applying to the Illinois Community Care Program.

2
Step 2

Get the assessment

A local Illinois Community Care Program CCU coordinates services, and your parent needs the Determination of Need assessment and a Medicaid application.

3
Step 3

Ask for a provider that hires family

Not every In-Home Service provider hires family members, so your parent should tell the CCU they want you as their aide. The Illinois Community Care Program CCU will discuss options with your parent, who is free to change their mind at any time.

4
Step 4

Let the CCU refer you

Under Illinois's Persons who are Elderly waiver, if your parent wants a relative or legal guardian as the home care aide, the CCU must refer that person to your parent's chosen In-Home Service provider.

5
Step 5

Complete the hire

An Illinois Community Care Program provider may choose to hire you if you meet qualifications, pass a background check, complete 24 hours of pre-service training, and agree to be supervised by the provider.

Frequently Asked Questions

My parent is 62. Does that change anything?

Possibly. The Illinois Community Care Program list starts at age 60, but Illinois's Persons who are Elderly Medicaid waiver serves people 65 or older, or 60 to 64 with a physical disability, who meet a nursing-facility level of care. A 60- to 64-year-old without a physical disability can meet the Illinois Community Care Program list but fall outside the Persons who are Elderly waiver, so ask the Care Coordination Unit which applies.

Learn More

CaregiverHow to Get Paid as a Family Caregiver in IllinoisHow to get paid to care for a family member in Illinois: the Community Care Program (providers may hire a spouse), the Home Services Program, and VA pathways. CaregiverHow to Get Paid to Care for Your Spouse in IllinoisCan you get paid to care for your spouse in Illinois? CCP (age 60+) may pay a spouse for extraordinary care, and the VA can pay a qualifying veteran's spouse. MedicaidIllinois Medicaid HCBS WaiversIllinois Medicaid HCBS waivers, the Community Care Program and Home Services Program, pay for in-home care for adults who meet a nursing-facility level of care. CaregiverIllinois Home Services Program Personal AssistantsHSP Personal Assistants earn $20.00 an hour, $20.75 from January 2027. Who the rules let be paid (a spouse is unsettled), how State payroll works, how to apply.

Find personalized help getting hired as your family member's Community Care Program aide 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.

Still have questions?

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Brevy Care Team

Expert eldercare guidance from Brevy's team of healthcare professionals and researchers.