Illinois can pay a family caregiver, including a spouse, through two state programs most families never hear about. If you're caring for an aging parent, a spouse, or an adult with a serious disability, the help is there. The hard part is knowing which program fits your situation.

This guide covers every major caregiver program in Illinois in 2026: the Community Care Program that lets providers hire spouses and family as paid home care aides, the Home Services Program for adults with disabilities under 60, the NFCSP respite grants available at no cost through the Senior HelpLine, the VA programs for caregivers of veterans, and what Illinois's flat 4.95% state income tax means for you at filing time. Each section is short and points you to the deeper article when one exists.

You don't have to piece this together alone.

In This Guide

Illinois Caregiver Programs at a Glance

Program What It Offers Who Qualifies Cost to You
CCP In-Home Service Provider agency hires a family member, including a spouse, as paid aide Adults 60+, asset limit $17,500, DON score 29+ Free (Medicaid/state funded)
Home Services Program (HSP) Customer hires and supervises their own Personal Assistant Adults with severe disabilities, under age 60, at nursing-home risk Free (Medicaid funded)
NFCSP (via 11 AAAs) Respite, training, counseling, supplemental grants Any informal caregiver of an adult 60+ (and others); no income test Free
VA PCAFC Monthly stipend to primary family caregiver; CHAMPVA; counseling Veterans 70%+ service-connected, needing 6+ months personal care Free; veteran must be VA-enrolled
VA Aid and Attendance Pension up to $2,424/mo (veteran alone) to pay for care Wartime veterans needing help with ADLs; income and net-worth limits apply Free to apply

Programs That Pay Family Caregivers

For the full walkthrough of eligibility, application steps, and how much you can be paid, read How to Get Paid as a Family Caregiver in Illinois. Here is the high-level map.

CCP In-Home Service (the Spouse Pathway)

The Illinois Community Care Program, administered by the Illinois Department on Aging, covers multiple in-home services for residents 60 and older who would otherwise need nursing-home care. The service relevant to family caregivers is CCP In-Home Service (sometimes called the homemaker program).

Under CCP In-Home Service, the contracted provider agency may hire any family member, including a spouse, as the customer's paid home care aide, as long as that person meets the provider's qualifications, passes a background check, and completes 24 hours of pre-service training.

To qualify for CCP:

  • Age 60 or older and an Illinois resident
  • Non-exempt assets of $17,500 or less (the home, car, and personal furnishings are exempt)
  • A Determination of Need (DON) assessment score of 29 or higher, conducted by a local Care Coordination Unit (CCU)
  • Must apply for Medicaid if eligible

Not all CCP In-Home Service providers hire family members. Ask your CCU to identify a provider in your area that does. Your local CCU is reached through the Senior HelpLine: 1-800-252-8966.

Home Services Program (HSP)

The Illinois Home Services Program, administered by the Illinois Department of Human Services Division of Rehabilitation Services (DHS-DRS), serves adults with severe physical disabilities who are under age 60 and at risk of nursing-facility placement. HSP customers select, employ, and supervise their own Personal Assistants (PAs), who help with household tasks, personal care, and, with a physician's approval, certain health-care procedures.

Under HSP, many family members can serve as paid PAs. But 89 Ill. Admin. Code 684.30 prohibits paying "legally responsible family members," defined as the customer's spouse, the parent of a customer under age 18, and the legal guardian of a customer under age 18. An adult child, sibling, or other non-legally-responsible relative can be a paid PA through HSP. A spouse generally cannot.

HSP Personal Assistants are paid by the State of Illinois on a set payroll schedule. The base wage for DRS Personal Assistants was $19.50 per hour effective January 1, 2026, with a seniority add-on of $1.00 per hour beginning at the 10,000 cumulative-service-hour milestone. Verify the current rate with your local DRS office, as the wage scale adjusts with each collective bargaining cycle.

Which Pathway Fits Your Family?

The short version: if your loved one is 60 or older, CCP In-Home Service is the path, and a spouse can be hired through it. If your loved one is under 60 with a severe disability, HSP is the path, but a spouse cannot be paid through HSP. For adults under 60 who are veterans, VA Veteran-Directed Care (available at participating Illinois VAMCs including Jesse Brown VA Medical Center and Edward J. Hines, Jr. VA Hospital) is a third option that allows spousal hire.

Respite Care Programs

Respite, a real planned break, is one of the most underused benefits in Illinois. For the full walkthrough, read Respite Care in Illinois. The condensed version:

  • CCP In-Home Service respite: eligible adults 60+ can have authorized respite hours included in their CCP service plan. The Care Coordination Unit determines authorized hours based on need.
  • NFCSP grants through 11 Illinois AAAs: free respite, counseling, training, and supplemental grants for any informal caregiver of an adult 60 or older. No income test for core respite services. Supplemental services above $2,000 per year are means-tested.
  • HSP respite hours: HSP service plans can include respite through authorized PA hours for customers with qualifying disabilities.
  • Adult day services: the Illinois Department of Public Health licenses adult day programs statewide. These provide daytime supervised care, meals, and social engagement, often the most affordable structured daytime option for working caregivers.

The entry point for NFCSP and adult day referrals is the Senior HelpLine at 1-800-252-8966. Specialists there route you to your local Area Agency on Aging and can tell you what respite funding is available in your county.

A practical note: AAA staff regularly report unspent NFCSP respite funds at fiscal year end because families don't call. If you are a full-time caregiver and you haven't contacted your AAA about respite funding, the call costs nothing.

Support and Training

The 11 Area Agencies on Aging

Illinois divides the state into 13 planning and service areas, covered by 11 Area Agencies on Aging. These agencies are the ground-level delivery network for NFCSP services: caregiver training, support groups, individual counseling, respite, and supplemental grants. The federal authority is the Older Americans Act, Title III-E; the state authority sits with the Illinois Department on Aging Caregiver Support program.

Statewide intake: 1-800-252-8966 (Senior HelpLine).

Call the Senior HelpLine to reach your local AAA. Intake specialists connect you to caregiver support groups, training classes, respite vouchers, and any locally funded supplemental services. Services vary by planning area, so what's available in Cook County may differ from what's available in rural southern Illinois.

Illinois Department on Aging Caregiver Support Program

The Illinois Department on Aging administers the statewide caregiver support program that passes NFCSP funds to the 11 AAAs. In addition to NFCSP, IDoA oversees the CCP and coordinates with DHS-DRS on the overlap between aging and disability services. If you're unsure whether to call IDoA or your local AAA first, call the Senior HelpLine. The intake specialist handles the routing.

211 Illinois

Dialing 211 in Illinois connects to statewide 211 services for local resources including food, transportation, mental health support, and crisis intervention. Useful for caregivers who need a broader safety net beyond aging-specific programs.

VA Caregiver Benefits in Illinois

If the person you're caring for is a veteran enrolled in VA health care, the federal VA system runs a parallel benefit stack, often paying more than CCP or NFCSP.

Illinois VA Medical Centers

Illinois is served by four primary VA medical centers:

  • Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago (312-569-8387); serves the Chicago metropolitan area.
  • Edward J. Hines, Jr. VA Hospital, Hines (708-202-8387); serves the western Chicago suburbs.
  • Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, North Chicago (847-688-1900); serves northern Illinois and is a joint federal VA/DoD facility.
  • VA Illiana Health Care System, Danville (217-554-3000); serves east-central Illinois.

Each facility has a Caregiver Support Coordinator (CSC). CSC direct lines are not always published; call the facility switchboard and ask for the CSC, or use the CSP Team Locator at caregiver.va.gov.

PCAFC: Monthly Stipend for Primary Caregivers

The Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) pays a monthly stipend to the primary family caregiver of a qualifying veteran. Requirements: the veteran must have a service-connected disability rated 70% or higher (single or combined) and need in-person personal care services for six or more continuous months. PCAFC is now open to all eras.

The stipend is calculated as a percentage of the OPM General Schedule GS-4, Step 1 annual salary for the locality where the veteran resides, divided by 12. Illinois veterans in the Chicago locality see a different locality adjustment than those in a rest-of-U.S. area. Ask your Caregiver Support Coordinator at your nearest VAMC for the current stipend range for your locality.

Primary PCAFC caregivers also receive: CHAMPVA health insurance if otherwise uninsured, mental health counseling, and at least 30 days per year of respite care.

PGCSS: Support Without a Stipend

The Program of General Caregiver Support Services (PGCSS) is open to caregivers of any veteran enrolled in VA health care, regardless of era or service-connection rating. PGCSS provides peer support, training, and self-care resources, but no monthly stipend. If a veteran doesn't meet PCAFC eligibility, PGCSS is the first call.

Aid and Attendance: Pension for Veterans Needing Help with ADLs

VA Aid and Attendance is a pension benefit for wartime veterans who need help with activities of daily living. It is not limited to service-connected conditions. The 2026 rates (effective December 1, 2025 through November 30, 2026):

  • Veteran with no dependents: up to $2,424/month at the Aid and Attendance level.
  • Veteran with one dependent: up to $2,874/month.
  • Surviving spouse (no dependents): up to $1,558/month at the Aid and Attendance level.

The net worth limit for both veterans and surviving spouses is $163,699 (effective December 1, 2025). The primary home, vehicles, and basic household items are excluded from the net worth calculation. Asset transfers made on or after October 18, 2018 are subject to a 36-month look-back.

For the deeper walkthrough of Aid and Attendance eligibility, application steps, and how pension interacts with Illinois Medicaid, see VA Aid and Attendance in Illinois.

VA Caregiver Support Line: 1-855-260-3274 (Monday through Friday 8am to 10pm ET, Saturday 8am to 5pm ET).

Trying to figure out if you can be paid? Read How to Get Paid as a Family Caregiver in Illinois for the side-by-side breakdown of CCP In-Home Service, HSP, and VA programs. Includes the spouse rules, the application sequence, and what to ask your Care Coordination Unit.

Taxes for Illinois Caregivers

IRS Notice 2014-7 and Medicaid Waiver Payments

IRS Notice 2014-7 established that certain Medicaid waiver payments made to an individual care provider who lives in the same home as the care recipient may be excluded from federal gross income. This can apply to CCP In-Home Service and HSP Personal Assistant wages paid to live-in family caregivers. The exclusion is not automatic; you must elect it on your federal return.

Illinois Flat 4.95% Income Tax

Unlike states with no income tax, Illinois does apply a flat individual income tax of 4.95% to net income, at the same rate regardless of income level. This applies to caregiver wages from CCP, HSP, and VA programs.

Illinois starts its calculation from federal adjusted gross income (AGI). When IRS Notice 2014-7 excludes a Medicaid waiver payment from federal gross income, that exclusion generally flows through to your Illinois return as well, since Illinois taxes federal AGI, not a separately computed Illinois income base. But the mechanics depend on your specific filing situation.

Talk to a tax preparer familiar with Medicaid waiver caregiver compensation before you file. Federal rules update regularly, and the interaction between Notice 2014-7 and Illinois's AGI-based system has nuances that a general tax preparer may not flag automatically.

Frequently Asked Questions

Through CCP In-Home Service, yes. A contracted provider agency may hire a spouse as the customer's paid home care aide, as long as the spouse passes a background check and completes 24 hours of pre-service training. Not every CCP provider hires family members, so ask your Care Coordination Unit to identify one that does. Through HSP, no: Illinois regulations bar paying a spouse as a Personal Assistant under HSP. Through VA Veteran-Directed Care (available at participating Illinois VAMCs), yes, spouses can be hired using the veteran's flexible monthly budget.

CCP (Community Care Program) is administered by the Illinois Department on Aging and serves residents age 60 and older. The customer works with a contracted provider agency, and the agency employs the caregiver. HSP (Home Services Program) is administered by DHS-DRS and serves adults with severe physical disabilities who are under 60. Under HSP, the customer is the de facto employer: they select, hire, and supervise their own Personal Assistant, and the state handles payroll. Age is the primary dividing line.

For veterans under 60 with service-connected conditions, VA programs are the primary pathway. PCAFC pays a monthly stipend to the primary caregiver. VA Veteran-Directed Care (available at Jesse Brown VAMC, Hines VA Hospital, and other participating Illinois VAMCs) gives the veteran a flexible monthly budget to hire their own caregiver, including a spouse. A veteran who also has a severe physical disability may qualify for HSP for non-VA-funded services; the two can sometimes complement each other.

For core respite, counseling, and support services, no. NFCSP services through the 11 Illinois AAAs are provided without an income test. Supplemental services, meaning services other than the five core categories, are means-tested for amounts above $2,000 per year per caregiver. The Senior HelpLine at 1-800-252-8966 can tell you what supplemental services your AAA offers and what, if any, cost sharing applies.

This depends on the specific Medicaid program and the source of the wages. CCP is itself a Medicaid program, so a family caregiver hired through CCP In-Home Service is earning wages from a Medicaid-contracted agency. Whether those wages affect a separate Medicaid application (for example, a caregiver's own Medicaid eligibility) depends on income counting rules for the relevant program. Talk to your local DHS office or an elder law attorney before assuming wages will or will not affect eligibility.

Learn More

Find personalized help mapping Illinois caregiver programs to your family's situation 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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Brevy Care Team

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