Respite Care in Indiana: A 2026 Guide for Family Caregivers

If you are caring for a parent or spouse in Indiana and running on empty, respite care in Indiana is real, funded, and closer than most families realize. Structured Family Caregiving can pay a live-in family member, including a spouse, a daily stipend, and NFCSP respite grants reach any caregiver with no income test.

Needing a break does not mean you are failing the person you love. It is what lets you keep going. Federal health data show why it matters: nearly 1 in 5 family caregivers reports being in fair or poor health, and elderly caregivers coping with their own chronic illness face a 63% higher mortality rate than non-caregivers.1

In This Guide

• Which Indiana Respite Care Programs Pay Family Caregivers?
• How Much Respite Does Each Indiana Option Cover?
• How to Start Respite Care in Indiana
• Where to Get Respite Help in Indiana
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Learn More

Which Indiana Respite Care Programs Pay Family Caregivers?

Asking for help can feel like giving up. It is the opposite. In Indiana, several funded paths can give you regular breaks, and most families qualify for at least one. If you need emergency respite right now, call 211 or the Indiana FSSA Division of Aging at 1-800-713-9023.2

1. Structured Family Caregiving (SFC): A Paid Break for a Live-In Family Member

If you already live with the person you care for, this is often the most valuable option. Structured Family Caregiving pays a live-in family caregiver a daily stipend for providing daily care through a contracted provider agency, and the caregiver must live full-time in the same home as the care recipient. SFC is available under PathWays for Aging for Hoosiers age 60 and older and the Health and Wellness waiver. The care recipient must be enrolled in Medicaid and qualify for the applicable home and community-based services (HCBS) waiver. Confirm the current daily stipend rate with the assigned health plan or provider agency before you count on a figure.3

Here is what sets Indiana apart: a spouse who lives in the same home can be the paid SFC caregiver. Indiana is one of a small number of states that allow this. The caregiver must pass a criminal background check, and a Power of Attorney holder who lives with the recipient may also qualify. Note that a spouse can provide SFC but cannot provide the separate self-directed Attendant Care service (a restriction that took effect July 1, 2024), so spouses who want to be paid use SFC. To start, contact your PathWays health plan (Anthem, Humana, or UnitedHealthcare) or the Indiana FSSA Division of Aging.4

2. Attendant Care (ATTC) Respite Hours for Family Members

If a non-spouse relative gives you scheduled coverage, Attendant Care may fit. Indiana Attendant Care (ATTC) is an hourly, self-directed personal care service under PathWays for Aging, the Health and Wellness waiver, and the Aged and Disabled waiver, in which the care recipient directs their own attendant. Non-LRI adult children, siblings, and other relatives can be hired and paid, and those hours can include time designated as respite within the authorized care plan.5,2

There is one rule worth knowing before you plan around it: Legally Responsible Individuals (LRIs), meaning spouses and parents of minor children, cannot start new ATTC arrangements as of July 1, 2024. If you are a live-in spouse, SFC is your route instead. Talk to your PathWays health plan care manager to set this up.5

3. PathWays for Aging Health Plan Coordination

PathWays for Aging launched July 1, 2024, for Hoosiers age 60 and older on Medicaid or dual Medicare-Medicaid coverage. Three managed care entities run it: Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Humana, and UnitedHealthcare. Your health plan care manager is the person who integrates SFC and ATTC with the rest of the care plan and adds respite hours to it. Financial eligibility follows Indiana Medicaid: income up to about $2,982 per month (300% of the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) federal benefit rate) and countable assets up to $2,000 for a single applicant in 2026; confirm the current figures with FSSA, as the income standard adjusts each year.8

To use it, contact your assigned health plan or the Indiana FSSA Division of Aging at 1-800-713-9023. Timelines vary by plan and provider agency, so ask your care manager how long authorization and provider onboarding typically take in your area, and use NFCSP respite below while you wait.2

4. NFCSP Grants Through Indiana's 15 Area Agencies on Aging

You do not need Medicaid for this one. The National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP), funded by Title III-E of the Older Americans Act and administered federally by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), flows through the Indiana FSSA Division of Aging to 16 regional Area Agencies on Aging statewide. Each agency provides in-home respite, adult day vouchers, caregiver training, and individual counseling, with respite carrying no income test; the amount is set locally, not federally, so hours vary by region. Some supplemental services are offered on a limited basis.2,6

You qualify if you are a family caregiver of an adult age 60 or older; a grandparent or relative caregiver of a child under 18; or a caregiver of an adult with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia at any age. To start, call the FSSA Division of Aging statewide line at 1-800-713-9023, or use the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116 to reach your regional agency.6

5. Private-Pay Respite and Adult Day Care Without Medicaid

If your family does not qualify for Medicaid and outgrows the free NFCSP hours, you still have options. Adult day programs, licensed by the state and available across Indiana, give your loved one meals, activities, and supervision during the day so you get a predictable stretch of hours back. Families who do not qualify for Medicaid typically pay privately for adult day care, though rates vary by provider and an NFCSP voucher or a Medicaid waiver can offset the cost for families who become eligible.2

Short-term facility respite, a few days to a couple of weeks in an assisted living or nursing facility, lets you travel, recover from your own surgery, or simply rest. To find a participating program near you, use the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116 or dial 211 for local referrals.6

6. VA Respite for Veteran Families

If the person you care for served in the military, the VA runs a parallel respite track. Veterans enrolled in VA Health Care can access respite through VA medical facilities serving Indiana, including in-home aide services, adult day health care, and short-term facility respite; ask the Caregiver Support Coordinator at your medical center what is authorized.

The clearest respite benefit sits inside the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC): an approved Primary Family Caregiver receives at least 30 days of respite care per year, plus a monthly stipend and other supports. PCAFC serves veterans with a VA disability rating of 70% or higher who need at least six months of continuous, in-person personal care and are enrolled in VA health care, and a spouse can be the caregiver.9

Veteran-Directed Care (VDC) is a second path. It gives a veteran at risk of nursing-home placement a flexible, self-directed monthly budget to hire and direct their own workers, including family members and, unlike Medicaid self-directed attendant care, a spouse. In Indiana, VDC is offered through Area Agencies on Aging in partnership with the VA, so availability depends on your region. To open either track, call the VA Caregiver Support Line at 1-855-260-3274.10,11

How Much Respite Does Each Indiana Option Cover?

There is no single statewide respite allowance in Indiana, because each program sets its own amount. This table shows who each option can pay, whether income counts, and how to reach it.

Medicare is the narrow one: it covers respite only as short-term inpatient respite within the hospice benefit, and not otherwise.7

How to Start Respite Care in Indiana

You do not have to understand every program before you act. One phone call opens most of these doors, and a counselor on the other end will help you sort the rest.

Where to Get Respite Help in Indiana

Learn More

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.