If you care for a parent, spouse or other relative with a physical disability at home in Kansas, Kansas Medicaid's home-care waivers may be able to pay you for that care. The Kansas Physical Disability (PD) waiver pays a worker the participant chooses for Personal Care Services (PCS), including an adult child or another relative who isn't legally responsible for them. Kansas Physical Disability waiver family caregiver pay starts with a call to the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) at 1-855-200-2372.

In This Guide

How the Kansas PD Waiver Pays a Family Caregiver

The PD waiver serves people 16 to 64 who meet nursing facility criteria due to a physical disability, are disabled by Social Security standards, and are eligible for KanCare, Kansas Medicaid. Kansans 65 or older apply for the Frail Elderly (FE) waiver instead of the PD waiver.

On the Kansas PD waiver, the participant can self-direct PCS, Enhanced Care Services (ECS) and Financial Management Services (FMS), meaning your relative hires, trains and supervises their PCS worker. Your relative is your employer, with a federal employer identification number in their own name, and the FMS provider processes payroll, withholds and files taxes, and submits your background check paperwork. The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) PCS and Limitations Policy, effective October 1, 2026, says family caregivers are allowable as documented in waiver language.

Who Can Be Paid on the Kansas PD Waiver?

If you're an adult child or other relative who isn't legally responsible, the approved Kansas PD waiver (effective July 1, 2026) lets you be paid for PCS and ECS (ECS only if you don't live in the home), for the scope, duration and amount the managed care organization (MCO) needs assessment sets in the person-centered service plan. Kansas counts four kinds of people as legally responsible: the parent of a minor child, a spouse, a court-appointed guardian or activated durable power of attorney (DPOA), and a foster parent.

Your relationship Personal Care Services (PCS) Enhanced Care Services (ECS)
Adult child or other relative, living elsewhere Yes Yes
Relative who lives in the home (not legally responsible) Yes, for most self-directed services No
Spouse Only if extraordinary care is assessed Only with an MCO exception, in two limited situations
Court-appointed guardian Only with a probate court finding that conflicts of interest are mitigated, or an MCO exception Needs an MCO exception too
Activated DPOA If a designated representative directs care, or with an MCO exception Needs an MCO exception too

On the Kansas PD waiver, a spouse paid for extraordinary care must have that choice written into the person-centered service plan. Under the KDADS policy, spouses in the same household can't be paid for instrumental activities of daily living (IADL tasks) done for others in the household, except tasks tied to an extraordinary need.

Enhanced Care Services When You Live Together

KDADS's Self-Direction Toolkit says a relative living in the home can be hired for most self-directed services but "cannot help you at night through Enhanced Care Service (also called Sleep Cycle Support)." So in Kansas, an adult son who lives with his mother can be paid for her PCS, but not for her overnight ECS.

On the approved Kansas PD waiver, a legally responsible person can't provide ECS without an MCO exception, and a live-in ECS provider must be such a person with one. Kansas PD waiver ECS exceptions require that the participant lives alone with a severe cognitive impairment and/or physical disability, or has used up other MCO support options and without ECS would be at significant risk of institutionalization.

The 2022 Kansas Medical Assistance Program (KMAP) PD provider manual words these exceptions more broadly, including a rural ground; caregiver programs in Kansas compares the two. Ask the MCO care coordinator which ECS rules it applies.

Guardians and Powers of Attorney

Under the approved Kansas PD waiver, a court-appointed guardian can be paid only if the probate court finds all potential conflicts of interest mitigated under K.S.A. 59-3068. Without that court finding, or if the guardian provides personal care anyway, a designated representative who isn't legally responsible must plan and direct Kansas PD waiver services. On the Kansas PD waiver, an activated DPOA can be paid only if a designated representative directs care. The MCO may waive the Kansas PD waiver's guardian and DPOA limits when the participant lives alone with a physical disability, or has used up other MCO support options and would be at significant risk of institutionalization. KDADS's FMS manual also says a participant's representative can't also be their direct service worker.

Kansas Physical Disability Waiver Family Caregiver Pay and Hours

The $15.03 an hour estimate is the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 median for Kansas home health and personal care aides, not a rate any program pays a family caregiver.

On the Kansas PD waiver, your relative sets your rate within the Medicaid reimbursed rate, and the FMS provider can't set wages, so agree on the number before you start. Kansas PD waiver PCS hours are limited to the assessed need in the person-centered service plan, up to 12 hours per 24-hour day; more needs the MCO's approval. Every Kansas PD waiver worker, spouses included, must log paid hours in electronic visit verification (EVV).

How to Apply for the Kansas PD Waiver

1
Step 1

Call the Kansas Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) at 1-855-200-2372

It gives options counseling and refers your relative for a PD Functional Eligibility Assessment.

2
Step 2

Expect a waiting list

If your relative meets functional eligibility, they go on the PD waiting list; offers come when funds are released, and KDADS can't say when.

3
Step 3

Return the KDADS PD waiver offer letter within 15 days

KDADS mails it when a place opens and won't forward it, so keep your relative's address current. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and the KanCare Clearinghouse then confirm Medicaid eligibility. To request a Kansas Medicaid application, call the KanCare Clearinghouse at 800-792-4884.

4
Step 4

Ask the MCO to self-direct PCS with you as the worker

The MCO your relative chooses contacts them to do an assessment and start services.

5
Step 5

Sign up with your relative's FMS provider

Frequently Asked Questions

Can my relative self-direct PCS in assisted living?

No. Under KDADS's PCS policy, waiver PCS can be authorized in assisted living but not self-directed there.

Learn More

CaregiverHow to Get Paid as a Family Caregiver in KansasHow to get paid to care for a family member in Kansas in 2026: HCBS waiver self-direction, who can be hired, the spouse and co-resident rules, and VA options. CaregiverHow to Get Paid to Care for Your Spouse in KansasCan you get paid to care for your spouse in Kansas? Sometimes: the approved FE waiver may pay a spouse for extraordinary care, and VA's PCAFC can too. CaregiverCaregiver Programs in KansasEvery caregiver program in Kansas: HCBS waiver self-direction, who can be paid, respite, NFCSP grants, VA benefits, and taxes explained for 2026. MedicaidKansas Medicaid HCBS WaiversKansas Medicaid HCBS waivers, the Frail Elderly and Physical Disability programs, pay for in-home care for people who meet a nursing-facility level of care. MedicaidHow to Apply for Kansas MedicaidLearn how to apply for Kansas Medicaid through KanCare online or by phone. Covers spend-down rules, required documents, timelines, and how to appeal a denial.

Find personalized help getting paid through the Kansas Physical Disability waiver 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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