Maryland Caregiver Programs: Getting Paid & Respite (2026)

If you're caring for an aging parent or a spouse in Maryland, the hardest part usually isn't whether help exists. It's knowing what's there and where to start. Maryland's caregiver programs include Medicaid personal assistance a participant can self-direct, respite breaks for family caregivers, and a single front door for help, and this guide maps them in one place.

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

In This Guide

• Key Takeaways
• Maryland Caregiver Programs at a Glance
• Can a Family Member Get Paid in Maryland?
• Respite Care in Maryland
• Where to Start: Maryland Access Point
• VA Caregiver Benefits for Maryland Veterans
• Will You Owe Taxes on Caregiver Pay?
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Learn More

Maryland Caregiver Programs at a Glance

Can a Family Member Get Paid in Maryland?

For many families, this is the real question: can the person already doing the caregiving get paid for it? In Maryland, the answer depends on the program and on who the caregiver is.

The clearest way to choose your own caregiver is self-direction under Community Personal Assistance Services (CPAS), a Maryland Medicaid personal care benefit for people who need help with one or more activities of daily living, are eligible for Medicaid under a covered group, live at home, and have an active plan of service; services must be preauthorized in that plan. Since July 1, 2023, CPAS has offered a self-directed model that lets participants recruit, hire, train, supervise and fire their own personal assistance providers, with help from a supports planner and a Medicaid-enrolled Financial Management and Counseling Services (FMCS) contractor.1 One firm limit applies to who can be hired: under that model, Maryland does not permit participants to hire legally liable relatives as paid providers.1 Before you count on paying a particular relative, ask the program to confirm that they can be the paid assistant.

Maryland's other personal-assistance program is Community First Choice (CFC), run by the Maryland Department of Health Medicaid Administration. CFC is a Medicaid state plan benefit that can cover personal assistance and related supports at home. You must meet all of its rules: need an institutional level of care, live in a community setting, and already have full Medicaid (the red and white card); there is no age limit.2

For people who need more than personal care, the Community Options Waiver (also called the Home and Community-Based Options Waiver) adds services like assisted living, case management, medical day care, and Senior Center Plus. You must meet all of Maryland's medical, technical and financial rules: need a nursing-facility level of care; be 18 or older; live at home or in the community; not be in another waiver program or PACE at the same time; have community services that cost no more than institutional care; be able to live safely at home with waiver services; and have monthly income no more than 300% of SSI benefits and countable assets no more than $2,000 or $2,500, depending on eligibility category.6 This waiver has a waitlist, though someone in a nursing facility whom Medicaid has paid for services for at least 30 days may apply with no wait.6

Respite Care in Maryland

Caregiving without a break isn't sustainable, and Maryland has help. The state's Family Caregiver Support Program, which the Maryland Department of Aging says is funded by the federal Administration for Community Living, provides respite care, a temporary break from caregiving, along with counseling, support groups, caregiver training, and help finding services.3 It serves caregivers age 18 and older who care for someone 60 or older, or for a person of any age with Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder, and older relatives (not parents) 55 and older who care for a child under 18.3 Maryland's list also includes older relatives (not parents) 55 and older caring for an adult age 18 to 59 with a disability, but the Administration for Community Living's national rules for the same program include parents on that route, so a parent 55 or older caring for an adult child with a disability should ask their local Area Agency on Aging rather than assume they're excluded.3

The federal program behind it exists in every state, so if you move or have family caring across state lines, the same kind of help is available elsewhere.4

Where to Start: Maryland Access Point

If all of this feels like a lot to sort through, there's a single front door. Maryland Access Point (MAP) is the place to call to find out what you qualify for and how to apply, and it's how you join the Community Options Waiver registry, at 844-627-5465.6 MAP is a referral and information gateway, not a program that pays or provides care itself, but it's the right first call.

VA Caregiver Benefits for Maryland Veterans

If the person you care for is a veteran, a separate set of benefits opens up on top of anything Maryland Medicaid offers. The VA's Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers pays an eligible veteran's approved primary family caregiver a monthly stipend, and a spouse can serve as that caregiver.5 Approval alone doesn't start the money: VA says you must be enrolled in direct deposit using the VA customer engagement portal to get the monthly stipend.5 Our 50-state guide to getting paid as a family caregiver covers the VA path and how to apply.

Will You Owe Taxes on Caregiver Pay?

How caregiver pay is taxed depends on who employs the caregiver. If your family hires an in-home caregiver directly and controls not only what work is done but how it's done, that caregiver is your household employee, and once you pay them $3,000 or more in cash wages in 2026 you generally must withhold and pay Social Security and Medicare taxes. If an agency provides the caregiver and controls what work is done and how it's done, the caregiver isn't your employee.7 VA, by contrast, has described its caregiver stipend as a nontaxable benefit.5 There are also federal tax benefits some caregiving families can use, like the Child and Dependent Care Credit, which counts only care expenses paid so you can work, and the expenses counted can't exceed your earned income (if you're married, the lower of the two spouses' earned income, with a special rule for a spouse who can't care for himself or herself).8 A tax preparer can tell you what applies to your situation before you file.

Learn More

Find personalized help sorting out Maryland 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.