If you care for a parent or other relative in Mississippi, Medicaid can pay for help with bathing, dressing and other daily care at home, and sometimes the paid helper can be you. The Mississippi Elderly and Disabled Waiver pays for personal care and other home services for adults who would otherwise need a nursing home, and the Mississippi Division of Medicaid may pay a relative to provide them when the rule's conditions are met. Start with the Division of Medicaid's Helpline at 1-800-421-2408.

In This Guide

What the Mississippi Elderly and Disabled Waiver Pays For

The E&D Waiver is Mississippi Medicaid's main home care program for older and disabled adults, run by DOM as an alternative to a nursing facility. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) describes Mississippi's E&D Waiver as serving people 65 or older and people with physical disabilities ages 21 to 64 who meet a nursing facility level of care. Covered services include personal care, case management, adult day care, in-home respite, home-delivered meals and community transition services.

Personal Care Services are the part a family caregiver usually means: non-medical help at home or in the community, given by trained personal care attendants, so the person can manage daily living needs.

To qualify for Mississippi's E&D Waiver, your parent must be 21 or older, need nursing facility level of care as found by a comprehensive long-term services and supports (LTSS) assessment, and either receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or meet Medicaid's institutional income and resource rules. In 2026, Mississippi's E&D Waiver resource limit is $4,000 for one person, but one home and one car don't count, so it's countable assets such as savings that must fit under it. The home has one catch: while your parent's home equity is over $752,000 (the 2026 limit), they can't get full Medicaid services through the waiver unless a spouse, a child under 21, or a blind or disabled adult child lives there, and the bar can be waived for undue hardship. An E&D beneficiary can't live in a nursing facility or a personal care home, so the paid care happens at home. For married couples, Mississippi measures each spouse's income separately, so don't add both incomes together and compare the total to the E&D Waiver's $2,982 monthly limit for 2026. The full rules are in Mississippi Medicaid HCBS waivers and Mississippi Medicaid eligibility and income limits.

Which Family Members Can Be Paid on the Mississippi E&D Waiver?

The E&D rule in Title 23, Part 208 of the Mississippi Administrative Code says DOM may allow payment for waiver services to a non-legally responsible relative only when the rule's criteria are met. A non-legally responsible relative is someone related to your parent by blood or marriage who is not their legal guardian or legal representative.

Your relationship Can you be paid?
Adult child or other relative by blood or marriage Yes, if DOM approves under the rule's criteria
Spouse Not under the relative rule; a spouse counts as a legal representative
Guardian or conservator Not under the relative rule
Holds power of attorney Not under the relative rule
Social Security representative payee Not under the relative rule
Relative who lives in the home Ask DOM how the rule's criteria apply

Taking on paperwork for your parent can change your answer. Mississippi's E&D Waiver rule counts a power of attorney holder or a Social Security representative payee as a legal representative, outside the relatives DOM may pay. If you hope to be the paid caregiver, ask DOM before you sign on for either role.

Payment to a relative is DOM's decision, not an automatic right: the rule says DOM "may allow" it. When you call, ask: "What criteria must a relative meet to be paid for E&D personal care, and who would employ me?" For a spouse, see how to get paid to care for your spouse in Mississippi for VA and other routes.

How Family Caregiver Pay Works on the Mississippi E&D Waiver

This guide could not find a published wage for a paid relative on Mississippi's E&D Waiver. As an estimate based on home care aide wages, the Bureau of Labor Statistics put the May 2025 median for Mississippi home health and personal care aides at $11.47 an hour. That's a market benchmark, not what the program pays. Before you cut back at your own job, ask DOM or the provider how many hours your parent's plan covers and what a relative is paid.

How to Start Getting Paid in Mississippi

1
Step 1

Call DOM's Helpline at 1-800-421-2408

Ask about the E&D Waiver and whether you meet the criteria to be paid as a relative.

2
Step 2

Apply for Medicaid if your parent isn't already covered

File an Aged, Blind and Disabled Medicaid application, and contact the waiver's initial point of contact for a clinical evaluation. See how to apply for Mississippi Medicaid.

3
Step 3

Complete the LTSS assessment

The LTSS assessment decides whether your parent needs nursing facility level of care for Mississippi's E&D Waiver.

4
Step 4

Wait for both approvals

E&D Waiver eligibility begins only once the waiver placement is approved and your parent is found eligible under institutional rules, whichever is later.

5
Step 5

Ask DOM to approve you as the paid relative

before you start giving paid care.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is E&D Waiver pay taxable?

E&D Waiver pay may not be taxable if your parent lives with you. Mississippi's E&D Waiver is a Section 1915(c) waiver, and under IRS Notice 2014-7, qualified payments under such a waiver for care in the home you share may be excluded from your federal gross income, but not if you keep a separate home., See are Medicaid waiver payments taxable.

What if DOM denies or cuts my parent's services?

Your parent can ask for a fair hearing. When DOM reduces, denies, suspends or ends covered services, the request must be made in writing within 30 days of the notice. See Mississippi Medicaid appeals and fair hearings.

What if the waiver isn't an option for us?

The Mississippi Dementia Care Program offers about 27 hours of respite a month for twelve months to caregivers of people with dementia, and the Mississippi Family Caregiver Support Program helps people caring for a relative 60 or older. Both are reached through the Mississippi Access to Care (MAC) Center at 844-822-4622.

Learn More

CaregiverHow to Get Paid as a Family Caregiver in MississippiHow to get paid as a family caregiver in Mississippi in 2026. VA PCAFC, Aid and Attendance, Medicaid E&D Waiver personal care, and private agreements explained. CaregiverHow to Get Paid to Care for Your Spouse in MississippiCan you get paid to care for your spouse in Mississippi? The E&D Waiver rule leaves spouses out, but the VA's PCAFC stipend can pay a spouse. Here is how. CaregiverCaregiver Programs in MississippiEvery Mississippi caregiver program for 2026: Medicaid E&D Waiver in-home care, NFCSP and state respite, VA stipends a spouse can receive, and tax rules. CaregiverRespite Care in MississippiRespite care in Mississippi for family caregivers: the Medicaid E&D Waiver, NFCSP respite through your Area Agency on Aging, adult day, and VA respite. MedicaidMississippi Medicaid HCBS WaiversMississippi Medicaid HCBS waivers pay for home and community care through the Elderly and Disabled Waiver. See 2026 income and asset limits and how to apply. CaregiverPersonal Care Agreements for Family CaregiversA personal care agreement lets a family pay a relative for caregiving without the money counting as a gift under Medicaid's look-back. What to include and why.

Find personalized help with Mississippi's E&D 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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Expert eldercare guidance from Brevy's team of healthcare professionals and researchers.