Respite Care in Nebraska: A 2026 Guide for Family Caregivers

Nebraska family caregivers can get funded respite care four ways: a Medicaid waiver, the state's Lifespan Respite program, NFCSP grants, and the VA. Which one fits turns largely on whether your loved one is already on a Medicaid waiver, because a waiver participant can receive respite from only one source, and Lifespan Respite serves only people who are not receiving and not eligible for respite from another government program.1

Caregiving without planned breaks wears you down slowly, often before you notice it. Respite is not stepping away from the care. It is what lets you keep giving it.

This guide maps the main funded respite care options in Nebraska for 2026.

What Nebraska Medicaid Covers for Respite Care

Nebraska Medicaid, run by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), offers two pathways that can give a caregiver relief, and they work differently: a state plan personal care benefit that is not labeled respite, and a waiver that includes a distinct respite service.

Personal Assistance Services (PAS) is Nebraska Medicaid's state plan help with activities of daily living, such as bathing or dressing. It is open to a person of any age who receives Medicaid, lives in their own home rather than an institution, and has an assessed need for the service in order to live in the community. PAS is not labeled respite, but while a paid provider covers those personal care hours, you get a real break. And DHHS is explicit that a participant has the right to choose their provider and direct their own care, so the person filling those hours can be someone you trust.1

The Aged and Disabled (AD) Waiver goes further. To be eligible, a person must receive Nebraska Medicaid, have a disability or be over the age of 65, meet Nursing Facility Level of Care, and have a need for waiver services. On top of personal care, it covers adult day health, home-delivered meals, a personal emergency response system, and a distinct respite service that pays someone to come into the home, take care of a participant and give the primary caregiver a temporary break. No more than 360 hours of respite may be authorized within the participant's annual eligibility period. The caregiver being relieved must be the usual unpaid caregiver: someone who provides support for the majority of the participant's unpaid care needs and keeps their primary residence at the same address. Respite is not used to allow the usual caregiver to accept or maintain employment, except when the participant is approved for and attending camp.2

A Service Coordinator must determine that a service is needed, and DHHS says a participant may have a choice of Service Coordination provider depending on age: DHHS Local Offices serve all ages, and a participant aged 65 or older can use the local Area Agency on Aging, unless they already have a DHHS service coordinator and want to keep them. DHHS lists both the Area Agencies on Aging and DHHS as service coordination offices to contact, so ask either which one will coordinate your loved one's services. For a family living with dementia, DHHS ties cognitive impairment to particular services rather than to the waiver as a whole: a participant may need Adult Day Health when they have physical, emotional, or cognitive impairments.2

Can a family member be paid? Yes, and Nebraska publishes the rule. Under PAS, a family member may be a paid provider as long as that family member is not legally responsible for the participant; a spouse, or the parent or guardian of a minor child, cannot, and whoever does the work must be able to meet the qualifications to become a provider. The waiver draws a similar line, with one route for a spouse. On the Aged and Disabled waiver a relative may be paid to provide Personal Care, Respite and Chore while a Legally Responsible Individual may not, and LRI Personal Care is the one service on that waiver an LRI may be paid for. DHHS offers LRI Personal Care on the Aged and Disabled waiver, all three Developmental Disabilities waivers, and, as of July 1, 2026, the Traumatic Brain Injury waiver.1

So if you are the spouse of the person you care for, paid waiver respite is not your route, because respite is closed to a Legally Responsible Individual. LRI Personal Care is. Ask for it by that name.1 DHHS can authorize it only if your spouse meets Nebraska's Extraordinary Care test, and for no more than 40 hours a week.9

A relative who lives with the participant faces one more condition. Waiver respite does not cover natural supports provided by relatives, legal guardians, or fictive kin living in the participant's home when the support is part of a normal family or household routine, unless the support is clearly above and beyond what is typically expected for a person without a disability.2

If you face a caregiving emergency, two routes cover crisis respite. AD Waiver respite may be authorized for an emergency or crisis that requires the usual caregiver's absence.2 Lifespan Respite's Exceptional Circumstances funding includes crisis respite, through a separate application that must be approved.1 To find local help, call the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116.4

Other Funded Respite Care Options in Nebraska

Nebraska's Lifespan Respite Program

Nebraska DHHS runs Lifespan Respite for eligible people across the lifespan with medical, mental or behavioral special needs. It provides up to $125 per month for planned respite per client, plus an additional $2,000 per eligibility period for qualified Exceptional Circumstances, including crisis respite, for which a separate funding application must be submitted and approved.1

There is one exclusion to know before you apply: Lifespan Respite will only provide respite supports for people who are not receiving and not eligible for respite services from another government program. A waiver participant can receive respite from only one source, so a family already drawing Aged and Disabled waiver respite cannot also draw Lifespan Respite. If your loved one is not on a waiver, this is the program to ask about.1

Lifespan Respite also checks the caregiver, not only the person who needs care. It funds only eligible unpaid primary family caregivers, and DHHS sets four conditions. You must be providing care or supervision without reimbursement or payment. You must need respite services. You must live in the same home as the person with special needs, or provide care in that person's home for at least 4 hours a day, Sunday through Saturday. And you may not use respite services while engaging in employment activities. So a family member who is being paid to give the care, through Personal Assistance Services, LRI Personal Care or waiver Personal Care, does not qualify. Treat a paid caregiving route and Lifespan Respite as alternatives, not a combination.1

NFCSP Grants Through Nebraska's Area Agencies on Aging

The National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP), funded by Title III-E of the Older Americans Act, makes grants to states, and its services are provided by an area agency on aging or an entity that agency has contracted with. A state program's support services must include information about available services, help gaining access to them, individual counseling, support groups and caregiver training, respite care, and supplemental services on a limited basis. Eligible caregivers include adult family members or other informal caregivers of an individual 60 or older, caregivers of an individual of any age with Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder, older relatives (not parents) 55 or older caring for a child under 18, and older relatives, including parents, 55 or older caring for an adult aged 18 to 59 with a disability. Respite care has one more condition: it is available to a family caregiver only where the person cared for is an older individual who is frail, meaning unable to perform at least two activities of daily living without substantial human assistance, or, due to a cognitive or other mental impairment, requiring substantial supervision because they behave in a way that poses a serious health or safety hazard. Ask your local area agency on aging what respite it offers and what it costs.3

Reach your local agency through the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116.4

VA Respite for Veterans

All veterans enrolled in VA health care are eligible for VA Respite Care if they meet the clinical criteria for the service and it is available. VA delivers it as Home Respite Care, where a substitute caregiver comes to the home or the veteran attends an adult day health care program, or as Nursing Home Respite Care in a VA Community Living Center or a community nursing home. Services may vary by location. If a community agency, adult day health care center or nursing home provides the respite, the veteran also needs to meet community care eligibility, and a copay may be charged based on the veteran's service-connected disability status and financial information.5

Primary Family Caregivers approved for the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) receive at least 30 days of respite care per year.5 PCAFC is not open to every veteran: VA's requirements include a VA disability rating of 70% or higher and a need for at least 6 months of continuous, in-person personal care services.10

To start, call the VA Caregiver Support Line at 1-855-260-3274, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.6 The veteran's VA social worker can help locate VA Respite Care services and make arrangements.5

Short-Term Facility and Emergency Respite

Short-term facility respite places your loved one in a care facility for a short stay, which can help when you need to travel or recover from your own illness. Private-pay prices vary, so call facilities in your area for current pricing and availability. On the AD Waiver, respite in an institutional setting is available only when no other option exists and requires prior approval by DDA.2

For a sudden caregiver crisis, ask DHHS about Lifespan Respite's Exceptional Circumstances funding, which includes crisis respite and needs its own approved application.1 The Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116 can connect you to your local Area Agency on Aging.4

How to Start Respite Care in Nebraska

Where to Get Help in Nebraska

Learn More

Find personalized help navigating respite care options in Nebraska 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.