Respite care in New Hampshire can give a worn-out family caregiver a real break: Medicaid's Choices for Independence (CFI) waiver covers up to 30 24-hour days of respite a state fiscal year. That's for people who are financially eligible for Medicaid and medically qualify for nursing-facility level of care. A separate state Alzheimer's respite program can give an unpaid, round-the-clock primary caregiver up to $2,000 a year if the loved one gets no other paid respite, while funds last.

Caregiving quietly wears down your own health. Federal data show that nearly 1 in 5 family caregivers reports fair or poor health, and depressive symptoms are roughly twice as common among caregivers as in the general population. Respite isn't stepping away from the person you love. It is often what makes it possible to keep caring for them at home.

In New Hampshire, funded respite for family caregivers is available through Medicaid respite under the Choices for Independence (CFI) waiver, and through the New Hampshire Family Caregiver Support Program, funded by the federal National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP) and delivered through the state's Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs). If you care for a veteran, an approved Primary Family Caregiver in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) caregiver program receives at least 30 days of respite care a year. One call to the ADRCs at 1-866-634-9412 reaches both the caregiver program and help with a Medicaid application.

In This Guide

Does New Hampshire Medicaid Pay for Respite Care?

Yes, for people who qualify. The Choices for Independence (CFI) waiver is New Hampshire's Medicaid home and community-based waiver for seniors and adults with chronic illnesses, and respite is one of its covered services.

Medicaid paperwork can feel like a second job on top of caregiving, so it helps to know the two tests up front. They're made by two different bureaus. First, a financial test: the Bureau of Family Assistance (BFA) decides financial eligibility, using income and resource criteria specific to the Medicaid Long Term Care Program. Second, a clinical test: the person must meet the clinical eligibility requirements for nursing facility care, assessed through an application and assessment process run by the Bureau of Adult & Aging Services (BAAS), which runs CFI. Participants must also be at least 18. To apply, contact your regional ADRC at 1-866-634-9412 or apply online through NH EASY. NH EASY is at nheasy.nh.gov, and you can apply there for any type of DHHS assistance.

For 2026, the CFI income cap is $2,982 a month for a single applicant, but income above it isn't an automatic bar: New Hampshire has a medically needy route above the cap. The resource limit is $2,500 for a single applicant, and for CFI applicants 18 or older, resources between that base and $7,500 are disregarded.

CFI also has a participant-directed option, Participant Directed and Managed Services (PDMS), which lets the participant select their own service providers, with a Financial Management Services provider handling hiring, payroll, and tax withholding. A spouse can't be paid through CFI. Who else can be hired is covered in the FAQ below and in our guide to getting paid as a family caregiver in New Hampshire.

If your loved one isn't yet on Medicaid, or a determination is still pending, don't wait empty-handed: ask the ADRC about the Family Caregiver Support Program below, whose eligibility groups are defined by who you care for rather than by Medicaid enrollment.

Funded Respite Options in New Hampshire

Funding path Who it is for What it covers How much respite Key condition
Choices for Independence (CFI) waiver Seniors and adults with chronic illnesses who are financially eligible for Medicaid Respite, adult day services, personal care, and other supports Up to 30 24-hour days per state fiscal year Medicaid financial eligibility and nursing-facility level of care
Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP) Caregivers over 18 of someone with dementia, caregivers of adults over 60, parents of adult children with disabilities, relatives over 55 raising minor relatives Respite, counseling, support groups, education and training Ask the ADRC what respite it can offer now For caregivers of an older adult, respite requires that older adult to be frail
VA / PCAFC Approved Primary Family Caregivers in PCAFC Respite, plus caregiver training and counseling At least 30 days a year Meeting all of VA's PCAFC conditions
State Alzheimer's respite (ADRD) Unpaid primary caregivers giving round-the-clock care to someone with Alzheimer's or a related disorder Respite from a provider the caregiver chooses Up to $2,000 a year No respite already paid by a Medicaid waiver, the VA or another program; limited by available funds
Adult day or short stay Any family that needs a planned or emergency break Daytime support or a short stay Private pay, unless a program covers it Ask each provider about short stays and rates

1. Choices for Independence Waiver Respite

If your loved one is on New Hampshire Medicaid, or may qualify, start here. The Choices for Independence (CFI) waiver (CMS waiver 0060.R08.00) covers respite alongside adult day services, home health aide, homemaker, personal care, skilled nursing, home-delivered meals, and other supports, for people who are financially eligible for Medicaid and medically qualify for nursing-facility level of care.

How much you get: New Hampshire's adopted CFI rule, He-E 801, limits CFI respite care to 30 24-hour days of care per state fiscal year. Under the participant-directed option, the participant's budget sets how often and how long each service is provided, based on the needs the case manager identifies in the comprehensive care plan.

How to access: Call New Hampshire's ADRCs at 1-866-634-9412 for help with the Medicaid long-term care application, or apply online through NH EASY, and ask that respite be considered for the CFI care plan.,

Best for: Medicaid-eligible New Hampshire families who want scheduled breaks at home.

2. The Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP)

You don't have to be on Medicaid to ask for help here. The National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP), funded under Title III-E of the Older Americans Act, makes grants to states for five kinds of caregiver support: information, help gaining access to services, counseling and caregiver training, respite care, and supplemental services on a limited basis. In New Hampshire it runs as the Family Caregiver Support Program, provided through the ADRCs, and its services include respite care to give eligible full time family caregivers a temporary break.

Who qualifies: New Hampshire lists four groups of caregivers:

  • Caregivers over 18 caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's or a related dementia.
  • Caregivers of adults over 60. Federal law adds a condition for respite here: the older adult must be frail, meaning unable to perform at least two activities of daily living without substantial help, or needing substantial supervision because a cognitive or other mental impairment makes their behavior a serious health or safety hazard.
  • Parents of adult children with disabilities. Federally, a relative caregiver age 55 or older must live with, and be the primary caregiver for, the adult with a disability (ages 18 to 59).
  • Grandparents and other relatives over 55 raising minor relatives. Federally, the relative must be someone other than the parent, must live with the child and be the primary caregiver because the parents are unable or unwilling to, and must have a legal relationship to the child or be raising the child informally.

How much you get: Federally, NFCSP services are provided by an area agency on aging or a provider it contracts with, so ask the ADRC what respite is available now and whether there is a wait.

How to access: Call the ADRCs at 1-866-634-9412. Or call the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116, which connects families to services including their local Area Agency on Aging.

Best for: Family caregivers whose loved one doesn't qualify for CFI, or who need help while a Medicaid decision is pending.

3. Adult Day Services and Short Stays

If what you need back is a reliable set of weekday hours, adult day is often the answer. Adult day health care provides supervision, engagement, and structured daytime support. In New Hampshire it also costs far less than assisted living: CareScout's 2025 medians are $2,015 a month for adult day and $8,025 a month for assisted living.

Short stays: Respite doesn't have to happen at home. Federal law defines respite care as planned or emergency care that gives the family caregiver temporary relief, and ACL describes NFCSP respite as relief at home or in an adult day care or institutional setting., Ask any assisted living community or nursing facility near you directly whether it takes short stays and at what rate.

Finding programs: ADRC staff can help you identify options and connect with local providers. Call 1-866-634-9412 for referrals near you rather than searching blind.

Who pays: The CFI waiver covers adult day services for members who qualify; otherwise, ask the Family Caregiver Support Program about respite, and private pay is the fallback.

Best for: Caregivers who need dependable daytime coverage a few days a week, or a short planned break.

4. VA Respite for Veterans' Family Caregivers

If you're caring for a veteran, ask about VA support early. PCAFC respite: An approved Primary Family Caregiver in the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) receives at least 30 days of respite care per year as part of the benefit, along with caregiver education and training and mental health counseling. A spouse can serve as the caregiver.

Who qualifies: The veteran must meet all four of VA's screening requirements: a VA disability rating (individual or combined) of 70% or higher, discharge from the U.S. military or a date of medical discharge, a need for at least 6 months of continuous, in-person personal care services, and enrollment in VA health care. Those four are only a first screen: you and the veteran apply together, and VA's regulation adds further conditions, including that the same personal care isn't already being provided regularly by another person or program.

How to access: Call the VA Caregiver Support Line at 1-855-260-3274, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time; it can connect you directly to your local VA Caregiver Support Program team. It isn't a crisis line: in a crisis, call 988 and press 1, or text 838255.

Best for: Family caregivers of veterans who may meet PCAFC's conditions.

5. State-Funded Alzheimer's Respite (ADRD)

If the person you care for has Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder (ADRD), New Hampshire also runs a state-funded ADRD respite service under rule He-E 503 and state law RSA 161-F. It pays for your break, not for your caregiving: state law defines respite as care provided on an intermittent basis to relieve the primary caregiver from the demands of home care for a limited period of time.

Who qualifies: You must be the primary caregiver, providing unpaid care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to a person with ADRD. The person with ADRD must not already be receiving respite paid through a Medicaid waiver program, the VA, or any other program, so it can't be layered on top of CFI or PCAFC respite. Your loved one must be an adult who can't manage daily needs without your help or continuous supervision because of ADRD.

How much you get: The respite budget, developed by you and the contract agency, can't exceed $2,000 per primary caregiver a year, and services are limited to the extent that funds, staff or other resources are available.

Who provides it: You choose the respite provider; the rules don't say whether another relative can be the individual worker, so ask the contract agency first. Respite can be in a licensed adult day program or nursing or residential care facility, or from an individual employed by a contracted financial management services agency. For an individual worker, the contracted financial management services agency is the employer of record and requests a New Hampshire criminal records background check and a state registry check.

How to access: Call the ADRCs at 1-866-634-9412 and ask how to reach the contract agency that coordinates ADRD respite. The contract agency determines eligibility, then works with you on an assessment, a person-centered respite care plan and the budget. If you don't qualify, it must help you explore other resources, such as the social service block grant or Choices for Independence.

Best for: Unpaid, full-time caregivers of someone with dementia who gets no other paid respite.

What Respite Care Costs in New Hampshire

Seeing these prices can be sobering, especially when you're already stretched. When no program covers the break, you can still hire help and pay privately, and it helps to know the going rate before you call around. In the CareScout 2025 Cost of Care Survey, the national median for adult day health care is $95 per day, which the survey annualizes to $24,700 at five days a week. New Hampshire's adult day median is $24,180 a year ($2,015 a month), slightly below that national figure. These are provider rates before any program help, and the survey notes that private-pay rates in this setting are heavily influenced by Medicaid reimbursement rates.

Other settings cost more here than nationally. CareScout's 2025 New Hampshire median for an assisted living community is $8,025 a month ($96,300 a year), against a national $6,200 a month, and a non-medical caregiver at home runs a New Hampshire median of $40 an hour, against $35 nationally. These are industry-survey medians from CareScout, and costs vary widely within the state and rise as care needs grow.

Knowing these numbers is exactly why the funded options above matter. At the $40 hourly median, one eight-hour day of in-home help a week comes to about $320, so check the CFI, caregiver-program, Alzheimer's respite and VA paths before the cost falls entirely on your family.

When Funded Help Is Limited or Delayed

Waiting for help is hard when you're already worn down, so it's worth knowing where the limits are and what can bridge them. NFCSP respite comes through an area agency on aging or a provider it contracts with, so ask what is available now and whether there is a wait. A CFI authorization depends on two separate Medicaid determinations, financial and clinical, before respite can start. Once it starts, CFI respite care is limited to 30 24-hour days per state fiscal year. When state Alzheimer's respite funds or staff run short, the contract agency keeps a waitlist that puts first caregivers whose own health is declining, where the caregiver or the person with ADRD has economic need, or whose responsibilities have grown.

Two bridges can cover the gap. First, the federal Lifespan Respite Care Program funds coordinated state respite systems through competitive ACL grants, so ask the ADRC whether a state lifespan respite program or respite coalition can help, and search ARCH's Find a Respite Provider locator at archrespite.org. Second, private pay, at roughly the adult day and in-home rates above, can bridge the wait until waiver or caregiver-program respite comes through.

If CFI is denied, you can appeal. New Hampshire's DHHS Administrative Appeals Unit hears Medicaid appeals, and a request generally must be in writing, on the DHHS Appeal Request form or in a letter, within 30 days from the date on the Notice of Decision. Read your notice for your exact deadline. While it's pending, ask the ADRC about the Family Caregiver Support Program, whose eligibility groups are defined by who you care for rather than by Medicaid enrollment.

How to Start in New Hampshire

1
Step 1

Call New Hampshire's ADRCs at 1-866-634-9412

They connect families to the Family Caregiver Support Program for information, counseling, education, and respite, and help with Medicaid long-term care applications.

2
Step 2

Ask about Choices for Independence if your loved one may qualify for Medicaid

Apply through the ADRC or online at nheasy.nh.gov, and ask that respite be considered for the care plan.

3
Step 3

Call the VA Caregiver Support Line at 1-855-260-3274 first if your loved one is a veteran

Ask about PCAFC eligibility and to be connected to your local VA Caregiver Support Program team.

4
Step 4

Ask about state Alzheimer's respite if your loved one has dementia and gets no other paid respite

The ADRC can point you to the contract agency that coordinates it.

5
Step 5

Ask about adult day programs and short stays

ADRC staff can help identify local options, and ARCH's Find a Respite Provider locator at archrespite.org lists more respite providers.

NH Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRC) Connects families to New Hampshire's Family Caregiver Support Program for information, counseling, education, and respite, and helps with Medicaid long-term care applications, including Choices for Independence. 1-866-634-9412 dhhs.nh.gov/programs-services/adult-aging-care/aging-and-disability-resource-centers
Eldercare Locator Free, nationwide federal service that connects you to services in your community, including your local Area Agency on Aging. 1-800-677-1116 eldercare.acl.gov
VA Caregiver Support Line Information on caregiver support services and a direct connection to local VA Caregiver Support Program teams, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET. 1-855-260-3274 caregiver.va.gov
Alzheimer's & Dementia 24/7 Helpline Free confidential support, crisis help, and local dementia-care referrals from the Alzheimer's Association, day or night. 1-800-272-3900 alz.org

Frequently Asked Questions

Does New Hampshire Medicaid pay for respite care?

Yes, for people who qualify. The Choices for Independence (CFI) waiver, New Hampshire's Medicaid home and community-based waiver, covers respite for seniors and adults with chronic illnesses who are financially eligible for Medicaid and medically qualify for nursing-facility level of care. Call the ADRCs at 1-866-634-9412 or apply through NH EASY.

Is there respite help in New Hampshire without Medicaid?

Yes. New Hampshire's Family Caregiver Support Program, funded by the federal NFCSP and provided through the ADRCs, offers respite to eligible full time family caregivers, and its eligibility groups are defined by who you care for rather than by Medicaid. If you're caring for an older adult, federal law makes NFCSP respite available only when that older adult is frail. Call the ADRCs at 1-866-634-9412. Or call the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116.

Can a family member be the paid respite worker in New Hampshire?

Many families hope a relative can cover the break and be paid for it. It depends on who and which program. Not a spouse under CFI: New Hampshire's adopted CFI rule bars coverage of any service provided by a legally responsible relative, which it defines as the participant's spouse. CFI's participant-directed option does let the participant select their own service providers. The rule doesn't name adult children, but CFI doesn't cover personal care provided by the participant's legal guardian, power-of-attorney agent or personal care services representative. Because the rule neither names nor bars an adult child, ask the CFI case manager, who sets the care plan's services, before you count on being paid. New Hampshire's state Alzheimer's respite program doesn't pay the primary caregiver, and its rules don't say whether another relative can be the respite worker.

How much respite will I actually get?

It depends on the program. New Hampshire's CFI rule limits CFI respite to 30 24-hour days per state fiscal year. State Alzheimer's respite budgets can't exceed $2,000 per primary caregiver a year. NFCSP respite comes through an area agency on aging or a provider it contracts with, so ask the caregiver program what it can offer and whether there is a wait. An approved Primary Family Caregiver in VA's PCAFC receives at least 30 days of respite care a year.

What does adult day care cost in New Hampshire?

CareScout's 2025 Cost of Care Survey puts New Hampshire's adult day health care median at $24,180 a year ($2,015 a month), slightly below the $24,700 national median. These are provider rates, before any program help. CFI covers adult day services for members who qualify.

What should I do while I wait for a Choices for Independence decision?

Don't wait empty-handed. Ask the ADRC about the Family Caregiver Support Program, ask whether a state lifespan respite program or respite coalition can help, and search ARCH's Find a Respite Provider locator at archrespite.org.

Learn More

CaregiverRespite Care for Family Caregivers: The 50-State GuideWhat respite care is and how to pay for it in 2026: the main types, NFCSP respite with no income test, Medicaid and VA respite, and every state guide. CaregiverHow to Get Paid as a Family Caregiver in New HampshireGet paid to care for a loved one in New Hampshire through the Medicaid CFI waiver's self-directed option, VA PCAFC, or a personal services contract. CaregiverNew Hampshire Caregiver Support ProgramsNew Hampshire caregiver programs compared: which ones pay a family member, who the rules bar (spouse, guardian, POA), Alzheimer's respite and 2026 VA benefits. CaregiverDementia Care in New HampshireA 2026 guide to dementia caregiving in New Hampshire: the Alzheimer's Association helpline, Medicaid respite, getting paid to care, and VA benefits for vets. CaregiverCaregiver Burnout: Signs, Stages, and How to Get SupportHow to recognize caregiver burnout, why it happens, and what actually helps, from respite care to evidence-based programs like REACH II and Powerful Tools. VA BenefitsVA Aid and Attendance in New HampshireVA Aid and Attendance in New Hampshire for 2026: who qualifies, up to $2,874 a month for a veteran with a spouse, how to apply, and where to get help in NH. Care TypesThe Cost of Senior Care in New HampshireWhat senior care costs in New Hampshire in 2026, from assisted living to nursing homes and in-home care, why the state runs high, and how families pay. MedicaidMedicaid Planning StrategiesSee which assets you keep, how the 5-year look-back works, and the legal moves that qualify you for Medicaid long-term care without losing the house.

Find personalized help navigating respite care options in New Hampshire 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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