North Dakota Waiver Personal Care can pay an adult child or other relative who lives in a separate home to help a parent with bathing, dressing, meals and supervision., North Dakota Waiver Personal Care, a Medicaid waiver service, pays an enrolled individual Qualified Service Provider (QSP) $6.98 per 15 minutes of authorized care as of July 1, 2026.

In This Guide

What North Dakota Waiver Personal Care Does

Driving over each morning to get Mom up and dressed is real work, and North Dakota may pay for it. Per the state's waiver, the service helps participants "accomplish tasks that they would normally do for themselves if they did not have a disability."

Help can be hands-on or by cuing and can include bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring and continence, plus light housework, laundry, meal preparation, grocery shopping, medication and money management. Planned supervision counts too, but not for general safety worries or "what if" scenarios alone, a preference without an assessed need, or keeping someone from an unwanted behavior such as drinking. Assistive devices must be explored first. 24-hour supervision needs an assessed need, and overnight supervisors must stay awake while the person sleeps. Meal preparation and homemaker tasks have department-set caps, and the service isn't meant mostly for chores. Care can also happen outside the home, including at work. Round-the-clock live-in care by a non-relative in the provider's home is adult foster care instead.

Who Qualifies for the Service

Your parent, not you, has to qualify first. Waiver Personal Care is part of the Medicaid Waiver for Home and Community Based Services, North Dakota's 1915(c) waiver for people 65 and older and adults 18 to 64 with disabilities who meet a nursing facility level of care. In 2026, North Dakota Medicaid long-term care applicants must have less than $3,000 in checking, savings and similar assets for a single person ($6,000 for a couple), and the home, one car and home furnishings don't count.

North Dakota's Waiver Personal Care service chapter adds that the person must:

  • be eligible for the HCBS waiver,
  • need ongoing daily support with a combination of personal care and supervision, and
  • be able to direct their own care, or have a legally responsible party to act for them.

Someone getting Waiver Personal Care can't also be authorized for Medicaid State Plan personal care, adult foster care, adult residential care, residential habilitation or community support services.

Which Family Members Can Be Paid

North Dakota's waiver holds relatives and legal guardians to the same provider qualifications as everyone else. Where you live decides the rest. The live-in bar covers the family members North Dakota law lists: a spouse, parent, grandparent, adult child, adult sibling, adult grandchild, adult niece or adult nephew.,

Your situation Can Waiver Personal Care pay you?
Adult child or other relative living in a separate home Yes, as an enrolled QSP
Listed family member living in the same home No, not even through an agency
Spouse Can be, if they meet the provider qualifications and don't live there
Legal guardian Can be, if they meet the same provider qualifications; pre-approval needed if they make decisions for the person

The North Dakota sources cited here don't say a live-in spouse can be paid through Waiver Personal Care, so that spouse should ask the case manager about Family Personal Care.

When a spouse or guardian with decision-making authority wants to be the North Dakota Waiver Personal Care provider, the case manager must pre-approve it and tell the State Medicaid Agency why it serves the person's best interest. Pay to a spouse or guardian covers personal-care tasks only; the waiver won't pay them for help with communication, community integration, money management, shopping, social appropriateness or transportation.

What North Dakota Waiver Personal Care Pays

The North Dakota Health and Human Services (ND HHS) rate sheet effective July 1, 2026 pays an individual QSP $6.98 per 15-minute unit for Waiver Personal Care, and the waiver caps an individual QSP at 12 hours a day., You bill only for time on authorized tasks, so the drive over isn't paid; confirm the authorized units before counting on the income.

IRS Notice 2014-7 can exclude waiver pay from federal gross income only when you share the person's home, so a relative living elsewhere shouldn't count on it.

How to Apply and Enroll

Once you start, your parent directs your work and the case manager reviews the plan at least quarterly.

1
Step 1

Call for your parent

Contact the ND Aging and Disability Resource-LINK at 1-855-462-5465 to apply for services.

2
Step 2

Get assessed

A case manager meets your parent and completes a functional assessment, and Maximus, the state's contractor, approves the level of care form.

3
Step 3

Ask for Waiver Personal Care and name yourself

Tell the case manager you live elsewhere.

4
Step 4

Enroll as a QSP

A North Dakota QSP must be at least 18 and complete a state orientation. Apply through the QSP enrollment portal with a government ID, proof of competency (an SFN 750 form signed by a licensed healthcare provider, or a CNA, LPN, RN, PT or OT credential), direct deposit, a Type 1 National Provider Identifier and a fraud, waste and abuse training certificate.

5
Step 5

Get help

The QSP Hub walks applicants through enrollment at (701) 777-3432, 711 (TTY), weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will a past conviction keep me from enrolling?

Not automatically. North Dakota's Individual QSP Handbook says criminal convictions "may not prevent enrollment but must be reviewed," though the administrative code bars certain listed offenses, subject to its rehabilitation provisions.

What if I move in with my parent later?

A listed family member who moves in can no longer be paid through North Dakota Waiver Personal Care and is directed to Family Personal Care, which requires at least three hours of care a day and pays for up to 10; with less than three hours a day, care is paid under Medicaid State Plan personal care instead, if the provider is eligible. Only in unusual circumstances can a family ask North Dakota's HCBS Program Administrator, in writing, to consider another arrangement.

Learn More

CaregiverHow to Get Paid as a Family Caregiver in North DakotaNorth Dakota's HCBS waiver can pay a spouse or close relative who lives with the care recipient, and VA programs can pay veteran family caregivers. CaregiverFamily Personal Care in North Dakota: How a Live-In Spouse or Relative Gets PaidNorth Dakota Family Personal Care pays a live-in spouse or relative enrolled as a QSP. See who qualifies, which tasks count, and the 3- and 10-hour rules. CaregiverHow to Get Paid to Care for Your Spouse in North DakotaNorth Dakota's Medicaid waiver lets a spouse be the paid Family Personal Care provider if you live in the same home. Here is how to qualify, plus VA routes. CaregiverCaregiver Programs in North Dakota: A Complete DirectoryNorth Dakota caregiver programs that pay a spouse or relative, live-in or not: Family Personal Care, SPED, free NFCSP respite, VA stipends and tax rules. MedicaidHow North Dakota Medicaid HCBS Waivers WorkNorth Dakota Medicaid HCBS waivers pay for home and community care instead of a nursing home. See who qualifies, what's covered, and how to apply in 2026.

Find personalized help getting paid to care for a parent through North Dakota Waiver Personal Care 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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