In Rhode Island, a family member can be paid to share a home with a parent or other relative who can no longer live alone and provide their daily care. RIte@Home, a shared-living option in Rhode Island's Medicaid long-term care program, pays a live-in caregiver, who may be a relative, a stipend for 24/7 care through a state-certified agency. The first step toward RIte at Home Rhode Island caregiver pay is getting your parent approved for Medicaid long-term care.

In This Guide

Who RIte@Home Pays as a Live-In Caregiver in Rhode Island

RIte@Home can help pay when you move Mom in, or move in with Dad: the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) March 2021 fact sheet says the caregiver "may be someone the person already knows, like a relative, neighbor or friend." The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) 2026-2030 approval of Rhode Island's Medicaid demonstration confirms RIte@Home is current and requires EOHHS-certified agencies.

Your relationship to the person Can you be the paid RIte@Home caregiver?
Adult child who lives with them Yes, as a relative (not named separately)
Other relative, neighbor or friend Yes, if you live together
Spouse No
Legal guardian No
Financial power of attorney No

Hold Dad's financial power of attorney? Raise it with the agency first; our guide on whether a guardian can be paid to care for a parent explains why. For a husband or wife, see getting paid to care for your spouse in Rhode Island.

Does Your Parent Qualify for RIte@Home?

RIte@Home, also called Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Shared Living, is for people who cannot live alone because they need considerable help with daily activities such as eating, dressing and toileting. Your parent must pass Medicaid LTSS's financial test and a clinical "level of care" test; only high or highest need qualifies for LTSS at home. Rhode Island's 2026 LTSS resource limit is $4,000, so know what your parent owns before you apply; our guide to Rhode Island Medicaid income and asset limits covers the income test and the medically needy route.,

Your parent's treating health care practitioner completes a clinical evaluation form that sets the level-of-care baseline; the state's level-of-care rule lists the daily-activity tests for high and highest need.

The 2021 RIte@Home fact sheet adds safety conditions: your parent must not be a danger to themselves or others in the shared home, must be able to get out in an emergency such as a fire with help from no more than one person, and must be free from communicable disease or infectious conditions. If getting your parent out takes two people, RIte@Home won't fit your family.

Your Job as a RIte@Home Caregiver

The RIte@Home fact sheet lists the live-in caregiver's job as personal care, including help with activities of daily living, homemaker and chore services, meals, transportation, being on call 24/7, and providing socialization and a home-like environment. RIte@Home caregivers get a stipend for 24/7 care and respite, time off from full-time care.

The RIte@Home agency helps match the person with a caregiver and, with EOHHS, oversees the services, checks that the home is safe, trains you, provides nursing support as needed, and writes an individual Service and Safety Plan. Under the 2026-2030 federal approval, no more than two people living in a RIte@Home home can be unrelated to the principal caregiver, counting the people receiving care.

What RIte@Home Pays Rhode Island Caregivers

Medicaid pays the RIte@Home agency and funds the caregiver stipends, but no official source publishes the amount; get it in writing before you cut back at work.

"Medicaid does not pay for room and board," the RIte@Home fact sheet says, and the 2026-2030 federal approval also excludes it. Under RIte@Home, room and board typically comes from your parent's Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security check, your parent may owe a cost share depending on income, and your stipend is reduced on days your parent attends adult day care. Agree early, on paper, what their check covers for rent, food and utilities.

How to Start Getting Paid Through RIte@Home

1
Step 1

Call the ADRC

The Rhode Island Aging and Disability Resource Center at 401-462-4444 connects families to services for free.

2
Step 2

Apply for Medicaid long-term care

File the Department of Human Services Application for Assistance and LTSS forms online at HealthyRhode or by mail, in person, phone or fax; see how to apply for Rhode Island Medicaid.

3
Step 3

Ask for RIte@Home by name

Ask for the shared-living option with you as live-in caregiver, and which certified agency serves your area.

4
Step 4

Get the numbers in writing

Ask the agency for the stipend amount, your parent's cost share and the room-and-board plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the RIte@Home stipend taxable?

EOHHS's 2021 fact sheet says the RIte@Home stipend is tax-free to the caregiver when the person lives in the caregiver's home. That is the state's word, not the IRS's: RIte@Home runs under Rhode Island's Section 1115 demonstration, and IRS Notice 2014-7 is written for 1915(c) waiver payments., Ask a tax professional, and see whether Medicaid waiver payments are taxable.

What if my parent wants to stay in their own home?

You can move in as the RIte@Home caregiver. Without a live-in caregiver, Rhode Island's Personal Choice Program lets your parent hire their own attendant at home, and a non-spouse relative can be the paid attendant.

What if my parent is a veteran?

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers pays an approved Primary Family Caregiver a monthly stipend, but not when the same personal care is already provided regularly by someone else. Ask VA how RIte@Home would fit, or call the VA Caregiver Support Line at 1-855-260-3274.

Learn More

CaregiverHow to Get Paid to Care for a Family Member in Rhode IslandHow to get paid as a family caregiver in Rhode Island in 2026: the Personal Choice program, the spouse rule, VA options, and the 60-month Medicaid look-back. CaregiverCaregiver Programs in Rhode IslandRhode Island can pay a family member to give care at home. See every RI caregiver program: who gets paid, respite outside Medicaid, and VA stipends. MedicaidHow Rhode Island Medicaid Pays for Home and Community CareRhode Island Medicaid HCBS waivers in 2026: how RIte@Home, Personal Choice, and Medicaid assisted living cover home care, who qualifies, and how to apply.

Find personalized help getting paid as a live-in RIte@Home caregiver in Rhode Island 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.

Still have questions?

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Brevy Care Team

Expert eldercare guidance from Brevy's team of healthcare professionals and researchers.