For Wisconsin families caring for a parent or other relative, Family Care, a Medicaid long-term care program, may pay a family caregiver for personal care and other support. A Wisconsin Family Care member's managed care organization (MCO) may pay an adult child, other relative or legal guardian the care team approves, and a spouse for extraordinary care. Since October 1, 2024, Wisconsin Family Care family caregiver pay for self-directed supportive home care has a published minimum of $4.08 per 15 minutes.

In This Guide

Who Can Wisconsin Family Care Pay as a Family Caregiver?

Family Care and Family Care Partnership run under one 1915(c) waiver, renewed effective January 1, 2025, which lets an MCO pay "any relative of the member," a legal guardian and, for extraordinary care, a spouse.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) self-directed supports manual says family members can't be paid for tasks that are a normal part of day-to-day family activities, "whether they live with the member or not."

Pay isn't automatic, even for care you already give: under the Family Care waiver, the member's interdisciplinary team (IDT), the MCO care team, can approve paying a relative or guardian when all four hold:

  • The IDT identifies the service as necessary and includes it in the member-centered plan (MCP).
  • You meet the provider qualifications and standards.
  • You have a properly executed provider agreement with the MCO.
  • Your family member prefers you to provide the service.

The Family Care IDT must also find paying you cost-effective compared with another provider, using DHS's resource allocation decision process to pick the most appropriate provider. DHS says each Family Care MCO should have its own guidelines for paying family caregivers and legal decision makers.

Under Wisconsin Family Care, a relative can be paid for self-directed personal care, supportive home care, specialized transportation, residential services in a one- or two-bed adult family home, daily living skills training, respite, skilled nursing and supported employment.

Paying a Spouse

For a husband or wife, it isn't a flat no: under Wisconsin Family Care, a spouse may be paid for extraordinary care, meaning care that "exceeds the normal spousal caregiving responsibilities" or care the spouse must forgo paid employment to provide, with the same care-team approval, cost-effectiveness check and member preference as a relative.

A spouse paid by Wisconsin Family Care can provide self-directed personal care, supportive home care, and personal care given as part of daily living skills training, supported employment, respite or skilled nursing. Ordinary care isn't paid; the waiver's examples are lawn mowing, snow shoveling, family meal preparation, grocery shopping and emptying trash cans. Our Wisconsin spouse pay guide compares programs.

How Much Wisconsin Family Care Pays a Family Caregiver

Before you cut back at work, know the floor: since October 1, 2024, MCOs in Family Care, Partnership and the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) must follow DHS's minimum fee schedule, and members who self-direct supportive home care must pay workers at least $4.08 per 15 minutes, unless a worker voluntarily opts out by signing DHS form F-03303.

Under DHS's October 2024 contract amendment, a Family Care or Partnership MCO must pay at least $4.56 per 15 minutes for self-directed supportive home care, covering the worker's wages plus state and federal payroll taxes and workers compensation. The fee schedule doesn't apply to IRIS, a separate Wisconsin program.

The $17.47-an-hour typical-pay estimate is the May 2025 Wisconsin median for home health and personal care aides, not a rate any program pays a family caregiver.

Does Your Parent Qualify for Family Care?

A Family Care member joins an MCO, whose care team must approve every service first. To enroll in Family Care, Family Care Partnership or PACE, a person must need long-term care services, be an older adult or an adult with a disability, and be functionally and financially eligible; a functional screen decides, and some programs are only available in certain areas. Income and asset limits are in our guide to Medicaid eligibility in Wisconsin.

How to Ask Family Care to Pay You

1
Step 1

Call your local ADRC

ADRCs serve all 72 Wisconsin counties; call 844-947-2372 to find yours.

2
Step 2

Get screened, apply and choose

Your family member does the Long Term Care Functional Screen with the ADRC, applies for Medicaid through an income maintenance agency (the ADRC can help), and chooses among Family Care, Partnership and PACE.

3
Step 3

Ask the care team to name you as the provider

Ask the IDT to add the service to the member-centered plan with you as provider, and ask the MCO for its provider agreement and family caregiver pay guidelines.

4
Step 4

If the answer is no, go back to the care team

DHS tells a member who needs a service that isn't approved to talk with their care team. Our guide to Medicaid appeals in Wisconsin covers what comes next.

Frequently Asked Questions

I'm my mother's legal guardian. Can Family Care pay me?

Yes. DHS says its Wisconsin Family Care contract with MCOs has no specific requirements for guardians as paid caregivers.

I have power of attorney for my mother but I'm not her guardian. Can I be paid?

Our sources don't say a power of attorney changes the relative rules that cover you as her child; ask your MCO for its guidelines on paying legal decision makers.

Is PACE different?

Partly. Wisconsin PACE organizations follow the same DHS minimum fee schedule, but the Family Care waiver rules on this page don't cover PACE, so ask your PACE organization about paying a family member.

Is Family Care caregiver pay taxable?

It can be. Under Notice 2014-7, the IRS can exclude qualified 1915(c) waiver payments from federal income, but only for care in the caregiver's own home that the person cared for shares. See whether Medicaid caregiver payments are taxable and who sends your W-2 or 1099, and check with a tax professional.

Learn More

Find personalized help asking Wisconsin Family Care to pay you as a family caregiver 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?

Brevy answers from this guide and every other guide here, and can check what you qualify for.

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Brevy Care Team

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