In New York, a family member can be paid for caring for a relative mainly through CDPAP, the Medicaid program where the person receiving care hires their own caregiver. Of the two main Medicaid home care routes, only CDPAP lets a son, daughter or other close relative be the paid caregiver; a spouse, the person’s designated representative, and the parent of a consumer under 21 cannot be paid under it. The rules are the same statewide, in Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo and Albany as in Brooklyn and Queens.
What are the ways a family member can get paid to give care?
There are four realistic routes. Which one fits depends on whether the person receiving care has Medicaid, and on how much of the care the relative can actually do.
| Route | Who pays | Can a relative be the paid caregiver? | Main catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| CDPAP (Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program) | Medicaid, with payroll run by PPL | Yes, except a spouse, the designated representative, or the parent of a consumer under 21 | Needs Medicaid, an assessment, and the Minimum Needs Requirement; the consumer manages the caregiver |
| Medicaid Personal Care Services (PCS) through a licensed agency | Medicaid, through the agency | No. State guidance says a close relative cannot be the aide | The agency chooses, trains and schedules the aide |
| Working for a home care agency as an HHA or PCA | The agency, as employer | Yes as an employee, but not for their own Medicaid-funded relative | Training and background checks come first |
| Paid Family Leave (not a caregiver wage) | Insurance funded by employee payroll deductions | The relative takes leave from their own job | Up to 12 weeks, at a share of the relative’s own pay |
Families can also pay a relative out of pocket. That is a private arrangement, not a program; talk to an elder law attorney first if the person may apply for Medicaid later.
How does CDPAP pay a family member?
Under CDPAP, the Medicaid member (the “consumer”) or their representative recruits, hires, trains and supervises a personal assistant, who can be a friend or relative. New York State’s Department of Health says the assistant can provide any of the services normally given by a personal care aide, a home health aide or a nurse.
The paycheck comes from Public Partnerships LLC (PPL). The Department of Health’s CDPAP page names PPL as the Statewide Fiscal Intermediary and says all CDPAP recipients must work with it. PPL processes wages, tax withholdings and employment records; it does not recruit or supervise anyone.
The family member does not need a certificate. They do need to be linked to the consumer’s PPL account and complete forms, including a W-4, an I-9 and a health assessment. PPL says the assessment is repeated every year and required training must be done within 90 days of the start date.
The changes since 2025 that affect getting paid
- One fiscal intermediary for the whole state. Several fiscal intermediaries used to handle CDPAP payroll. PPL is now the only one.
- Minimum Needs Requirement, from 1 September 2025. Adults 21 and over assessed for the first time, or reassessed, from that date must need at least limited assistance with physical maneuvering with more than two Activities of Daily Living (for dementia or Alzheimer’s, supervision with more than one). People already authorized or enrolled on that date continue under the earlier criteria. Our CDPAP eligibility guide covers this in full.
- Paid family members can work only the authorized hours (July 2026). A Department of Health clarification says paid family members or household residents cannot work more hours per week than the authorization and plan of care allow, and the plan should not authorize time for shared spaces, common chores or meals.
Who cannot be paid to care for a relative?
Under CDPAP the Department of Health excludes three people: the consumer’s spouse, their designated representative, and the parent of a consumer under 21. A husband cannot be paid to care for his wife however much care he gives.
Under agency-based Medicaid personal care the state goes further. Its CDPAP-versus-PCS chart answers “no” to whether the caregiver can be a close relative, naming a parent of an adult consumer, a son, a daughter, a son-in-law or a daughter-in-law.
| Question (from the Department of Health comparison chart) | CDPAP | Agency PCS |
|---|---|---|
| Caregiver can be a close relative (adult child, son- or daughter-in-law, parent of an adult) | Yes | No |
| Consumer is in charge of hiring, scheduling and training | Yes | No |
| Caregiver may help with health measurements (pulse, blood pressure, glucose) and self-administered medications | Yes | No |
| Caregiver must complete training (minimum 40 hours) and competency evaluations | No | Yes |
Can a relative work for a home care agency instead?
As an employee, yes, but for other clients rather than their own Medicaid-funded family member. A relative who completes an approved aide training program can be hired by an agency, with payroll and supervision handled by the agency. See our guides to the HHA certificate and HHA jobs in New York City.
On wages, the state Department of Labor says the minimum wage for home care aides rises on 1 January 2027 to $20.00 an hour in New York City, Long Island and Westchester, and $19.00 in the rest of the state. Confirm with PPL how that applies to a personal assistant.
What if the person does not have Medicaid?
CDPAP requires Medicaid eligibility. Without it, check three things:
- Whether Medicaid is truly out of reach. Income over the limit does not always end the road; see Medicaid spend-down and what Medicaid covers for home care.
- EISEP. The State Office for the Aging’s Expanded In-home Services for the Elderly Program serves adults 60 and over who are not eligible for Medicaid. Its page does not say whether family can be paid; ask through NY Connects, 1-800-342-9871.
- Paid Family Leave, below, if the relative has a job.
Does Paid Family Leave pay you to care for a parent?
It can pay an employed relative, though not as a caregiver wage. According to New York Paid Family Leave, eligible employees can take up to 12 weeks of job-protected paid leave to care for a family member with a serious health condition, at 67 percent of their average weekly wage, capped at $1,228.53 a week in 2026.
Covered relatives include a spouse, domestic partner, child, parent, parent-in-law, grandparent, grandchild and sibling, and the person’s health care provider must certify the condition. It is a short bridge, for example after a hospital stay. If you need a break from caregiving, see our respite care guide.
What do Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo and Albany families need to know?
CDPAP is a statewide Medicaid program. Eligibility, the Minimum Needs Requirement, the spouse exclusion and the PPL registration steps are the same everywhere in New York, and PPL runs seven offices across the state. What differs is local pay floors (see above) and local help, such as a nearby Independent Living Center acting as a PPL-authorized facilitator. We serve only Brooklyn and Queens, but the steps below apply wherever you live.
How do you get started? Five steps
- Confirm Medicaid. The person receiving care needs NYS Medicaid, or a path to it.
- Get assessed. If no assessment is on file, the New York Independent Assessor Program takes requests at 1-855-222-8350 (TTY 1-888-329-1541).
- Get approval. The Medicaid plan or Local Department of Social Services authorizes the hours.
- Register with PPL. The consumer creates a PPL@Home account and signs the Memorandum of Understanding. PPL customer service is 1-833-247-5346.
- Onboard the relative. They complete PPL’s forms, the yearly health assessment and training, then record hours in Time4Care. PPL says entries are due by 11:59 p.m. ET Saturday and the consumer approves them by noon ET Sunday.
The Department of Health publishes no processing time, so be wary of anyone quoting an official number of days. For program questions, the Department takes calls at 1-866-712-7197 for people in a managed care plan and 518-474-5888 for those who are not.
When does agency care fit better than a paid relative?
When no relative can cover the hours, when the needs call for a nurse’s judgment (wound care, injections, which is skilled nursing), or when the relative is burning out. Many families combine routes: a relative paid through CDPAP for the hours they can cover, agency aides for the rest. For costs, see what home care costs in New York.
Getting paid to care for a parent in New York: advice from our nurse director
Anna Klyauzova, RN, MSN, MPA, Director of Patient Services at ProLife Home Care, on what she sees in practice:
If you already look after a parent or spouse every day, ask whether they qualify for CDPAP in New York. Just ask the right question first. Not “How much would I be paid?” but “What care does my mother actually need, and what is she entitled to?” The pay follows from that answer.
The needs assessment is where families trip up. Someone asks, “Can your mom shower, get dressed and use the toilet by herself?” and the daughter says, “Yeah, more or less.” What she leaves out: mom is scared to step into the tub, needs help getting out of bed, and forgets her pills unless somebody reminds her. The assessor writes down “more or less” and the hours come out too low. Tell them how it really goes, bad days included. Don’t dramatize it, but don’t smooth it over either. And please don’t wait for a fall or a hospital stay before you look into Medicaid home care.
Some relatives can’t be paid under the program rules, a spouse for example. I still ask how much the family is carrying. A husband or an adult daughter who has done everything alone for years has usually given up their own rest. A home health aide a few days a week can change that, even when the relative isn’t paid. We want the person safe and well cared for, and the family able to breathe.
Many families mix the two: a daughter provides daily help through CDPAP and an agency aide covers the hours she can’t. Before adding anyone, we check what is already authorized, what is still uncovered, and whether more hours can come through Medicaid or private pay. Paid hours must never overlap. Whether the two can run together depends on current rules, the person’s authorization and their Medicaid plan. That is a common arrangement, not one particular client’s story.
We are a licensed home care agency in Brooklyn and Queens, licence #2572L001, New York State Department of Health. We are not a fiscal intermediary and do not run CDPAP payroll. To talk through which route fits your family, call (718) 232-2777 or use our contact page.
Program rules and wage figures change. Everything above was checked against health.ny.gov, pplfirst.com, paidfamilyleave.ny.gov, dol.ny.gov and aging.ny.gov on 8 October 2026. Confirm your own eligibility with the New York Independent Assessor Program, your Medicaid plan or your Local Department of Social Services.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get paid to take care of my mother or father in New York?
Yes, if your parent has Medicaid and qualifies for CDPAP. You can be hired as their personal assistant and paid through the fiscal intermediary PPL for the hours authorized in their plan of care.
Can a spouse be paid as a caregiver in New York?
Not under CDPAP. The New York State Department of Health excludes the consumer’s spouse, their designated representative, and the parent of a consumer under 21 from being the paid personal assistant.
Can I be paid as a family caregiver if I live upstate, in Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo or Albany?
Yes. CDPAP is a statewide Medicaid program with the same eligibility rules and the same fiscal intermediary, PPL, in every county. Wage floors for home care aides do differ by region.
Can a family member work for a home care agency as an aide?
Yes, a relative who completes aide training can be employed by a licensed agency. Under Medicaid personal care, state guidance says the aide cannot be a close relative of the client, so the relative would care for other clients.
How many hours can a paid family caregiver work under CDPAP?
No more than the hours in the consumer’s authorization and plan of care. A July 2026 Department of Health clarification says paid family members cannot exceed those hours.
Does Paid Family Leave pay me to care for a parent?
If you are employed, it can pay up to 12 weeks of leave to care for a parent with a serious health condition, at 67 percent of your average weekly wage up to $1,228.53 a week in 2026. It replaces part of your own pay for a short period rather than paying you as a caregiver.
