Get paid to care for your family member in Florida
You're already doing the work. Florida has programs that can pay you for it.
Key facts
- Program
- SMMC Long-Term Care — Participant Direction Option (PDO)
- Typical pay
- hourly wages for authorized care hours
- Spouses?
- Notably yes — Florida's PDO generally allows spouses to be paid caregivers, which is rare.
- Live-in required?
- Not for this program (rules vary by program).
How it works
Florida's Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Long-Term Care program includes a Participant Direction Option (PDO) that lets the person receiving care hire family — including, unusually, a spouse — as their paid caregiver for authorized hours. Enrollment runs through the member's managed-care plan, and there can be a waitlist for the LTC waiver itself.
Steps to get started
- Get on (and through) the Florida LTC waiver screening — waitlists are real; priority is by need.
- Once enrolled in an LTC plan, elect the Participant Direction Option.
- Hire the family caregiver; the plan's fiscal agent runs payroll.
- Keep timesheets and care documentation current.
We'll find the money your family qualifies for
cares-ai is building a Caregiver Money companion: answer a few questions, see every program you may qualify for (Medicaid, VA, tax credits), and keep the care log these programs require — in one place. Join the waitlist and we'll email you as soon as the Florida eligibility checker opens.
Common questions
Can spouses be paid caregivers in Florida?
Notably yes — Florida's PDO generally allows spouses to be paid caregivers, which is rare.
How much does it pay?
SMMC Long-Term Care — Participant Direction Option (PDO) pays hourly wages for authorized care hours. Exact amounts depend on assessed care level and current program rates — treat published figures as estimates until confirmed in writing.
Do I have to live with the person I care for?
Not necessarily for this program, though some related programs do require it. Each program's rules differ.
What documentation is required?
Nearly every caregiver-pay program requires ongoing documentation — daily care notes, timesheets or electronic visit verification, and periodic assessments. Missing or sloppy records are the #1 reason payments get delayed or clawed back. (Keeping this record effortless is exactly what cares-ai is building.)