·State program
Rhode Island Personal Choice Program / Structured Family Caregiving
Rhode Island's Personal Choice program allows Medicaid-eligible participants to direct their own care by hiring and managing personal care attendants. The state also offers Structured Family Caregiving through Careforth for live-in caregivers. Family members can be hired as caregivers, but spouses are excluded. Rhode Island was a Cash & Counseling demonstration state.
What it offers
Rhode Island's Personal Choice program provides consumer-directed personal care services including help with activities of daily living, health maintenance tasks, and homemaker services. Participants hire and manage their own attendants. Family members can be hired as paid caregivers, but spouses are excluded. Hourly pay rates range from $15-$18/hr. Waitlists are typical for waiver services. Structured Family Caregiving through Careforth is also available. Rhode Island was a Cash & Counseling demonstration state.
Questions that decide eligibility
GiveCare prepares the questions; the program makes the decision. Bring these to the call or the application:
- 01
Does the person receiving care live in Rhode Island?
Residency is usually the first thing a program checks.
- 02
Does your relationship to the person — parent, child, sibling, grandparent, other relative, or non relative — count for this program?
- 03
What counts as a qualifying disability or level of care need, and what documentation shows it?
- 04
Does the VA disability rating meet the program’s minimum (our record lists null%)?
- 05
Do the work hours meet the minimum (our record lists null hours)?
- 06
Is there a caregiver-specific department, coordinator, or support line? Ask for it by name.
Many agencies have one that isn’t advertised on the website.
- 07
What documents do you need from us to start an application?
- 08
Is there a waitlist right now, and how long is it?