Can I get paid to care for my spouse in Colorado?
Yes — Colorado lets a spouse be paid.
Colorado is one of the states where the person who needs care can hire their own husband or wife and have the program pay for it. You do the caring you are already doing. The state pays you for it.
What has to be true
- Your spouse lives in Colorado and needs long-term care help at home.
- Your spouse has Medicaid, or can qualify. We check that with you for free.
- You pass a background check. No license or certificate is needed.
- The care your spouse needs is written into their plan — that is what the hours are paid against.
What Colorado pays family caregivers
$17–$20/hr
Source: Colorado Medicaid program data · Updated September 2026
What Colorado's rule actually says
yes — spouses can be hired under CDASS/IHSS; spouse-as-LRP homemaker capped at 7 hrs/week
The programs this runs through in Colorado: CDASS, IHSS, Family CNA program. Who runs them: Dept. of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF) / Health First Colorado, via local Case Management Agencies; Member Contact Center 1-800-221-3943
975,900 people in Colorado are 65 or older. Most of them are cared for at home, by a relative — usually without being paid for it.
How to start in Colorado
Contact the local Case Management Agency (Single Entry Point) for a nursing-facility level-of-care assessment; must be enrolled in Health First Colorado (Medicaid) first.
self-directed: CDASS uses an FMS (fiscal management service) vendor for payroll only; IHSS and Family CNA route through a licensed IHSS/home-health agency
See if you qualify →Spouse questions in Colorado, answered
Can I get paid to care for my husband or wife in Colorado?
Yes. Colorado allows it. The published rule: yes — spouses can be hired under CDASS/IHSS; spouse-as-LRP homemaker capped at 7 hrs/week
Why do some states allow this and others don't?
Medicaid has long treated care between spouses as a family duty rather than paid work. Self-directed programs changed that in many states by making the person who needs care the employer — they choose their own worker, and in some states that can be a spouse. It is a state-by-state policy choice, not a federal rule.
How much would I earn in Colorado?
Reported pay in Colorado runs around $17–$20/hr, though your exact rate is set by the program and the care plan.
Does my spouse need Medicaid first?
Yes. These are Medicaid programs, so your spouse has to qualify for Colorado Medicaid and need long-term care help. Many families assume they earn too much and never apply. The rules for long-term care are not the same as regular Medicaid — check before you rule yourself out.
Is there a waitlist in Colorado?
no waitlist — CFC is a state plan entitlement (since 7/1/2025); EBD waiver also historically no waitlist
How do we start?
Contact the local Case Management Agency (Single Entry Point) for a nursing-facility level-of-care assessment; must be enrolled in Health First Colorado (Medicaid) first.
Sources: hcpf.colorado.gov · payingforseniorcare.com · kidswaivers.org · Updated September 2026. Rules change — always confirm with the program.
Where most Colorado caregivers are
Counties with the most residents aged 65 and older. The rules are the same everywhere in Colorado — pick yours for the local picture.
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