Your Questions, Answered

Yes. Through Virginia Medicaid's CCC Plus Waiver (part of Cardinal Care), family members can be hired and paid to provide care for a loved one at home. You choose the caregiver, Medicaid pays the wages, and there is no cost to your family. Adult children, spouses, and other relatives can all qualify as paid caregivers in most situations.

There are four basic steps: (1) confirm your loved one is enrolled in Virginia Medicaid and needs help with daily activities; (2) complete a needs screening; (3) the chosen caregiver passes a background check and brief onboarding; and (4) services are authorized through the Managed Care Organization and you begin getting paid. Godaelli handles the paperwork and walks you through each step at no cost.

The “state” pays through Virginia Medicaid rather than a separate check. Once your loved one is approved for consumer-directed services under the CCC Plus Waiver, you are enrolled as their paid caregiver and receive regular paychecks for the hours you work, with taxes and payroll managed for you. Godaelli sets up and runs that payroll so you get paid reliably.

Yes. Caring for an aging parent is one of the most common reasons families use the CCC Plus Waiver. If your mother or father is on Virginia Medicaid and needs help with everyday activities, you can be hired and paid to provide that care.

In many cases, yes. Virginia's consumer-directed program can allow a spouse to be a paid caregiver under the CCC Plus Waiver, though specific rules can vary by program and Managed Care Organization. We'll confirm your situation during a free eligibility check.

Often, yes. Parents and guardians may be paid to care for a child or adult with a disability through Virginia's waiver programs, though the rules for caring for a minor child can differ from those for an adult. We'll review your family's specific situation and help you find the right path.

No. You do not need to live in the same home as the person you care for. Many paid caregivers live nearby and provide care on a schedule that fits their life.

For consumer-directed care, you generally do not need prior certification or a nursing license — the family member or friend providing care completes a background check and a short onboarding instead. Skilled nursing tasks are the exception and are handled by licensed professionals. We'll let you know if anything extra is required for your situation.

Family caregivers in Virginia typically earn about $12 to $15 per hour through the CCC Plus Waiver, depending on the care recipient's needs and their Managed Care Organization. All wages are paid through Virginia Medicaid at no cost to the family.

Approved hours depend on the care recipient's assessed level of need, but many caregivers are authorized for up to roughly 56 hours per week. The needs screening determines the exact number of paid hours.

With up to about 56 hours per week approved at $12–$15 per hour, many caregivers earn in the neighborhood of $2,500 per month. Your actual earnings depend on the approved hours and pay rate for your loved one's plan.

Caregiver pay is income, so it is generally taxable. Godaelli manages payroll, tax withholding, and year-end forms for you, so you receive proper documentation and don't have to handle the paperwork yourself. We'll explain exactly how it works for your situation.

Once you're enrolled and providing care, you're paid on a regular payroll schedule — not as a lump sum from the state. Godaelli handles timekeeping, payroll, and direct deposit so your paychecks arrive reliably.

No. CCC Plus Waiver services are funded by Virginia Medicaid, so there is no cost to the family for the care or for the caregiver's wages. Godaelli's help with eligibility, enrollment, and paperwork is also free.

The CCC Plus Waiver (Commonwealth Coordinated Care Plus) is a Virginia Medicaid program that helps people who are elderly, disabled, or living with chronic conditions receive care at home instead of in a nursing facility. It covers personal care, respite care, and consumer-directed services where the family chooses the caregiver — including paid family caregivers.

Cardinal Care is the unified name for Virginia Medicaid. The CCC Plus Waiver continues to operate under the Cardinal Care umbrella, so the program and its benefits are the same even though the branding changed.

Eligibility comes down to two things: the care recipient must be enrolled in Virginia Medicaid, and they must need help with Activities of Daily Living such as bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, or mobility. A screening confirms the level of need. If your loved one isn't on Medicaid yet, we can help with that step first.

Start with a free eligibility check. From there, the steps are: confirm Medicaid enrollment and complete a needs screening, choose your caregiver, complete a background check and onboarding, and get services authorized through your MCO. Godaelli handles the paperwork to keep things moving.

Most families are enrolled within about 2 to 4 weeks, depending on how quickly screenings and documentation come together. Clean paperwork speeds approval, which is one reason Godaelli manages it for you.

CDPAP (Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program) is the name New York uses for its self-directed Medicaid care program. Virginia offers the same idea through the consumer-directed (CD) services option of the CCC Plus Waiver: the person receiving care, or their family, chooses, hires, and directs their own caregiver — often a relative — and Medicaid pays the wages. So while “CDPAP” is a New York term, Virginia families get the equivalent benefit through Cardinal Care.

With agency-directed care, the agency selects and schedules the caregiver. With consumer-directed care, you choose your own caregiver — often a family member or trusted friend — and direct their schedule and tasks, while the program handles payroll and compliance. Consumer-directed care is what makes it possible for families to be paid.

Yes — that's the heart of consumer-directed care. You can choose a family member, friend, or trusted individual to be your paid caregiver, as long as they pass a background check and complete onboarding.

Yes. Virginia Medicaid covers in-home care for eligible members through programs like the CCC Plus Waiver, including personal care, respite, and consumer-directed services. This is what makes it possible to keep a loved one at home and to pay a family caregiver.

For Medicaid long-term care and waiver services, the monthly income limit is commonly around $2,900 for an individual (based on 300% of the SSI federal benefit rate), but the figure changes each year and assets are also considered. Many families who assume they earn too much still qualify, so it's worth checking. We'll help you find out.

Possibly. Medicaid long-term care and waiver programs apply an asset (resource) limit in addition to the income limit — for an individual it's commonly around $2,000 in countable assets. Many things don't count, though, including your primary home (up to an equity limit), one vehicle, and certain personal belongings, and married couples have added protections so the spouse staying at home can keep more. Families who are over the limit can sometimes still qualify by legally spending down or restructuring assets. Because these rules are detailed and change over time, the best step is a free eligibility check so we can review your specific situation.

Virginia Medicaid eligibility depends on income, assets, age, disability, and care needs. For home-care waiver programs, the care recipient generally must be enrolled in Medicaid and show a need for help with daily activities. A free eligibility check is the fastest way to know where you stand.

That's a common starting point, and it's not a dead end. We can help with the Medicaid application first, then move on to waiver enrollment and getting your caregiver set up and paid.

Godaelli works with the Managed Care Organizations in Virginia's Cardinal Care program — including Aetna Better Health, Anthem HealthKeepers Plus, Sentara Health Plans, and UnitedHealthcare Community Plan — plus TRICARE for military families. Whichever plan your loved one has, we can help you confirm coverage.

Yes, in some cases. Through the VA's Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC), eligible family caregivers of qualifying veterans can receive a monthly stipend. It's separate from Medicaid, and some families combine VA support with Medicaid-funded home care.

PCAFC is the VA's program that supports family caregivers of veterans with serious service-connected conditions. It can provide a monthly stipend, training, and support services to an approved primary family caregiver.

The PCAFC stipend is based on the level of care the veteran needs and local wage rates, so the monthly amount varies from one caregiver to the next. Because it's calculated individually, the best way to estimate your stipend is to review your specific situation with us.

Often, yes. A veteran may be able to receive VA caregiver support and Medicaid-funded home care, depending on eligibility for each program. We can help you understand how the benefits fit together.

The first step is a free eligibility check. Tell us a little about your loved one's situation, and we'll confirm whether they qualify, explain your options, and handle the enrollment paperwork. There's no cost and no obligation.

Godaelli serves Northern Virginia and beyond — including Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Woodbridge, Manassas, Stafford, Fredericksburg, Prince William County, and surrounding communities. Reach out and we'll confirm coverage for your area.

Godaelli specializes in Virginia's CCC Plus Waiver and consumer-directed care, so families can be paid to care for their own loved ones. We handle eligibility, enrollment, payroll, and compliance, and we guide you through every step at no cost to your family.

Call us at (703) 870-0738, email care@godaellihomecare.com, or start a free eligibility check online. Our team is available Mon-Fri 9am-6pm.