Illinois:
Community Care Program (CCP)

CCP and Home Services Program are different routes

The Department on Aging’s CCP is aimed at eligible adults age 60 and older who need support to remain at home. Its services can include in-home assistance, adult day services and other supports. The Department of Human Services Home Services Program serves a different population, including people under 60 with severe disabilities, and has different employment models.

An HSP personal assistant may be selected and supervised directly by the customer. CCP’s family-aide route described here uses an In-Home Service agency. Ask which program is responsible before comparing salaries or assuming that a direct-hire form from another Illinois program applies.

The recipient and the family employee have separate requirements

The CCP eligibility review includes age, Illinois residence, the applicable citizenship or immigration requirements, financial rules and a determination of care needs. The program also addresses applying for and enrolling in Medicaid when eligible. Do not use a single national Medicaid income number as a substitute for the local review.

Illinois explicitly allows participating CCP agencies to consider family members, including spouses and certain representatives, if they meet worker requirements. The state describes background checks and 24 hours of preservice training. These rules do not force every agency to hire a particular relative or turn an unapproved household arrangement into paid employment.

Ask the CCU about assessment and provider availability

The first practical contact is the local Care Coordination Unit. Ask what documents are needed, when the needs assessment can occur and which providers serve the address. Availability of an agency willing to employ relatives is a separate issue from whether the older adult meets CCP eligibility.

Keep the person-centered plan and notices. Illinois has an appeal route for decisions or failures to process service requests correctly. If needs change or the main caregiver becomes unavailable, request a reassessment rather than waiting for a generic annual date. The care coordination rules also provide for regular reassessment.

Ask the agency whether it hires relatives

The state warns that not every In-Home Service provider employs family members. Tell the CCU that family employment is your preferred arrangement and ask which approved providers offer it. The chosen agency must still interview and qualify the worker, arrange checks and training, and supervise the services.

Obtain the actual employment terms from that agency: wage, covered tasks, approved schedule, reporting contact and first payable date. Being listed in the care plan as an unpaid family support does not itself create an employee position. Clarify who covers care during training, absences or a change of provider.

Report changes through both the agency and CCU

The agency manages employment records while the CCU manages the care coordination process. Follow the employer’s current timekeeping and visit-verification instructions and ask how any live-in arrangement is documented. Report service problems to the agency and changes in the person’s needs to the CCU. If the plan is revised, check that the agency receives the new authorization before changing paid hours.

Your next steps

1. Contact the local CCU for an older adult’s CCP assessment.
2. Confirm eligibility and the person-centered service plan.
3. Ask which approved In-Home Service agencies hire relatives.
4. Complete the selected agency’s checks, preservice training and hiring process.
5. Confirm pay, authorized tasks, start date and ongoing supervision.

Explore a pay scenario

The table uses a hypothetical amount of $18.00 per hour. This is not a rate verified for this state. Approved units depend on the assessment and written plan; the table does not establish a maximum or entitlement.

Monthly average = weekly × 52 ÷ 12. Overtime and taxes are not calculated.

Does caregiver pay qualify for IRS Notice 2014-7?

IRS Notice 2014-7 can exclude certain qualifying Medicaid waiver payments from federal gross income when the care recipient lives in the provider’s home. Sharing a home alone is not enough: the payment and program must qualify. This is not an exemption for all caregiver wages, all taxes or all state programs. Ask payroll which payments are covered and check the IRS guidance or a qualified tax adviser. Our calculator does not apply a tax exemption.

Questions families ask

Official sources and review notes

• Illinois Department on Aging: CCP
• Illinois Department on Aging: in-home care
• Illinois Department on Aging: In-Home Service
• Illinois Administrative Code: care coordination and reassessment
• Illinois Department on Aging: appeal form

Sources describe the named programs; they do not endorse this website. Rules and provider arrangements can change. Check the linked agency before making a financial decision.