Care coordinator and case manager jobs: Medicaid waiver and aging services

A care coordinator or case manager helps a person get the medical, social and community services they need and keeps those services working together. The job exists in several programs, including Medicaid home and community-based services waivers and the Older Americans Act network of Area Agencies on Aging. There is no single national qualification, so what you need depends on the program and your state.

BLS has no occupation called care coordinator or case manager. The closest profiles are social and human service assistants and social workers. This page uses the federal program rules that define case management.

What care coordinators and case managers do

The Medicaid definition is in 42 CFR 440.169. Case-management services are services that assist individuals eligible under the State plan, who live in a community setting or are transitioning to one, in gaining access to needed medical, social, educational and other services.

Medicaid.gov says home and community-based services (HCBS) 1915(c) waivers let states offer long-term care at home or in the community to people who would otherwise need institutional care. It lists case management, meaning supports and service coordination, among the standard waiver services, along with homemaker, personal care and respite care. Waiver programs must follow individualized, person-centered care plans. Medicaid.gov says nearly every state and DC has waivers, with about 257 active programs nationwide.

For older adults, 45 CFR Part 1321 covers programs under the Older Americans Act. 45 CFR 1321.3 defines an area agency on aging as a single agency designated by the State agency to perform the functions specified in the Act, and lists information and assistance, options counseling and case management among the access services. 45 CFR 1321.9 says cost sharing is prohibited for information and assistance, outreach, benefits counseling or case management services.

Where care coordinators work

Case management is a service inside programs like those above, so the jobs sit with whoever delivers the service in your state. Carevo found no federal count of case manager jobs by employer, so it gives none. BLS lists these largest employers of social and human service assistants: individual and family services at 28%, local government at 11%, community food and housing, emergency and other relief services, and vocational rehabilitation services at 10%, religious, grantmaking, civic and professional organizations at 10%, and nursing and residential care facilities at 10%.

For social workers, BLS lists state and local government at 27%, individual and family services at 17% and ambulatory healthcare services at 15%.

Training and qualifications

The federal rules above define the service. They do not set one qualification for the person delivering it. States and programs do that. What BLS says about related jobs:

• Social and human service assistants. A high school diploma is typically required for entry-level jobs. Some employers prefer or require an associate's or bachelor's degree in human services or a related field. On-the-job training in case management helps prepare them to respond to clients' needs. Advancing to case management or social work jobs requires a bachelor's or master's degree.
• Social workers. A bachelor's degree in social work is the most common requirement for entry-level nonclinical positions, a master's degree is typical for clinical work, and social workers may need a license, with requirements that vary by state. See medical social worker.

States add their own rules. Waiver case manager qualifications are set in each state's waiver and by its Medicaid agency. Carevo does not summarize them. Check the job posting, your state Medicaid agency and your local Area Agency on Aging, and ask each employer what it requires.

Care coordinator pay

BLS does not publish a case manager wage. It publishes national wage estimates for social and human service assistants (SOC 21-1093) and social workers with a May 2025 reference period. Carevo does not type the figures here so they cannot go out of date. See the BLS pages for social and human service assistants and social workers. Neither is specific to care coordination, so pay in your program and state can be higher or lower.

How to find care coordinator jobs

Start with the agencies that run the programs. Ask your state Medicaid agency which organizations provide waiver case management, and contact your local Area Agency on Aging. You can also browse home care, home health and hospice providers near you and ask whether they employ coordinators. Ask whether the role is in a waiver program, which population it serves and what caseload to expect.

If you are already a case manager looking for provider capacity for a client, see Carevo for case managers.

Carevo is a connection platform. It is not an employer and it does not place workers.

Caregiver registration is coming to Carevo

Carevo is a connection platform. It is not an employer, it does not place workers and it does not guarantee work. Registration for caregivers is not open yet. If you want to hear when it is, email [email protected].