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Coordinated caregiving in North Carolina: a live-in caregiver service

Coordinated caregiving is a CAP/DA service in North Carolina that helps a live-in caregiver look after a Medicaid beneficiary, with a health care agency's support and a daily stipend. It works like structured family caregiving in other states.

Carevo editorial team Updated October 27, 2026 Source checked by Carevo editorial team, October 27, 2026

Coordinated caregiving is a service in North Carolina's Community Alternatives Program for Disabled Adults (CAP/DA). NC Medicaid says it helps a live-in caregiver take care of the health care needs of a CAP/DA beneficiary, with the help of a health care agency. It is billed as a daily stipend.

What NC Medicaid says it is

NC Medicaid's February 2025 CAP/DA fact sheet lists coordinated caregiving as a covered service: a service that helps a live-in caregiver take care of the health care needs of a CAP/DA beneficiary. The fact sheet lists it as one of three service types in CAP/DA, alongside provider-led services and consumer direction, and says that with coordinated caregiving a live-in caregiver takes care of the beneficiary with the help of a health care agency.

Other states call a similar service structured family caregiving. NC Medicaid's pages we read use "coordinated caregiving," so that is the term to use with your case manager.

How the daily stipend works

The CAP FAQs, modified August 5, 2026, answer "Why is Coordinated Caregiving billed as a daily stipend?" with: it covers all extraordinary care needed that day due to the live-in nature of the caregiver. Two billing rules follow from that.

  • Respite. Respite is allowed, but coordinated caregiving stipends cannot be paid on the same day as respite. Respite is encouraged but not required.
  • Adult day health. The two can be used together, but the daily stipend and adult day health cannot be billed on the same day.

The FAQs and fact sheet do not state the stipend amount or how much reaches the caregiver, so we do not state one. Ask your case manager and the provider agency in writing.

Who it is for

Coordinated caregiving is a CAP/DA service, so the person receiving care must be enrolled in CAP/DA. NC Medicaid lists three conditions: a disabled adult 18 or older; a person determined to require a level of institutional care under the State Medicaid Plan; and a person who needs at least one CAP/DA service, based on an assessment coordinated by a CAP/DA case manager. See the North Carolina overview for the waitlist and referral steps.

The caregiver must live with the beneficiary. The pages we read do not say whether a spouse or other relative can be the live-in caregiver. Ask NC Medicaid or the provider agency directly.

How to ask for it

  1. Contact a local CAP/DA case management entity in the applicant's county to request a CAP/DA referral. The fact sheet also lists [email protected] and 1-833-470-0597 for how to apply.
  2. Once enrolled, tell your case manager there is a live-in caregiver.
  3. Ask for the provider agency list. NC Medicaid publishes a provider application template for coordinated caregiving.

What to ask

  • Is coordinated caregiving available in my county, and which agencies provide it?
  • Who can be the live-in caregiver?
  • What is the daily stipend, and how much goes to the caregiver?
  • How do respite and adult day health fit alongside it?

See paid family caregiver in North Carolina. Carevo is a connection platform and directory. We do not arrange coordinated caregiving, refer anyone to CAP/DA or advise on eligibility. For agency help in the meantime, see home care in North Carolina.

More about care in North Carolina

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Common questions

What is coordinated caregiving?

NC Medicaid's CAP/DA fact sheet describes it as a service that helps a live-in caregiver take care of the health care needs of a CAP/DA beneficiary. It is delivered by a live-in caregiver with the help of a health care agency.

Is coordinated caregiving the same as structured family caregiving?

NC Medicaid uses the name coordinated caregiving. It has a similar shape to the structured family caregiving services in [Ohio](/programs/ohio/structured-family-caregiving) and [Georgia](/programs/georgia/structured-family-caregiving): a live-in caregiver supported by a health care agency. NC Medicaid's pages that we read do not use the structured family caregiving name.

How is it paid?

NC Medicaid's CAP FAQs say coordinated caregiving is billed as a daily stipend because it covers all extraordinary care needed that day due to the live-in nature of the caregiver.

Can I use respite or adult day health the same day?

Not at the same time as the stipend. The FAQs say stipends cannot be paid on the same day as respite, and the daily stipend and adult day health cannot be billed on the same day. Respite is allowed and encouraged but not required.

Who can get it?

People enrolled in CAP/DA, which is for NC Medicaid beneficiaries who are 18 or older with severe and chronic physical disabilities that need nursing home or hospital level care, or 65 or older and at risk of going to a nursing home.

How do I ask for it?

Contact a local CAP/DA case management entity in your county for a referral, and ask the case manager whether coordinated caregiving fits your situation.

Sources

Review status: Carevo checked this page against the primary sources listed above. It has not been professionally reviewed by a registered nurse, licensed social worker, benefits counselor or attorney. See our editorial standards.

This page is general information, not financial, legal or medical advice. Rules and services vary by state and by individual circumstances. Use the official sources and decision-maker named on the page. Carevo is a connection platform, not a care provider.