Medicaid Personal Care in Washington: who qualifies and who can be paid
Medicaid Personal Care pays for help with daily living at home for Washington adults who do not meet nursing facility level of care. You can choose an individual provider employed through Consumer Direct Washington or a licensed agency.
Medicaid Personal Care (MPC) pays for help with daily living at home or in a community setting for Washington Medicaid clients who do not need nursing facility level of care. You can choose an individual provider hired through Consumer Direct Washington, which can include a family member, or a licensed home care agency.
What MPC is
The DSHS Long-Term Care Manual, last revised 11/2025, says MPC is allowed under Washington's Medicaid State Plan and is available to clients who do not meet nursing facility level of care. It pays for personal care, which is assistance with activities of daily living, instrumental activities and health-related tasks such as nurse delegation. It names bathing, body care, dressing, eating, personal hygiene, toilet use, medication management, transfers, bed mobility and moving around as activities of daily living.
Help with meal preparation, ordinary housework, essential shopping, telephone use and travel to medical services is available only when the client also needs help with the daily living activities. The manual cites WAC 388-106-0200 through 0235 for the rules.
If you do meet nursing facility level of care, the route is the COPES waiver, which wraps around the Community First Choice program.
Who is eligible
The manual says the client must meet all of these.
- Age: 18 or older if Home and Community Services or the Area Agency on Aging authorizes the services. Developmental Disabilities Community Services serves people with a developmental disability at any age, and children with functional disabilities until 18.
- Functional need: the CARE assessment finds an unmet or partially met need, and the person does not meet institutional level of care.
- Financial: eligible for non-institutional categorically needy or alternative benefit plan Medicaid.
The manual sends readers to a separate chapter for the financial rules. We did not read it, so we do not state income or resource limits.
Who can provide care
The manual lists these settings and providers.
- Individual provider (IP) in your home. The IP is an employee of Consumer Direct Washington. The client works with Consumer Direct and the IP on assigned hours and is the one who selects, schedules, supervises, directs and dismisses the IP. The manual says the IP must be 18 or older, able to legally work in the United States, pass the appropriate criminal background checks, and meet training and certification requirements.
- Home care agency. It must hold a current Department of Health license and a current contract with DSHS or an Area Agency on Aging.
- Adult family home. It must hold an adult family home license and a DSHS contract.
- Adult residential care. A contracted and licensed assisted living facility with a DSHS contract for adult residential care.
The manual lists Consumer Direct Washington contact numbers: 1-866-214-9899 for clients and individual providers.
Paying a relative
DSHS says family members can become paid caregivers when the person they care for qualifies for Medicaid Long-Term Services and Supports, and that a family member is hired as an individual provider. It also says you cannot be paid to care for your spouse, with two exceptions it names. Read paid family caregiver in Washington for the training and hiring steps.
Payment limits
The manual says payment cannot occur while the client is in an institution such as a hospital, nursing facility, residential habilitation center or jail, and authorizations must be adjusted or ended. It also says a client may take an individual provider out of state for under 30 days with prior steps, and that personal care is not allowed outside the United States.
Where to start
- Contact DSHS Home and Community Services or your Area Agency on Aging for a CARE assessment.
- Ask whether you meet nursing facility level of care, since that decides between MPC and COPES.
- Decide between an individual provider and an agency, and ask who your back-up caregivers could be.
See also the Washington program overview, home care in Washington, home health in Washington, nursing homes in Washington and developmental disability services in Washington.
Carevo is a connection platform and directory. We do not run MPC, decide eligibility or hours, or vouch for providers.
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Common questions
What is Medicaid Personal Care?
The DSHS Long-Term Care Manual says Medicaid Personal Care (MPC) is a Medicaid State Plan program for clients who do not meet nursing facility level of care. It helps with personal care tasks so people can stay in their own home or move to a community-based setting.
Who is eligible for MPC?
The manual says clients authorized through Home and Community Services must be 18 or older, have an unmet or partially met need found through the CARE assessment, not meet institutional level of care, and be eligible for non-institutional categorically needy or alternative benefit plan Medicaid. Developmental Disabilities Community Services has its own age rules.
Who can provide the care?
The manual lists an individual provider employed by Consumer Direct Washington, a licensed home care agency with a DSHS or Area Agency on Aging contract, an adult family home, or a contracted assisted living facility.
Do I choose and supervise my own caregiver?
If you choose an individual provider, yes. The manual says the client selects, schedules, supervises, directs and dismisses the provider, identifies back-up caregivers, and names an alternate supervisor in the CARE plan if they cannot supervise.
What tasks does MPC pay for?
Help with activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, eating, toilet use and transfers. The manual says help with tasks such as meal preparation, housework and shopping is available only when the client also needs help with daily living activities.
Can I use MPC out of state?
Only briefly and with steps. The manual says a client may receive care from an individual provider while temporarily traveling out of state for less than 30 days, if the case manager completes required steps first. Personal care is not allowed outside the United States.
Does Carevo enroll people in MPC?
No. Carevo is a connection platform and directory. DSHS authorizes MPC and Consumer Direct Washington employs individual providers.
Sources
- WA DSHS: Long-Term Care Manual, Chapter 7c, Medicaid Personal Care (last revised 11/2025) accessed October 27, 2026
- WA DSHS: Long-Term Care Manual, Chapter 7d, COPES (last revised 05/2026) accessed October 27, 2026
- WA DSHS: Becoming a Paid Caregiver accessed October 27, 2026
- WA DSHS: Information on Individual Providers accessed October 27, 2026
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.