Yes, you can get paid to care for your disabled child in Colorado. The state runs several Medicaid-funded programs that compensate parents for the hands-on care they already provide at home. The main route is In-Home Support Services (IHSS), now delivered through Colorado’s Community First Choice (CFC) program. Families with children who have intellectual or developmental disabilities may also use the Children’s Extensive Support (CES) waiver, and parents willing to earn a nursing credential can be paid at a higher rate through the Parent CNA program.
The Three Main Ways Colorado Pays Parents
Each program pays for a different scope of care. Which one fits depends on your child’s condition and how much clinical work the care actually involves.
In-Home Support Services Through Community First Choice
IHSS is the most common path. As of July 1, 2025, IHSS Health Maintenance Activities moved from the Children’s Home and Community-Based Services (CHCBS) waiver into Colorado’s new Community First Choice program. New enrollees now access IHSS directly through CFC without needing a separate waiver slot.1Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. Children’s Home and Community-Based Services Waiver (CHCBS)
As a parent attendant under IHSS, you can be paid for personal care such as bathing, dressing, and toileting; homemaker services like meal preparation and cleaning; and health maintenance activities such as administering medications or managing medical equipment.2Colorado Respite Coalition. Compensation for Caregiving The program is self-directed, so you set the schedule around your family’s routine. One catch: the services you’re paid for must go beyond what any parent would ordinarily provide for a child of the same age.
Children’s Extensive Support Waiver
The CES waiver is designed for children from birth to age 18 with an intellectual or developmental disability, and for children four and under at risk of developmental delay.3Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. Persons with Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities Waiver Manual The functional threshold is specific: the child must need direct human intervention beyond a simple verbal reminder at least once every two hours during the day and once every three hours at night, on average.4Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. Children’s Extensive Support Waiver CES
CES covers homemaker services, community connector support, and gives access to IHSS and Consumer-Directed Attendant Support Services (CDASS) as delivery options.4Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. Children’s Extensive Support Waiver CES Enrollment is capped and there is a waiting list. The state authorizes roughly 10 to 20 new enrollments per month based on vacancies.5Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. Waiting Lists and Enrollment Apply as early as possible.
Parent CNA Program
If your child needs skilled nursing-level care rather than personal care alone, the Parent CNA program lets you become a Certified Nursing Assistant and be paid for that work. You complete a state-approved nurse aide training program, pass the certification exam, and get hired by a home health agency that provides CNA services.2Colorado Respite Coalition. Compensation for Caregiving The certification takes time up front, but the hourly rate is higher than standard attendant care.
CDASS is worth knowing about too. It lets families hire, train, and manage caregivers directly, including relatives, using an allocated monthly budget. With the 2025 CFC rollout, newly enrolled members can access CDASS directly through CFC.6Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. Consumer-Directed Attendant Support Services (CDASS)
What the Pay Looks Like
Rates depend on the program and the type of care. For IHSS attendant care, parents providing personal care and homemaker services earn around $20 to $22 per hour, with overtime past 40 hours per week paid at roughly time-and-a-half. Health maintenance activities pay a slightly higher base rate. The Parent CNA program pays the most, with regular rates around $23 per hour and overtime above $34 per hour, reflecting the skilled medical scope.
You don’t decide how many hours you’ll work. A case manager sets your authorized weekly hours based on a formal assessment of your child’s needs. Different service categories (personal care, homemaker, health maintenance) get tracked separately. If your child’s condition changes, you can request a reassessment to adjust the hours.
Who Qualifies
Two sides have to line up: your child has to meet the program’s medical and functional criteria, and you have to be able to perform the tasks in the care plan.
Your Child
Your child must first be enrolled in Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid program). You can apply through the PEAK portal at co.gov/peak, by phone at 1-800-221-3943, by mail, or in person at your county office.7Health First Colorado. Apply Now
Beyond Medicaid enrollment, your child must show a functional need for the level of care that would otherwise require a hospital, nursing facility, or institutional setting. A diagnosis alone doesn’t do it. A formal assessment looks at what your child actually needs help with day to day, and the result drives both eligibility and the number of hours authorized. Expect to provide medical records, diagnostic reports, and physician letters describing the condition and its impact on daily functioning.
A boundary worth flagging: Colorado does not operate a TEFRA or Katie Beckett state plan option. If you’ve read that a “Katie Beckett” waiver could qualify your child based on the child’s own income rather than the family’s, that pathway isn’t available here. Colorado routes children with disabilities through HCBS waivers and CFC, which have their own eligibility rules separate from standard income-based Medicaid.
You, the Parent
For standard IHSS attendant care, no special license is required, though you’ll complete whatever training your case management agency or financial management vendor requires. For the Parent CNA program, you need a current Colorado CNA certification.
One practical rule surprises people: you generally can’t be the only person involved in documenting your own work. Another individual has to be designated to verify your timesheets. It isn’t a requirement that someone else provide care; it’s a fraud safeguard on the paperwork.
How to Apply
The entry point depends on your child’s diagnosis. For children with intellectual or developmental disabilities, start with your local Community Centered Board (CCB). CCBs handle intake, functional eligibility, support planning, and service coordination for IDD-related waivers including CES.8Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. CMA and CCB Agency Directory
For children with disabilities that aren’t developmental, a Case Management Agency (CMA) handles intake and assessment.8Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. CMA and CCB Agency Directory Either way, the process is the same shape: submit documentation, complete a functional assessment (usually in your home), and, if approved, work with a case manager to build the care plan.
Gather documents before you start. You’ll need your child’s birth certificate and Social Security card, proof of Colorado residency such as a utility bill or lease, medical records, diagnostic reports, and physician letters describing the disability. For Medicaid eligibility itself, plan on pay stubs, tax returns, and bank statements.
What Happens After Approval
Your case manager finalizes the care plan, which specifies the services covered, hours authorized per week, and the type of care you’re approved to provide. If a CNA certification or extra training is part of the plan, that timeline goes in too.
You’ll then be connected with a Financial Management Services (FMS) vendor, which handles payroll, tax withholding, and payments. For CDASS, Colorado uses Palco as the FMS vendor.9Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. CDASS Policies and Resources You submit your hours through the approved system and the vendor issues your paychecks.
Tracking Your Hours
Most Medicaid-funded home care in Colorado has to be documented through Electronic Visit Verification (EVV). The state uses an Open Choice Model: you can use the free state-provided Sandata solution (mobile app and telephone check-in) or an approved alternative your provider offers.10Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. Electronic Visit Verification Program Manual The system records the type of service, who received it, date, location, caregiver identity, and start and end times.
Live-in caregivers are exempt. If you permanently reside with the child receiving services, Colorado does not require you to use EVV. Your billing provider still has to maintain documentation of your live-in status, and claims have to use the correct live-in caregiver billing codes. Claims without proper documentation or EVV records can be denied or recouped.10Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. Electronic Visit Verification Program Manual Most parents caring for their own child at home qualify as live-in caregivers, but confirm the status is properly documented with your provider or FMS vendor.
How the Money Is Taxed
Federal tax treatment is unusually favorable here. Under IRS Notice 2014-7, Medicaid waiver payments made to a caregiver who lives in the same home as the person receiving care are treated as “difficulty of care” payments excludable from gross income under Section 131. The exclusion applies whether the caregiver is related or unrelated.11Internal Revenue Service. Internal Revenue Bulletin 2014-4 Because most parents live with the child they’re caring for, these payments are typically not subject to federal income tax.
Payroll taxes get similar treatment. Employers aren’t required to withhold or pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on wages paid to a parent for domestic services, and the same exemption applies to Federal Unemployment Tax.12Internal Revenue Service. Topic No. 756, Employment Taxes for Household Employees Between the income exclusion and the payroll exemptions, parents in these programs often keep close to the full amount of their pay. The Notice 2014-7 exclusion specifically requires the care to be provided in the caregiver’s own home, so nonstandard living arrangements are worth running past a tax professional.
SSI for the Child
Your child may also qualify for Supplemental Security Income, which is separate from anything you earn as a caregiver. SSI is a monthly cash benefit paid on behalf of the child. In 2026, the federal SSI payment for an eligible individual is $994 per month.13Social Security Administration. What’s New in 2026
To qualify, a child under 18 must have a medical condition (or combination of conditions) that results in “marked and severe functional limitations” that has lasted or is expected to last at least 12 months or result in death. A non-blind child can’t be earning more than $1,690 per month in 2026.14Social Security Administration. Benefits for Children with Disabilities SSI is needs-based, so family income and resources factor into the child’s eligibility and payment amount. Apply through your local Social Security office. Many families pursue SSI and a Medicaid caregiver program at the same time, since they answer different needs.