Paying for Respite

Financial assistance for respite may be available through various Medicaid Waivers. For more information about eligibility, click the program links below:

Autism

Frail Elderly

Intellectual / Developmentally Disabled (I/DD)

Physically Disabled 

Serious Emotional Disturbance 

Technology Assisted Program 

Traumatic Brain Injury

Caregivers of individuals in hospice care are eligible for respite funding under Medicare.

Respite funding may also be available if you are caring for someone older than 60 years, someone of any age with Alzheimer's, if you are a grandparent 55 years or older caring for a grandchild, or the relative of an adult with certain disabilities, through the National Family Caregiver Support Program which is administered through your local Area Agency on Aging (AAA). To contact your local Area Agency on Aging, visit
https://k4ad.org/aaa-statewide-map.

Veterans eligible for outpatient medical services can also receive non-institutional respite, outpatient geriatric evaluation and management services, and therapeutically-oriented outpatient day care. Respite care may be provided in a home or other non-institutional setting, such as a community nursing home.

Ordinarily, respite is limited to no more than 30 days per year. The services can be contracted or provided directly by the staff of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) or by another provider or payor. A program administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Family Caregiver Program of the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010, provides additional support to eligible post-9/11 Veterans who elect to receive their care in a home setting from a primary family caregiver.

For more information, contact a Caregiver Support Coordinator at a VA Medical Center near you or call the VA’s Caregiver Support Line toll-free at 855-260-3274.

Military families can access respite benefits from TRICARE's Extended Care Health Option (ECHO). To quality, a family member must first be registered in Tricare's ECHO program. After registration in ECHO, an assigned ECHO nurse can help to determine eligibility for the benefits. For more information on the respite benefit, talk to your ECHO nurse or contact the ECHO Information and Referral line at 866-212-0442.

Military families can access respite benefits from the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP), which offers respite to anyone in the military who is enrolled in the EFMP and meets the criteria. Families can access the EFMP family support by visiting or calling their local installation family center or by contacting Military OneSource at 800-342-9647 and asking for a referral to a special needs consultant. For more information, visit:  http://www.militaryonesource.mil/efmp.

Medicare does not cover day care costs, but Medicaid can pay all the costs in a licensed day care center with a medical model or an Alzheimer's environment if the senior qualifies financially. Some day care centers offer need-based scholarships. Others may use a sliding fee scale based on income. Private medical insurance policies sometimes cover a portion of day care costs when registered, licensed medical personnel are involved in the care. Long-term care insurance may also pay for adult day services, depending upon the policy. Dependent care tax credits may be available to the caregiver as well.