Getting paid as a family caregiver through an Indiana Medicaid waiver starts with one in-person visit, the Maximus level of care assessment in Indiana, which decides whether your loved one qualifies for services like Structured Family Caregiving or Attendant Care. A Maximus assessor meets with the person receiving care, asks about daily needs, and records what they find. You can schedule it by phone at (812) 247-6017, and the sections below walk you through each step in order.
Maximus Level of Care Assessment in Indiana and What It Decides
The assessment comes before the pay. Paid Care can't start a caregiver on Structured Family Caregiving or Attendant Care until your loved one has been found eligible for the Medicaid waiver that funds those programs, and the level of care visit is the step that records the need.
Structured Family Caregiving pays a flat, tax-free daily stipend, and the rate depends on the level of care your loved one requires. Attendant Care pays hourly. What the assessor writes down about daily needs feeds into which of those two programs fits and how much support the person needs, so the visit shapes everything after it.
The assessor isn't judging you as a caregiver. The visit is about the person receiving care, meaning how they manage hygiene, medication, housekeeping, and the other daily tasks you already help with. If you're a parent of a disabled child, the same applies. The assessor looks at the child's needs, and you're there to explain them.
Think of the visit as a conversation about an ordinary day, and the most useful thing you can bring is an honest picture of it. Many caregivers play down how much they do because it feels routine. If your mother needs reminders to take her pills, or your husband can't safely get in and out of the shower alone, say so plainly. Assessors can only record what they hear and see.
Paid Care works with families through enrollment, approval, and payment, and it helps with Medicaid and Medicaid Waiver applications for people who don't have coverage yet. If your loved one doesn't have Medicaid or a waiver in place, sort that out alongside scheduling the assessment rather than after it. Our Indiana family caregiver pay guide explains how the programs fit together before you pick a date.
How to Schedule the Assessment
Scheduling starts with a phone call, and the Maximus line to use is (812) 247-6017. Have your loved one's full legal name, date of birth, and Medicaid or Social Security number within reach, along with your own phone number, so the person scheduling can confirm who the visit is for.
Tell them whether the visit should happen at home. Because the assessor is looking at how your loved one manages daily tasks, a familiar setting usually gives a truer picture than an unfamiliar one. Ask which days and times are open, then pick a slot when you can be present and your loved one is typically at their best. If your father is sharpest in the morning, don't book mid-afternoon, since an assessment held during his hardest hours would misstate his typical day.
Before you hang up, ask who else may attend. A second family member, or someone who helps with care on other days, can fill in what you might forget under pressure. Write down the date, time, and the name of whoever scheduled it, and keep that note with your loved one's paperwork.
If your loved one doesn't have Medicaid or a waiver in place yet, tell our care team before you book. We help with Medicaid and Medicaid Waiver applications, and it's easier to line those up while you're choosing a date than to untangle them afterward. Our guide to Indiana caregiver eligibility for Structured Family Caregiving covers who qualifies as a paid caregiver, so you can confirm your own side of the picture at the same time.
What the Assessor Asks During the Visit
Expect the assessor to walk through your loved one's day in the order it happens, starting with getting out of bed and ending with bedtime. The questions center on the four daily task areas the programs cover, which are hygiene, medication, housekeeping, and habilitation. Habilitation means help learning or keeping everyday skills, which comes up most often with disabled adults and children.
For each task, the assessor wants to know whether your loved one does it alone, does it with reminders, needs hands-on help, or can't do it at all. Answer with specific examples rather than general statements. "She can bathe, but I have to stand by because she's lost her balance" tells the assessor far more than "she manages fine."
Expect questions about health conditions, current diagnoses, and the medications your loved one takes. If mental health conditions affect daily life, say how. They count as part of the picture, and the assessor can't record what nobody mentions.
The assessor will usually speak directly to your loved one and watch how they move around the home. Let them answer first when they can. You can add context afterward, gently, without contradicting them in a way that embarrasses them. Many people downplay their own needs out of pride, so it's fine to say, "Can I add something about last week?"
You may also be asked where your loved one lives and who is in the home. This matters because Structured Family Caregiving is built around a caregiver who lives with the person, while Attendant Care doesn't require that. Say clearly which arrangement you have or are planning.
Keep a short list of examples from the past few weeks on hand, such as a missed dose, a near fall, or a night you were up helping. Real incidents make the daily picture concrete.
Documents and Details to Have Ready
Gather paperwork the night before, because the assessor will want to confirm facts as you talk, and a folder you can open beats a search through drawers. Start with proof of identity and coverage for your loved one, which means a photo ID, the Medicaid card if there is one, and any Medicare or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) paperwork. Veterans should add pension or benefit letters, since the programs cover seniors, adults with disabilities, and veterans.
Next, collect the health records that explain the daily need.
- A current medication list with names, doses, and how often each one is taken
- Diagnosis information, including any mental health conditions that affect daily life
- Names and phone numbers for your loved one's doctors
- Recent discharge papers or visit summaries, if there has been a hospital stay or a fall
If your loved one is a child, bring school or therapy plans that describe what help they need with everyday skills.
Then add a few things only you can supply. Write down the daily tasks you do, roughly how long each takes, and how many days a week you do them. Note whether you live in the same home, since that decides whether Structured Family Caregiving or Attendant Care is the better fit. Bring your own ID and contact details too, because the care team will use them later when it sets up your caregiver enrollment.
Keep everything together in one folder, and put the date, time, and scheduler's name from your call on top. If a document is missing on the day, don't cancel. Tell the assessor what you can't produce, and let our care team know afterward so we can help you track it down.
What Happens After the Assessment
Once the visit ends, the assessor's notes go into your loved one's file, and the eligibility decision follows from what was recorded. Paid Care doesn't set that decision, and we can't speed it up, so the most useful thing you can do while you wait is keep your phone nearby and your folder in one place.
Our care team picks up from there. If your loved one is found eligible for the waiver, we work with you through enrollment and approval, then move on to the caregiver side of the process. That means confirming which program fits your household. A caregiver who lives with the person usually points toward Structured Family Caregiving, and one who doesn't live there points toward Attendant Care.
Training comes next. Paid Care provides professional training and certification, along with a free library of online caregiver courses, and the program combines virtual and in-person sessions. You'll also be paired with a care coach, and access to that coach doesn't cost you anything. Once you're qualified and your loved one is approved, you're paid weekly, every Friday, for your caregiving shifts.
If the result isn't what you expected, don't assume it's final. Tell us what the assessor wrote and what you think was missed, such as a task that was left out or a bad day that was recorded as a typical one. We can talk through your options with you, including whether a Medicaid or Medicaid Waiver application needs attention first.
Call our Indiana team at (812) 247-6017 once your visit is done, and we'll tell you where your loved one's file stands and what the next step is for you.
Common Questions
Will Medicare pay me to care for a family member?
No, Medicare alone isn't enough to get paid as a family caregiver under current state regulations. Payment comes through Medicaid-funded programs, which is why the Medicaid waiver matters so much. If your loved one has Medicare but not Medicaid, tell our care team. We help with Medicaid, Medicare Transition, and Medicaid Waiver applications.
Can a friend or neighbor be paid, or only relatives?
Friends can be paid too. Attendant Care provides hourly pay to family or friend caregivers, and Structured Family Caregiving supports both family and non-family caregivers. The same assessment decides whether your loved one qualifies, so the visit works the same way for a daughter, a spouse, or a close friend who helps every day.
Does my loved one's age affect the assessment?
Age doesn't close the door. Structured Family Caregiving supports people of all ages and disabilities who want to stay at home instead of moving to a nursing home. That covers seniors, adults with disabilities, and children. The assessor focuses on the daily help your loved one needs, so describe that help in specific terms no matter how old they are.
Do I need an app or any technology for this process?
You'll use the Paid Care app once you're working with us, though you don't need it to book the assessment. The app lets you check eligibility, chat with a care coach, build a care plan, and clock in and out of shifts. It runs on smartphones, tablets, and computers, so use whichever device you already have.