Oregon parents can be paid to support an adult son or daughter with an intellectual or developmental disability (I/DD). Your son or daughter needs to be eligible for developmental disabilities services and have attendant care hours in their Individual Support Plan (ISP). You can then be paid as a Personal Support Worker (PSW) or as an employee of a provider agency such as North Star Oregon.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Oregon’s rules change, so confirm the details with your son or daughter’s Services Coordinator or Personal Agent, and ask a tax professional about your own taxes.
Who Can Be Paid
Oregon’s rules for in-home supports allow a parent to be paid to support an adult son or daughter, either as a PSW or as an agency employee. The limits apply to other relationships. A spouse cannot be paid to support their husband or wife, and a parent of a child under 18 can be paid only in limited cases, such as through the Children’s Extraordinary Needs Program. The rules are in OAR 411-375-0020 for PSWs and OAR 411-450-0080 for agencies.
A parent can live with their son or daughter and still be their PSW. The rule that keeps a PSW from serving someone they live with makes an exception for family members (OAR 411-450-0070).
Step by Step
- Confirm eligibility. Your son or daughter must be found eligible for developmental disabilities services by your county’s Community Developmental Disabilities Program (CDDP) and be enrolled in Oregon Medicaid, such as the Oregon Health Plan (OAR 411-450-0030).
- Get attendant care into the ISP. Ask their Services Coordinator (at the CDDP) or Personal Agent (at a support services brokerage) to include in-home attendant care. The Oregon Needs Assessment (ONA) sets a service level, which is the most hours a month the ISP can include for attendant care, Day Support Activities (DSA) and some other services combined. Hours used for DSA come out of the same monthly total. An approved exception can raise the limit when the person’s needs call for it (OAR 411-450-0060 and 411-450-0065).
- Choose a route. Decide whether you will work as a PSW or as an agency employee. The table below compares them.
- Meet the requirements and get hired. A PSW must be at least 18, pass a background check by the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS), complete state-required training and a competency evaluation, and enroll with the state as a provider (OAR 411-375-0020). North Star Oregon’s job posting for family caregivers also asks for an age of 18 or older and an ODHS background check.
PSW or Agency Employee: How the Routes Compare
Both routes pay you for the attendant care hours in your son or daughter’s ISP. They differ in who employs you, how you are paid, and who handles the employer paperwork.
| Compare | Personal Support Worker (PSW) | Agency employee |
|---|---|---|
| Who employs you | A common law employer: your son or daughter, their legal or designated representative, or someone they choose. The PSW cannot also be the common law employer. | The agency. You are its W-2 employee. |
| How you are paid | The state pays you. You record hours with electronic visit verification (EVV) and submit claims in the state's eXPRS system. | Through the agency's payroll. |
| Wages and benefits | Set by the union contract between the Oregon Home Care Commission and SEIU Local 503. | Set by each agency. North Star Oregon starts at $25–26/hr, with medical, dental and vision coverage for full-time staff after 30 days and a 401(k) match up to 3.5%. |
| Training | State-required training and a competency evaluation. | Training the agency provides under state rules. At North Star Oregon, training hours are paid. |
| If you are their guardian | You must first appoint a designated representative to plan their supports, and someone other than you must be the common law employer. | No common law employer is needed, because the agency is the employer. |
You can’t combine the two for the same person’s attendant care. Oregon’s rules don’t allow you to be your son or daughter’s PSW while an agency also employs you to give them attendant care or skills training (OAR 411-375-0020 and 411-450-0080).
If You Are Your Son or Daughter’s Guardian
A guardian or other legal representative can still be paid as a PSW, with two conditions. You must appoint a designated representative to plan your son or daughter’s supports, and someone other than you must act as the common law employer (OAR 411-375-0020 and 411-375-0055). The agency route skips the common law employer step, because the agency is the employer.
Two Kinds of Agencies
Oregon endorses each provider agency as either a standard model agency or an employer model agency (OAR 411-450-0070). The employer model, added in January 2026, requires the agency to train and coach the person receiving services on self-direction and on their role in hiring, scheduling and training staff (OAR 411-450-0095). North Star Oregon is a standard model agency. If that kind of say matters to your family, ask each agency which model it uses.
Taxes and IRS Notice 2014-7
Under IRS Notice 2014-7, qualified Medicaid waiver payments for care given in the home you share with your son or daughter can be left out of your federal taxable income. The notice applies whether or not you are related, and whether the state or a certified Medicaid provider agency pays you. Pay for care given outside the home you share does not qualify.
Whether your own pay qualifies depends on the program and your living situation, so check with a tax professional. Our guide to IRS Notice 2014-7 covers how it works for North Star Oregon caregivers, and the IRS keeps a question-and-answer page on these payments.
Getting Paid Through North Star Oregon
North Star Oregon hires family caregivers as W-2 Direct Support Professionals (DSPs), starting at $25–26/hr. If your son or daughter already receives services from us, apply through our Friend/Family DSP posting. If they don’t yet, contact us first, or ask their Services Coordinator or Personal Agent to send a referral through our page for care coordinators.