Parents as
Paid Caregivers
In Central Arizona
No one knows your child’s care needs better than you do. Arizona’s PPCG program allows parents to be paid for providing approved home care.
The Caregiver’s Perspective
How Arizona's PPCG Program Works
If you are the parent of a child with a disability in Arizona, you are likely already doing the work of a professional caregiver. Arizona allows you to be paid for that work.
The Parents as Paid Caregivers Phoenix (PPCG) program allows eligible parents to receive compensation for providing approved, disability-specific home care. This is not a childcare program. It is compensation for extraordinary care: the specialized, structured support that goes beyond what a parent would typically provide for a child of the same age without a disability.
This page covers how the program works, who qualifies, what care is billable, how the 40-hour limit applies, and what happens when your child is authorized for more care than the program allows parents to bill. UCP of Central Arizona helps families understand their eligibility, complete enrollment, and ensures all authorized care is covered, including hours beyond what parents can bill directly.
What Is Arizona's Parents as Paid Caregivers Program?
The Parents as Paid Caregivers program is a permanent component of Arizona’s Long Term Care System. It allows parents or legal guardians of minor children with developmental disabilities to be paid for providing approved Home and Community-Based Services through DDD.
The program was established in 2020 as a temporary COVID-era measure. It became permanent in February 2024 under Arizona’s federal 1115 Demonstration Waiver. House Bill 2945, signed in April 2025, added operational safeguards, a residency requirement, and Electronic Visit Verification requirements that now govern how the program runs. Families can rely on PPCG as a stable, long-term care model.
The program compensates for extraordinary care only: disability-specific support that exceeds what a parent would typically provide for a child of the same age without a disability. Routine parenting tasks are not billable. The distinction matters and is assessed formally through DDD’s authorization process.
PPCG Eligibility Requirements for Central Arizona Families
Eligibility works at two levels. The child must qualify, and the parent must meet the program’s caregiver definition and residency requirements.
Child Eligibility
The child must be enrolled in the Arizona Long Term Care System and authorized for Attendant Care, Habilitation, or both through DDD. Your child’s DDD Support Coordinator determines service authorization and the number of weekly hours.
Parent Eligibility
To qualify as a paid caregiver, you must hold formal physical or legal custody of the child and live in the same household. Stepparents must have completed legal adoption to qualify. Additional requirements include:
- Be at least 18 years old with a valid government-issued identification
- Hold a valid Level One Fingerprint Clearance Card from Arizona DPS
- Must pass a Criminal Background Check
- Must pass Centralized Background Check (CBC)
- Complete all state-required training within 90 days
- Be employed or contracted through a single authorized HCBS agency
Licensed Nurses and Arizona's LHA Pathway
If you are a licensed practical nurse or registered nurse, a separate pathway may apply to your situation. Arizona’s Licensed Health Aide program allows parents with an LHA certificate to be paid for care involving complex medical needs such as tracheostomy care or feeding tubes. Additionally, under PPCG, parents who are LPNs or RNs can participate when they are providing Direct Care Services or Habilitation. If you hold a nursing license, ask UCP’s HCBS team whether a different credentialing pathway applies to your child’s specific care needs.
Arizona Residency Requirement
Under House Bill 2945, parents must have been Arizona residents for at least six consecutive months to qualify as paid caregivers. This requirement is subject to CMS federal approval as part of the program’s ongoing waiver framework.
Critical program rule: You can only enroll with one agency. The program prohibits splitting services across multiple providers. This makes agency selection one of the most important decisions your family will make.
Extraordinary Care: What Arizona's PPCG Program Pays For
The program separates care into two categories. Ordinary care covers routine, age-appropriate parenting tasks that any parent would perform. These are not billable.
Extraordinary care covers disability-specific support that requires training, structure, or clinical guidance. This is what PPCG compensates.
What Counts as Extraordinary Care
- Behavioral support plans require structured, consistent implementation
- Therapist-directed routines for sensory, physical, or communication needs
- Specialized mobility or physical support tied to the disability
- Medical or hygiene care that goes beyond typical age-appropriate parenting
What Does Not Count as Extraordinary Care
- General household tasks: laundry, meal preparation, cleaning
- Standard supervision appropriate for the child’s age
- Transportation to school or appointments
- Routine parenting responsibilities that any parent would perform
How DDD Determines Authorized Hours: The HCBS Needs Tool and ECR
DDD assigns authorized service hours based on a formal assessment using the HCBS Needs Tool. An Extraordinary Care Review (ECR) process exists for families who feel they need more direct care or habilitation service hours than the Habilitation Needs Tool shows. The ECR is specifically designed to ensure the authorization reflects the actual level of disability-specific care required.
Note: AHCCCS directed DDD to pause the new HNT in October 2025 following concerns from families. Emergency rulemaking is in progress to finalize the ECR process. Families affected during this period had prior authorization levels reinstated. UCP monitors these changes and communicates directly with enrolled families when updates occur.
Attendant Care and Habilitation: The Two Billable Service Types
Two service categories are billable under PPCG. Your child's DDD authorization specifies which apply and at what level.
Attendant Care (ATC)
| Focuses on Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) |
| Maintains health and safety in daily routines |
| Covers bathing, dressing, and mobility support |
| Addresses what the child needs help with today |
| Cannot be billed during school or inpatient care |
Habilitation (HAH)
| Goal-oriented, strengths-based service |
| Build new skills and increase independence |
| Covers communication, self-advocacy, and daily living skills |
| Focuses on what the child can learn to do independently |
| Cannot be billed during school or inpatient care |
Your child may be authorized for one or both service types. UCP’s HCBS team reviews your child’s current service plan with your DDD Support Coordinator to confirm what is billable under your specific authorization.
Billing Restrictions That Apply to Both Services
- Services may not be billed while the child is at school
- Services may not be billed during inpatient or clinical care, unless certain exemption criteria are met
- Services must be provided between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., unless the plan of care specifies otherwise
- Housekeeping, laundry, and meal preparation are not billable
The 40-Hour Weekly Limit and The UCP Bridge
Many children are authorized for more care than parents are allowed to bill. This creates a structural gap between what your child needs and what the program allows you to claim as a parent caregiver. The program does not reduce your child's authorization. It changes who is allowed to provide that care.
Effective July 1, 2025, parent caregivers under PPCG may bill up to 40 hours per week per child. If two parents provide services for the same child, their combined hours cannot exceed 40 per week.
One detail many families with multiple DDD-enrolled children do not realize: the 40-hour limit applies per child, not per family. If you are a parent providing services for two children who are each authorized for care under PPCG, you may bill up to 40 hours per week for each child, for a combined total of up to 80 hours per week. Each child’s hours are tracked and limited separately.
This is a billing limit, not a care limit. Many children are authorized for more than 40 hours. Those remaining hours still need to be covered. The program does not allow parents to bill them.
Most HCBS agencies process the parents’ 40 hours and stop. Families are left to locate, vet, and coordinate additional coverage on their own, while still bound to their original agency under the single-enrollment rule.
UCP of Central Arizona operates differently. We call it The UCP Bridge. When a child is authorized for care beyond the 40-hour parent threshold, UCP’s own qualified caregiver team helps fill remaining authorized hours, coordinated directly with your family, under the same enrollment.
One agency. One care plan. No Gaps.
The state caps parent billing at 40 hours. The UCP Bridge helps fill remaining authorized hours. One enrollment, complete coverage. That is the structural difference between a billing processor and a full-service partner.
State Legislation and What It Means for Families
The Arizona Legislature consistently reviews DDD services and budgets, including the PPCG program. UCP actively monitors these developments and provides enrolled families with direct communication of any changes.
PPCG for Adult Members: How the Program Changes at Age 18
The program structure changes in adulthood. For parents of adult children enrolled in ALTCS, the 40-hour weekly limitation does not apply, but is subject to overtime restrictions.
If your child is approaching 18 and you are currently enrolled as a PPCG caregiver, UCP’s HCBS team will work with you and your DDD Support Coordinator to ensure a smooth transition into the adult caregiving structure before any disruption occurs.
PPCG Training Requirements for Arizona Parent Caregivers
Before billing begins, parent caregivers must complete state-approved training, health screenings, and CPR and First Aid certification. Ongoing annual continuing education is required to maintain Direct Care Worker status.
UCP provides or coordinates all required training as part of the enrollment process. Specific training hour requirements are set by AHCCCS and DDD and are subject to change. UCP confirms current requirements with every new enrollee. We do not publish specific hour counts here to ensure the information you receive is always current.
EVV and Billing Compliance Under Arizona's PPCG Program
All PPCG services are subject to Electronic Visit Verification. EVV logs care in real time and creates an auditable record of every session. Non-compliance affects payment. UCP provides the tools and training to complete EVV correctly from day one.
What EVV Records
- Date, start time, and end time of each care session
- Location of delivery service
- Identity of the caregiver
- Service type: Attendant Care or Habilitation, for each session
Common Billing Errors to Avoid
- Billing during school attendance or clinical appointments
- Billing for household tasks not tied to disability-specific care
- Both parents bill the same hours against the shared 40-hour cap
- Billing outside the approved time window without plan-of-care documentation
PPCG Compensation and Tax Considerations for Families in Central Arizona
Compensation rates are set by the employing agency within DDD’s published rate structure. They are not set by the state. When you enroll with UCP, our HCBS team discusses your compensation structure directly. Compensation rates depend upon services provided.
Difficulty of Care Tax Exclusion
Because you live in the same home as the member you are caring for, your PPCG wages may qualify for the Difficulty of Care income tax exclusion under IRS Notice 2014-7. If this applies, your wages may be excluded from federal gross income. Social security taxes may still apply depending on your employment structure. Consult a tax professional familiar with Medicaid caregiving arrangements for guidance specific to your situation.
AHCCCS can provide verification of the household member on ALTCS to support this exclusion. To request that verification, contact AHCCCS directly at (602) 417-4230 or (855) 842-7619, or by email at [email protected].
Impact on Other Benefits
PPCG wages are earned income. How they affect your household’s eligibility for other programs depends on two factors: whether the Difficulty of Care exclusion applies, and which specific AHCCCS programs your household participates in.
If your wages qualify for the Difficulty of Care exclusion, they are excluded from Modified Adjusted Gross Income calculations. This means those wages may not count against AHCCCS eligibility thresholds for MAGI-based programs. However, wages earned for providing care to an ALTCS member who does not live in your household do not qualify for this exclusion and count as regular income.
For non-AHCCCS programs such as SNAP, PPCG wages are counted as earned income and can affect eligibility. Review your full household benefit picture before enrolling.
Why the HCBS Agency You Choose in Central Arizona Determines Your Outcomes
Because the program requires single-agency enrollment, the agency you choose controls billing, compliance, training, DDD coordination, and coverage of any care hours that exceed the parent threshold. Switching agencies require a formal re-enrollment process.
Your child may be authorized for one or both service types. UCP’s HCBS team reviews your child’s current service plan with your DDD Support Coordinator to confirm what is billable under your specific authorization.
Some agencies function solely as billing processors. They handle the administrative requirements and nothing more. When your child’s authorization exceeds 40 hours, a billing-only agency leaves your family to coordinate additional care independently.
UCP operates a full-service model built around The UCP Bridge. We employ our own qualified caregiver team. When your child is authorized for more care than the program allows parents to bill, the UCP team helps fill the remaining hours under the same enrollment.
One agency. Complete coverage.
Before enrolling with any agency, ask them directly: What happens when my child is authorized for more than 40 hours per week? The specificity of that answer will tell you everything about how that agency will serve your family.
How to Enroll in PPCG with UCP of Central Arizona
UCP of Central Arizona is an authorized HCBS agency serving families across the greater Phoenix and Maricopa County area, including Phoenix, Mesa, Scottsdale, Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert, and surrounding communities.UCP of Central Arizona is an authorized HCBS agency serving families across the greater Phoenix and Maricopa County area, including Phoenix, Mesa, Scottsdale, Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert, and surrounding communities.
- Initial contact. Reach out to [email protected]. We discuss your child’s current DDD authorization and your eligibility pathway.
- Authorization review. Our HCBS team reviews your child’s service plan in coordination with your DDD Support Coordinator. We confirm which services are billable and the weekly hourly rate structure.
- Credentialing. Complete UCP’s required application, fingerprint clearance verification, and Direct Care Worker documentation. We guide every step.
- Required training. Complete state-mandated training. UCP coordinates and confirms that you meet all requirements.
- Service coordination. If your child’s authorization exceeds the 40-hour parent threshold, the UCP Bridge is activated. Our caregiver team offers support to fill the remaining authorized hours.
- EVV setup and ongoing support. We configure your Electronic Visit Verification tools, walk you through billing, and remain your ongoing point of contact for plan updates and DDD coordination.
Families with an active, current DDD service plan typically move through enrollment more efficiently. If your child’s DDD process is still in progress, contact us. We will sequence enrollment to align with your authorization timeline
Preguntas frecuentes
What happens if my child needs more than 40 hours of care?
If your child’s authorization exceeds 40 hours per week, parents can bill up to the 40-hour limit. The remaining hours must be provided by a qualified non-parent caregiver. Some agencies require families to coordinate that coverage themselves. UCP provides support in coordinating remaining hours through our caregiver team.
How long does PPCG approval take?
Timelines vary based on where your child is in the DDD and ALTCS process. Families with an active DDD authorization may complete enrollment more quickly. If eligibility is still being established, the process may take longer due to state assessment and approval timelines.
How much does PPCG pay in Arizona?
Compensation rates vary by agency and service type. Rates are influenced by whether services are Attendant Care or Habilitation and by the agency’s structure. UCP discusses compensation directly during enrollment so families understand exactly what to expect.
Can I work another job while serving as a parent caregiver?
Yes, but PPCG services must be provided during separate hours from any other employment. You cannot bill for PPCG care during hours you are working elsewhere.
Do family caregivers have to pay taxes?
Tax treatment can vary based on individual circumstances. Some wages may qualify for the IRS Difficulty of Care income exclusion. We recommend consulting a tax professional or reviewing IRS guidance to understand your specific situation.
What company will pay you to take care of a family member?
UCP of Central Arizona is a leading licensed agency in Phoenix that employs family members as professional caregivers.
Can both parents get paid?
Yes. Both parents can be enrolled and compensated. Both must be enrolled through the same agency, and their combined weekly hours cannot exceed the 40-hour cap. UCP coordinates both enrollments under one structure.
Can I provide paid care for my child when they are hospitalized or in a clinical setting?
No. State regulations strictly prohibit parent caregivers from billing for services when the ALTCS member is receiving care in an inpatient setting, such as a hospital, skilled nursing facility, or during a scheduled therapy appointment. The PPCG program is specifically designed to provide one-on-one “custodial care” within the home setting. When your child is in a clinical environment, the medical facility is responsible for their care. You may, of course, be present as a parent, but you cannot be compensated as their paid caregiver during those hours.
What if my child's authorization changes after I enroll?
Authorization levels are reviewed periodically and can change based on reassessment. UCP stays in coordination with your DDD Support Coordinator so changes to your child’s service plan are reflected promptly and do not create gaps in care or billing.
Does my child have to be under 18?
No. The program applies to minor children, but AHCCCS also allows family members to provide paid care for adult children enrolled in ALTCS. For adult members, the 40-hour weekly limitation does not apply, but is subject to overtime restrictions.
Enroll in PPCG with UCP of Central Arizona
If your child is enrolled in or eligible for DDD services in Central Arizona, the next step is a conversation, not a commitment. UCP's HCBS team will walk through your child's current authorization, explain what PPCG looks like for your specific family structure, and answer every question before any paperwork is signed.
Schedule a Local Eligibility Review Our dedicated team is ready to help you formalize your role and maximize your family’s support. Email: [email protected] Serving Phoenix, Mesa, Scottsdale, and surrounding Valley communities.
