CCP Authorized Hours and Caregiver Pay in Illinois

How the State Decides How Many Hours Your Parent Gets

The number of weekly home care hours authorized under the Illinois Community Care Program is not a fixed entitlement. It is calculated from your parent's Determination of Need (DON) score and translated into a Service Cost Maximum (SCM) — a monthly dollar ceiling that the Care Coordination Unit uses to build the service plan.

Higher DON scores mean more severe functional impairment, which translates to more authorized hours. A parent who needs help only with meal preparation and light housekeeping receives fewer hours than one who cannot bathe, dress, or transfer without physical assistance.

The DON-to-Hours Connection

The DON assessment evaluates fifteen functional categories — six Activities of Daily Living (eating, bathing, grooming, dressing, transferring, continence) and nine Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (meal preparation, money management, telephoning, health tasks, traveling, laundry, housework, and the ability to be left alone). Each category is scored on a dual scale: impairment level (Part A) and unmet need (Part B).

The total score, plus any cognitive adjustment, helps determine the service plan:

Do not assume a fixed hour band for a particular DON score. The CCU care coordinator builds the actual plan within the SCM ceiling, and the allocation can shift between service types — for example, between homemaker hours and adult day services — based on the participant's needs.

What Caregivers Earn Under CCP

Family members and non-family workers who provide homemaker services under CCP are employees of a contracted home care agency, not independent contractors. The agency manages payroll, worker's compensation, and scheduling.

Caregiver pay rates vary by agency and region, but typical ranges for CCP homemaker positions in Illinois:

• Standard homemaker (no certification): $13–$18/hour
• Experienced or certified homemaker: $17–$25/hour
• Chicago metro area average: approximately $19/hour

For the separate Home Services Program (HSP) administered by the Department of Human Services — which serves individuals under 60 with disabilities — SEIU-negotiated rates are higher and standardized statewide:

• Standard Personal Assistant: $20.00/hour (effective July 2026)
• Certified Nursing Assistant: $23.00/hour
• Licensed Practical Nurse: $30.00/hour
• Registered Nurse: $36.75/hour

CCP homemaker pay is generally lower than HSP rates because CCP workers are not part of the same SEIU bargaining unit and are employed by the contracted agency rather than directly by the state.

Family Members as Paid Caregivers

The CCP permits family members — including adult children and, since April 2026, spouses — to be hired as paid caregivers through the state-approved home care agency. The family member does not get to set their own rate or hours. They become a W-2 employee of the agency under the same pay structure as any other worker.

Requirements for family caregiver onboarding:

1. Pass a fingerprint-based criminal background check through the IDPH Health Care Worker Registry
2. Complete a minimum of 24 hours of pre-service training provided or arranged by the agency
3. Submit to ongoing supervision by the agency, including periodic in-home visits from an agency supervisor
4. Clock in and out using the state's Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) system

The hours the family caregiver is paid for are limited to the authorized service plan — not unlimited caregiving. If your parent is authorized for 20 hours per week, the family member is paid for 20 hours, regardless of how many additional hours they spend providing informal care.

When the Hours Are Not Enough

If the authorized hours do not cover your parent's actual care needs, you have two options:

Request a DON reassessment. If your parent's condition has worsened since the last evaluation, contact the CCU and ask about an updated DON assessment. A higher score may increase the SCM and authorize additional hours. The CCU conducts an annual clinical reassessment.

Supplement with private-pay hours. The CCP care plan does not prevent the family from purchasing additional private-pay hours from the same agency or a different provider. Many families use CCP to cover the baseline daily needs and privately fund weekend or evening coverage that falls outside the authorized plan.

The Illinois home care guide includes worksheets for tracking authorized vs actual care hours and a DON score preparation checklist to help ensure the assessment accurately captures your parent's functional limitations.

See more Illinois guides →