FAIR Respite Care Program West Virginia: Eligibility, Hours & How to Apply

Sixteen hours a week won't feel like enough — but when you haven't slept a full night in three months because your parent wanders at 2 a.m., those 16 hours are the difference between functioning and breaking down. West Virginia's FAIR program exists specifically for families in that position: caregivers of someone with a documented dementia diagnosis who need structured, trained respite in the home.

What FAIR Covers

The Family Alzheimer's In-Home Respite (FAIR) program sends trained county senior center employees to your parent's home to provide supervision and basic personal care while you step away. Unlike private respite agencies, FAIR workers are employed by the county's designated senior services provider, not independent contractors.

FAIR covers:

• Supervision and companionship during the respite hours
• Basic personal care assistance (toileting, feeding, mobility support)
• Engagement activities appropriate for the senior's cognitive level
• Medication reminders (not administration)

FAIR does not cover skilled nursing, medical procedures, or overnight shifts. It's respite — meaning it's designed to give the primary caregiver a scheduled break, not to replace full-time care coverage.

Eligibility Requirements

FAIR eligibility runs through the care recipient, not the caregiver:

• The senior must have a written clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia — not just cognitive complaints or age-related forgetfulness. The diagnosis must come from a licensed physician.
• The senior must have an unpaid primary caregiver — someone providing regular, ongoing care without compensation. If the caregiver is being paid through the Personal Options program or another Medicaid arrangement, the family doesn't qualify for FAIR.
• The program's core eligibility test is the diagnosis and unpaid-caregiver criteria; confirm any additional age or county requirements with the provider.

There is no Medicaid requirement. FAIR is state-funded through the Bureau of Senior Services, with a sliding fee scale based on the senior's income. However, FAIR is non-entitlement — availability depends on county funding and provider staffing.

Hours and Cost

FAIR provides up to 16 hours per week — roughly 64 hours per month. The hourly rate is set on a sliding scale based on the senior's individual gross income, ranging from $1.50 to $16.00/hour. Even at the maximum rate, FAIR costs a fraction of private respite agency rates.

Hours are typically scheduled Monday through Friday during daytime hours. Weekend and evening availability depends on the county provider's staffing capacity — rural counties with fewer trained workers may offer more limited scheduling.

How to Apply

1. Call the Aging and Disability Network at 1-866-981-2372 and ask for FAIR program intake at your county's senior center
2. Provide the dementia diagnosis — the senior center will need a copy of the physician's written diagnosis or a letter confirming the dementia diagnosis
3. Complete the income assessment — bring income documentation (Social Security statements, pension statements) for the sliding-scale fee calculation
4. Schedule the initial visit — a senior center coordinator will visit the home to assess the care environment and create a respite schedule with the caregiver

Timing from initial contact to the first respite session depends on the county provider's funding and staffing capacity.

FAIR vs. Other Respite Options

If 16 hours/week isn't enough — and for many late-stage dementia caregivers, it isn't — FAIR can be combined with other programs:

• Title III-E Caregiver Support — some AAA regions offer additional respite support through the National Family Caregiver Support Program
• Lighthouse Program — if the senior also qualifies, Lighthouse can provide up to 60 hours/month of personal care assistance on a separate sliding scale, supplementing FAIR coverage subject to each program's rules
• ADW services — if the senior is enrolled in the Aged and Disabled Waiver, ask the case manager which adult-day or other waiver services can provide caregiver respite; these are separate from FAIR

For a complete plan that layers FAIR with waiver services, Lighthouse, and caregiver support programs, the West Virginia Home Care Navigator maps every option and shows how they can work together.

See more West Virginia guides →