Is There a Waiting List for Home Care Waivers in Oregon?

In most states, qualifying for Medicaid home care means landing on a waitlist that stretches months or years. Families in Florida, Georgia, and Texas routinely wait 3-7 years for an HCBS waiver slot. If you have been researching Medicaid home care nationally, you are probably bracing for the same news in Oregon.

Here is the reality: Oregon does not have a waiting list for its primary Medicaid home care program.

Why Oregon Has No Waitlist

Most states fund home care through Section 1915(c) HCBS waivers, which are capped — the state gets a fixed number of "slots" from CMS, and once they fill up, everyone else waits.

Oregon took a different path. The state's primary home care program is the K Plan (Community First Choice), authorized under Section 1915(k) of the Social Security Act. The K Plan is a state plan option, not a capped waiver. That legal distinction means it functions as an entitlement: any Oregon resident who meets the financial and functional eligibility criteria is guaranteed services. There is no slot cap and no waitlist.

Oregon receives an additional 6% in federal matching funds (FMAP) for operating the K Plan, which gives the state a financial incentive to keep the program running as an entitlement rather than reverting to a capped waiver structure.

The Eligibility Requirements

No waitlist does not mean no eligibility criteria. To qualify for K Plan home care, your parent must meet:

• Financial: Gross monthly income under $2,982 (300% of the Federal Benefit Rate). If income exceeds this, an Income Cap Trust (Miller Trust) can route excess income to maintain eligibility. Countable assets must be under $2,000.
• Functional: A CAPS assessment conducted by the local APD or AAA office must show Nursing Facility Level of Care — a Service Priority Level between 1 and 13.

If your parent meets both criteria, services are authorized. The search for a caregiver can take 2-6 weeks (especially in rural counties), but there is no administrative waitlist for the program itself.

Where Waitlists Do Exist

The traditional Oregon Project Independence (OPI) program — the state-funded (no federal match) predecessor to OPI-M — does have county-level waitlists. OPI is capped by biennial legislative appropriations, so some AAA offices run out of slots while adjacent counties have immediate availability.

If your parent is on an OPI waitlist, ask the case manager about OPI-M (Oregon Project Independence - Medicaid) instead. OPI-M operates under a federal 1115 demonstration waiver with much broader funding. It covers up to 40 hours of in-home care every two weeks, has a higher income limit ($5,320/month), and is designed specifically to absorb families stuck on OPI waitlists.

What to Do Right Now

If you have been told your parent is "on a waitlist" in Oregon, clarify which program the case manager is referring to. If it is OPI, request an evaluation for OPI-M or the K Plan — both have no waiting lists and broader coverage.

The Oregon Home Care Navigation Guide walks you through the eligibility differences between all Oregon home care programs, the CAPS assessment preparation process, and how to ensure your parent is placed in the program with the fastest path to service.

See more Oregon guides →