Washington Caregiver Wages and SEIU 775 Pay Rates in 2026

If you're an adult child caring for an aging parent in Washington and you've heard that you can get paid for that work, you're right — but the pay structure is more specific than most families expect. Washington's Medicaid-funded home care system pays individual providers through a collective bargaining agreement between SEIU 775 and the state, with wages set by contract rather than market negotiation.

Current Pay Rates

Under the 2025–2027 CDWA collective bargaining contract, individual provider (IP) wages in Washington start between $23.54 and $27.28 per hour, depending on the provider's certification level and experience. Experienced caregivers are projected to earn upwards of $27.00 per hour by the end of the current contract term.

These rates apply to IPs employed through the Consumer Direct Care Network Washington (CDWA), which is the state's designated consumer-directed employer for all Medicaid-funded home care. CDWA handles payroll, taxes, and benefits administration. The caregiver works under the direction of the care recipient (or their authorized representative), but CDWA is the employer of record.

IPs are also eligible for health insurance through the SEIU 775 Benefits Group, which provides medical, dental, and vision coverage to qualified caregivers who work a minimum number of hours per month.

Who Qualifies to Be a Paid Caregiver

To work as an individual provider in Washington, you must:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Pass the required DSHS background check
• Complete the training required for your role and program
• Register with CDWA as an individual provider

Adult children, other relatives, and friends can all serve as paid individual providers. The one significant exclusion: spouses are not paid providers under standard Washington Medicaid personal-care pathways.

The exception is the WA Cares Fund, which began paying benefits on July 1, 2026. Under WA Cares, a spouse or domestic partner can be hired as a paid caregiver, though they must complete 15 hours of basic training and 6 hours of focused training within 120 days of hire.

How Hours Are Determined

The number of paid care hours a parent receives isn't negotiable — it's determined by the CARE assessment, administered by a DSHS case manager. The assessment evaluates the parent's functional abilities across activities of daily living and classifies them into one of 17 classification groups. Each group corresponds to a specific monthly allocation of personal care hours.

If the allocated hours feel insufficient, the case manager can request an Exception to Rule (ETR), which is reviewed by a DSHS Headquarters ETR Committee within seven business days. This is worth pursuing if your parent's needs genuinely exceed what their classification group authorizes.

The authorized hours represent the maximum that Medicaid will pay for. The caregiver can provide additional unpaid care beyond those hours, but they cannot bill CDWA for time beyond the authorization.

What This Actually Means Financially

The math: an IP authorized for 120 hours per month at $25 per hour earns $3,000 per month before taxes. That's meaningful income for an adult child who has reduced their own work hours to care for a parent, but it's well below what many families expect — especially given that full-time home care through a private agency in Washington averages $8,580 per month.

The gap exists because Medicaid doesn't fund full-time care for most recipients. The average CARE assessment authorization covers significantly fewer hours than a 44-hour weekly schedule. Families often supplement Medicaid-funded IP hours with their own unpaid caregiving time.

Getting Started

The first step is getting your parent assessed. Contact DSHS Home and Community Services or your local Area Agency on Aging to request a CARE assessment. Once the assessment determines eligibility and care hours, you can apply to become an individual provider through CDWA.

For a complete walkthrough of Washington's care options — including how IP home care compares to adult family homes, assisted living, and nursing facilities — our Washington care decision guide covers the full process from assessment through placement and Medicaid application.

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