Home Care Costs · Connecticut

How Do You Actually Pay
for Home Care? A CT Family’s Guide.

At $35–$60 an hour, professional home care adds up fast. But most families don’t know about the five funding sources available in Connecticut — and end up paying far more out of pocket than they have to.

By the PDA Editorial Team · 12 min read · privatedutyaides.com

$35–60

Per hour for professional home care in CT (2025)

$7,800

Avg monthly cost for 40hrs/week of home care

70%

Of CT families pay out-of-pocket — unaware of alternatives

$2,300

Max monthly VA Aid & Attendance benefit for veterans (2025)

The question comes up in almost every family meeting: how are we going to pay for this? Professional home care in Connecticut runs $35–$60 an hour — meaning full-time help can cost $7,000–$9,600 a month at market rates. For families who haven’t planned ahead, that number can feel like a wall.

But most families are working with an incomplete picture. Connecticut has five distinct ways to fund non-medical home care — and the majority of families only know about one of them: paying out of pocket.

The goal of this guide is to walk through every realistic option, what it actually covers, who qualifies, and how to access it — so your family can build a funding strategy instead of just writing checks.

“The families who manage home care costs best aren’t necessarily the wealthiest. They’re the ones who found out about options they didn’t know existed.”

— Aging Life Care Association

The Five Funding Sources

Every Way to Pay — Explained Plainly

Most families combine two or more of these. Understanding all five is the starting point.

Private Pay (Out-of-Pocket)

Available to everyone

The most common funding method — and the most expensive if it’s your only source. Private pay means paying the agency or aide directly from savings, retirement accounts, investments, or income. There’s no application, no eligibility criteria, and no bureaucracy. You hire who you want, when you want.

In Connecticut, private-pay home care ranges from $35–$60/hr depending on the level of care, location, and whether you’re working through an agency or hiring independently. Fairfield County rates typically sit at the top of that range.

The advantage of private pay is flexibility and speed — care can start within days. The risk is depletion. Families who plan to use only savings often underestimate how long care is needed: the average person needs some form of long-term care for 2–3 years, and those with dementia often need 5–8 years of increasing support.

CT Market Rates — What to Expect

4 hrs/day, 5 days/week~$3,900–$6,000/mo

8 hrs/day, 5 days/week~$7,000–$9,600/mo

Live-in care (24-hour coverage)~$14,000–$18,000/mo

Memory care companion (specialized)$42–$60/hr

Long-Term Care Insurance (LTCI)

If you have an active policy

If your parent purchased long-term care insurance — most policies were sold in the 1990s–2010s — it may cover non-medical home care. Many families don’t realize these policies are active or forget they were purchased years ago.

LTCI policies vary enormously. The key variables are: daily or monthly benefit amount (how much it pays per day), elimination period (a waiting period, usually 30–90 days, before benefits start), benefit period (how long it pays, often 2–5 years), and inflation protection (whether the benefit has grown over time).

To trigger benefits, typically two conditions must be met: the person must need help with two or more Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) — bathing, dressing, eating, continence, toileting, transferring — or have a cognitive impairment. A licensed home care agency like PDA can help with the benefit trigger documentation.

How to Activate an LTCI Policy

Step 1Locate policy documents; call insurer to confirm coverage

Step 2Get a care needs assessment (doctor or licensed care manager)

Step 3Submit claim with ADL documentation; wait out elimination period

Step 4Coordinate care with agency; agency may bill insurer directly

VA Benefits — Aid & Attendance

Veterans & surviving spouses

The VA’s Aid & Attendance benefit is one of the most underused funding sources for veterans’ home care — and one of the most generous. A wartime veteran who served at least 90 days (at least one day during a wartime period) may qualify for a monthly cash benefit specifically to pay for in-home care.

For 2025, the maximum monthly benefit is $2,300 for a veteran, $1,478 for a surviving spouse, and $2,727 for a couple when both need care. Benefits are tax-free and can be used directly for home care expenses. There is no strict asset limit, but the VA uses a “net worth” test — consult a VA-accredited claims agent or elder law attorney for guidance.

Processing typically takes 3–6 months. Apply through the VA or contact a Veterans Service Organization (VSO) like the DAV or VFW for free assistance.

VA Aid & Attendance — 2025 Rates

Veteran (alone)Up to $2,300/mo

Surviving spouseUp to $1,478/mo

Veteran with dependent spouseUp to $2,727/mo

Processing time3–6 months (apply early)

Medicaid — CT Home Care Programs

Income & asset eligible

Connecticut’s Medicaid program — HUSKY Health — offers several home care waiver programs that can cover non-medical home care for eligible individuals. The main programs are the Connecticut Home Care Program for Elders (CHCPE) and the Personal Care Assistance (PCA) waiver. The CHCPE is specifically designed for people 65+ who would otherwise require nursing home level care.

Medicaid eligibility requires meeting both income and asset limits. In Connecticut, income must be at or below $2,742/month (2025) and countable assets generally cannot exceed $1,600 for a single person. A primary residence, vehicle, and certain personal property are typically exempt. Medicaid planning with an elder law attorney can help preserve assets for a spouse or heirs while qualifying for benefits.

If approved, CHCPE can cover home health aide services, companion services, homemaker services, and care management. The program is administered through the Connecticut Department of Social Services.

CT Medicaid Home Care — Key Facts

ProgramCHCPE (65+) or PCA waiver

Income limit (2025)≤ $2,742/mo individual

Asset limit≤ $1,600 countable assets

Apply throughCT Dept. of Social Services (DSS)

Medicare — What It Actually Covers

Very limited for ongoing care

Medicare is the most misunderstood funding source. Many families believe Medicare covers home care — it does not cover non-medical, ongoing custodial care. Medicare Part A covers short-term, skilled home health services only — meaning a licensed nurse or therapist must provide the service, and it must be ordered by a doctor following a qualifying hospital stay.

Medicare will not cover: a home aide to help with bathing and dressing, a companion to sit with someone who has dementia, cooking and housekeeping, or long-term supervision. These are the services most families need most — and none of them are covered.

Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans may include some home care benefits, but these are typically very limited (a few hours per week) and vary significantly by plan. Check your specific plan’s benefits for details.

Medicare Home Care — What It Covers vs. Doesn’t

Skilled nursing (wound care, injections)✓ Covered

Physical / occupational therapy✓ Covered (time-limited)

Home health aide (if skilled care needed)◐ Limited, incidental

Companion / personal care / ADL help✗ Not covered

Long-term custodial / ongoing home care✗ Not covered

Strategy

Building a Layered Funding Plan

Most families combine 2–3 sources. Here’s how to think about it.

Start With What You’ve Already Paid For

Before spending a dollar of savings, check for existing coverage. Does your parent have a long-term care insurance policy purchased years ago? Are they a veteran or surviving spouse of a veteran? These are free money — already paid for — that most families don’t activate.

Even a modest LTCI benefit of $100/day ($3,000/mo) cuts your private-pay cost nearly in half. A VA Aid & Attendance benefit at the maximum adds $2,300/month in tax-free income specifically for care.

Action: Find all insurance policies. Check VA eligibility at va.gov or through a VSO.

Private Pay as the Gap — Not the Whole Thing

Once you’ve identified insurance and VA benefits, private pay covers the remainder. Think of it as plugging the gap — not the entire bill. If LTCI pays $3,000/month and you need $7,800/month of care, private pay covers $4,800. That’s still significant, but manageable for many CT families.

Strategies to stretch private pay: use agency care for high-risk times (bathing, morning routine, medication management) and family coverage for lower-risk periods. Even reducing paid hours from 40 to 28/week cuts monthly cost by roughly $2,800.

Action: Build a weekly care schedule matching paid hours to highest-risk moments.

Medicaid Planning Is Not Just for the Poor

Connecticut’s CHCPE Medicaid home care program requires low asset levels — but that doesn’t mean only low-income families benefit. Medicaid planning with an elder law attorney can legitimately restructure assets (irrevocable trusts, spousal protections, exempt transfers) so a middle-class family qualifies without completely depleting savings.

This takes 2–5 years of planning due to Medicaid’s 5-year look-back period on asset transfers. The best time to start is before care is needed. The second-best time is now.

Action: Consult a CT-licensed elder law attorney. Many offer free initial consultations.

Family as a Resource — With Limits

Adult children often step in to fill gaps in paid care hours. This can work well for lower-intensity tasks — company, meals, transportation — but family members burn out fast when providing personal care (bathing, toileting, transfers) or managing behavioral symptoms of dementia.

The goal of family coordination isn’t to replace professional care — it’s to extend it. Professional aides handling the highest-risk, most physically demanding tasks frees family members to provide the connection and oversight that actually sustains relationships.

Action: Define clear roles. What will family handle? What needs professional coverage?

Quick Reference

Which Funding Source Is Right for Your Family?

Source	Best For	Covers Home Care?	How Hard to Access
Private Pay	Everyone — no restrictions	Yes, fully	Easy — start immediately
LTC Insurance	Those with existing policies	Yes, per policy terms	Moderate — file a claim
VA Aid & Attendance	Veterans & surviving spouses	Yes — up to $2,300/mo	Takes 3–6 months to process
CT Medicaid (CHCPE)	Low-income/low-asset seniors	Yes — if eligible	Significant eligibility process
Medicare	Short-term, skilled care only	No ongoing custodial care	Not applicable for most needs

Not Sure Where to Start?

We help Connecticut families figure out what funding sources they qualify for — and build a care plan that makes sense financially. Free consultation, no pressure.

Talk to a Care Advisor →

Talk to someone before you decide

No forms. No pressure. Call or book — we'll listen first, then tell you whether we're the right fit for your situation.

Call (475) 264-4830 Book a Call