Illinois Waiver for Persons Who Are Elderly (Community Care Program)

The Illinois HCBS Waiver for Persons Who Are Elderly is delivered through the Illinois Department on Aging’s Community Care Program (CCP). It pays for in-home services, adult day services and emergency home response for people 60 and older who would otherwise be at risk of nursing home placement. For the wider picture, see our Illinois Long-Term Care Medicaid guide.

Figures change periodically. Double-check current amounts before relying on them.

At a glance

Item	Details
Type of program	Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS) waiver
Who runs it	Illinois Department on Aging (IDoA), with the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS)
Age	60 and older
Care need	Meets the needs assessment (Determination of Need) for nursing facility risk
Illinois 2026 income rule (long-term care)	$1,330 a month (AABD standard), with a spenddown above it
Illinois 2026 asset limit (single applicant)	$17,500
Waiting list	Generally no waitlist for people who qualify

The Community Care Program in brief

To sum up, Illinois Department on Aging (IDoA), with the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) oversees the Community Care Program. Who it is for: 60 and older. Care need required: Meets the needs assessment (Determination of Need) for nursing facility risk. Waiting list status in 2026: Generally no waitlist for people who qualify. The sections below repeat these points with more detail, and our state guide covers the Illinois rules that apply to every long-term care program. Other Illinois programs, and general guides on care at home, are linked at the end of this page for comparison with the Community Care Program.

What the program is

IDoA runs the Community Care Program through local Care Coordination Units (CCUs), which complete a needs assessment called the Determination of Need (DON) and write a plan of care. Medicaid-eligible participants are served under the Persons Who Are Elderly waiver. Many Medicaid members receive these services through a HealthChoice Illinois managed care plan, which then coordinates them.

Under federal law, Illinois can run home and community-based waivers like the Community Care Program, which bend some ordinary Medicaid rules so care can happen outside a facility. Waivers usually have a fixed number of slots each year, a care plan written for each person, and a case manager or support coordinator who arranges services. Participants keep their regular Illinois HFS coverage for medical care; the waiver adds long-term care services to it. See our overview of HCBS waivers.

Who qualifies in 2026

In Illinois, the basic requirements for the Community Care Program are that the person:

Is 60 or older
Meets the needs assessment (Determination of Need) score for risk of nursing facility placement
Has assets within the CCP limit (non-exempt assets of $17,500 or less), and applies for Medicaid if eligible
Lives in Illinois and is a U.S. citizen or qualified non-citizen

Income and assets. The Community Care Program requires full Medicaid eligibility under Illinois’s long-term care financial rules. The table’s figures are Illinois’s 2026 long-term care numbers, taken from our state guide. Illinois HFS’s countable assets do not usually include the home (within the equity limit, if the applicant or a spouse lives there or intends to return), one car, personal belongings and a small burial fund. Married couples get extra protection in Illinois: the spouse at home keeps a share of assets and may get some of the applicant’s income. See Spousal impoverishment rules.

About the level-of-care assessment. For the Community Care Program, an assessor checks how much help the person needs with bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, mobility and medications, and whether memory loss calls for supervision. For the Community Care Program, an assessor, usually a nurse or social worker, visits the person at home, in the hospital or in the facility. Have a relative present to describe the hard days, and keep a medication and diagnosis list handy. See Nursing home level of care and Activities of daily living.

What services it can pay for

The plan of care decides which services are used. The Community Care Program can cover:

In-home services (homemaker help with personal care and household tasks)
Adult day services
Emergency home response (personal emergency response systems)
Automated medication dispensers
Care coordination

The menu is broad, but the plan is built from need, and unpaid family help is factored in. If needs change, ask for a new assessment.

How to apply

Getting the Community Care Program means passing a money test and a care test. Step by step:

Contact your local Care Coordination Unit (through the Illinois Department on Aging or your Area Agency on Aging).
A care coordinator visits and completes the Determination of Need.
Apply for Medicaid with the Illinois Department of Human Services if eligible.
The care coordinator writes the plan and arranges providers.

Our documents checklist and Applying for a waiver guide list the paperwork.

Waiting lists

The Community Care Program generally serves people who qualify without a waitlist.

General advice is in Waiver waiting lists.

How it relates to nursing home Medicaid

Illinois uses the same Determination of Need for nursing facility admission and for CCP. Medicaid financial rules apply: Illinois’s asset limit for long-term care is $17,500 (2026), and the income standard is $1,330 a month with a spenddown above it, as in our state guide.

Where the nursing home rules still apply. As in nearly every state, Illinois’s financial rules for home and community programs follow its nursing home rules closely. Gifts and below-value transfers in the five-year look-back can trigger a penalty period for home care as well as nursing home care. Illinois HFS can also use estate recovery to seek repayment for long-term care services received after 55. Under the Community Care Program, income above an allowance may go toward the cost of care each month.

If a nursing home becomes necessary. A Illinois nursing home resident keeps a 2026 personal needs allowance of $60 a month, and most other income goes to the facility. The state guide explains the nursing home side.

Tips for families

Do not wait for a crisis. Lists and assessments for the Community Care Program take time, and the start date is usually when you first request help.
Keep copies of every the Community Care Program form, notice and letter, and write down the name of each person you speak with and the date.
Read every notice. If services are denied, cut or ended, the notice explains how to request a fair hearing and the deadline. Requesting one before the deadline often keeps services in place during the appeal.
Tell Illinois HFS about changes in money, address or household as they happen.
Mark renewal dates. Eligibility and the care plan are usually reviewed annually; see Renewals.
Protect a spouse at home. Spousal protections must be claimed; a certified Medicaid planner or legal aid office can explain them for your family.

Common questions

Is CCP only for Medicaid members? No. CCP serves people 60 and older who meet its rules; Medicaid-eligible people are served under the waiver and must apply for Medicaid.

Can family be paid? CCP in-home services are provided by agencies.

Does CCP pay for assisted living? No. The Supportive Living Program is Illinois’s assisted living-style Medicaid option.

Last updated for 2026. General information only, not legal or financial advice. Medicaid Answers is a free educational resource published by Medicaid Answers Foundation.