Most Ohio families pay for in-home care they were already entitled to receive for free. We see it constantly: a daughter writing $$3,200/month checks for a home health aide, never told that her mom qualified for Ohio's PASSPORT waiver three years ago. Ohio Medicaid pays for substantial home and community-based care under the right programs. The asset and income limits are higher than most families think. Here's what's actually covered, who actually qualifies, and where the application process tends to break down.
If you only know one thing, know this: Ohio Medicaid is set up to keep seniors out of nursing facilities by paying for care at home. That's the explicit policy of the Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM) and the Ohio Department of Aging (ODA). It is not "for nursing homes."
Under the home and community-based programs, eligible Ohio seniors can receive:
The two programs that wrap most of these together for seniors are PASSPORT and MyCare Ohio. PASSPORT is the older waiver program, administered through the Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging (COAAA) for Franklin County and surrounding counties. MyCare Ohio is a managed-care program that combines Medicare and Medicaid for dual-eligible seniors. Both can fund daily home health services.
Two tests: financial and medical.
Financial. As of 2026, the income limit for an individual on the PASSPORT waiver is roughly $$2,829 per month. Countable assets must be under $$2,000. But — and this is what most families miss — the home and one vehicle are generally exempt. Personal belongings are exempt. Burial trusts up to certain limits are exempt. A married couple has higher allowances on both sides.
Many families look at "$$2,000 in assets" and assume mom is way over the line. Then they find out half of what they were counting doesn't count.
Medical. The applicant has to meet a "nursing facility level of care" assessment. In practice that means needing help with at least two activities of daily living — bathing, dressing, eating, transferring, toileting — or having a cognitive impairment that requires supervision. A senior with moderate dementia almost always qualifies medically. So does most of central Ohio's post-stroke and post-hip-replacement population.
Two front doors:
For PASSPORT in central Ohio: Call the Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging (COAAA) at (614) 645-7250.
For traditional Medicaid: Apply through your county Department of Job and Family Services.
For everyone, the statewide single front door: Aging and Disability Resource Network (ADRN) at 1-866-243-5678. They route you.
Most families get stuck on two things. One: the asset test, because they don't know what's exempt. Two: the medical level-of-care assessment, because the assessor visits unannounced and the senior has a "good day" and downplays everything. Both are fixable with help from somebody who's done it before.
CooloCare's care coordinators have walked dozens of central Ohio families through this. We're not Medicaid attorneys, but we know the choke points and we know who to call. We're Buckeye Complete (Centene) approved and we accept MyCare Ohio. The benefits screening is free.
"We thought we couldn't afford home care. Mom had Social Security and a small pension; her dad's old Ford in the driveway 'counted.' Three weeks later CooloCare's team walked us through PASSPORT, the COAAA assessor came out, and Mom had a home health aide and Danielle's daily morning call. We pay nothing. I wish I'd called two years earlier."
— Donna, daughter of CooloCare patient in Whitehall
🏥 You probably qualify for more than you think. Book a free benefits screening or call (614) 858-3777. We'll do the paperwork legwork with you.
