Market-based guidance note: This article covers information from both Korea and the United States. Each piece of information is marked in the text as 🇰🇷 Korea or 🇺🇸 U.S. to indicate which country's standards apply.
When a parent's mobility becomes limited, it's natural to want to care for them in person at home rather than turning to a care facility or external services. However, when you dedicate yourself to caregiving, you may need to reduce work hours or leave your job entirely, and financial burden begins to accumulate. Fortunately, both Korea and the United States operate systems that provide certain compensation when family members care directly. Understanding the structure and eligibility conditions of these programs in advance can be genuinely helpful for the entire family.
🇰🇷 Korea Long-term Care Insurance for the Elderly in Korea offers two pathways for family caregiving support. The first is the Family Caregiver System. When a family member obtains a caregiver certification and becomes affiliated with a home care agency, they can care for an elderly person for up to 90 minutes per day and receive hourly wages. Monthly earnings vary depending on caregiving hours and the agency, but are reported to average around 400,000 to 900,000 won. Obtaining a certification is mandatory, and since family caregivers work a maximum of 90 minutes per day, they do not accrue weekly holiday or annual leave allowances; only employment insurance and industrial accident insurance are provided.
🇰🇷 Korea The second pathway is the Special Cash Benefit (family caregiving allowance). When a family resides in an area without care facilities, such as remote islands or rural regions, or when external caregiver visits are difficult due to infectious disease or physical or mental health reasons, the government provides cash payments for family members caring directly without requiring a certification. As of 2026, the payment is 223,000 won per month, deposited directly into the beneficiary's account. This is a separate system from the Family Caregiver System, and the two cannot be received simultaneously.
🇰🇷 Korea In 2026, home-based services overall were significantly expanded. The usage limit for home-based benefits for severely dependent beneficiaries of Long-term Care grades 1-2 was adjusted upward to approximately 2.3 million won per month, matching the level of facility-based benefits, making it possible for severely elderly individuals to receive sufficient services at home without being admitted to care facilities. Additionally, the government-supported family counseling program has been activated, beginning to address the psychological burden of caregiving families within the public system.
🇺🇸 U.S. The United States does not have a single family caregiving allowance system. Instead, the Medicaid Consumer-Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) is the primary pathway. This program allows beneficiaries to directly select and hire care providers, and permits payment for caregiving provided by family members (and in some states, spouses). As of 2026, all 50 U.S. states operate consumer-directed programs or programs with similar titles. Under Medicaid HCBS waivers, the income limit for beneficiaries in most states is approximately 2,982 dollars per month, and the asset limit is around 2,000 dollars.
🇺🇸 U.S. Beyond Medicaid, the federal government provides various support services—including training, counseling, and respite care—to family caregivers through the National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP). Established in 2000 under Section 371 of the Older Americans Act, this program works through local Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) to understand each family's circumstances and connect them with needed resources. Families caring for Korean-American elderly can contact their nearby AAA as a first step.
When comparing the two countries' systems side by side, Korea operates through a formal pathway of caregiver certification, integrating family members as quasi-professional workers, while the United States compensates family caregiving in highly diverse ways across states within the Medicaid system. Notably, both countries share a common trend: policy focus is shifting toward home-based care so that elderly individuals can remain in homes where they are comfortable. Since the detailed conditions and application procedures of these programs can vary for each family, it is most accurate to confirm actual eligibility with the relevant agency.
Source: Ministry of Health and Welfare Notice No. 2025-247 (Notice on Long-term Care Benefit Provision Standards and Benefit Cost Calculation Methods, effective 2026.1.1), Caring (caring.co.kr) 2026 Special Cash Benefit and Family Caregiver Guidelines, U.S. ACL (Administration for Community Living) NFCSP page (acl.gov, 2026.3.), Medicaid Long Term Care (medicaidlongtermcare.org) 2026 Consumer Directed Care Guidelines, KFF (kff.org) Medicaid Home Care Support for Family Caregivers 2025 Report.
Note: This article was compiled by AI from the sources cited above. We strive for accuracy, but for decisions about your specific situation, please confirm the latest guidance from a professional or the relevant agency.