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Ohio Program Guide

PASSPORT Medicaid Waiver (PASSPORT)

How Ohio's PASSPORT Medicaid waiver helps adults 60+ get care at home: who qualifies, services covered, participant direction and how to contact your PASSPORT Administrative Agency.

Run by the Ohio Department of Aging. Based on official state sources, last checked October 29, 2026.

The Program

What PASSPORT Is

  • PASSPORT is Ohio's Medicaid waiver that helps Medicaid-eligible older Ohioans get long-term services at home instead of a nursing home.
  • It starts with a pre-admission screening by phone, then a case manager builds a package of in-home services from local providers and checks in regularly.
  • Services include personal care, homemaker and chore services, home-delivered meals, adult day care, emergency response, minor home modification and Structured Family Caregiving.

Eligibility

Who Can Qualify

  • Be age 60 or older.
  • Be financially eligible for Medicaid institutional care (the state sets income and asset limits each year).
  • Be frail enough to need a nursing home level of care.
  • Be able to stay safely at home with your physician's consent.

Caregivers

Who Provides the Care

  • Structured Family Caregiving (added October 2024) lets agency providers employ or contract a caregiver who lives with the person.
  • With participant direction, the person can recruit and hire their own provider, who is certified by the Ohio Department of Aging. The person becomes the employer.

Getting Started

How to Apply

  1. Contact the PASSPORT Administrative Agency that serves your area for a phone screening.
  2. Check Medicaid eligibility through Ohio Benefits.
  3. Work with your case manager on a care plan and choose agency care, Structured Family Caregiving or participant direction.

Contacts

Who to Call

Some PASSPORT costs may be subject to Medicaid estate recovery for people 55 and older; ask your case manager.

Home Care Hound does not run PASSPORT or decide eligibility. If you would rather have a licensed home care agency send a caregiver, Home Care Hound can look for a verified agency near you.

Find a Home Care Agency About Medicaid

Sources

Official Sources

Program rules change. Always confirm details with the agencies above before making decisions.