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NJ Personal Preference Program (PPP): 2026 Guide to Who Qualifies, Pay and How to Apply

By Ameriwell Care

12 min read

A mother drawing at the kitchen table with her two daughters

New Jersey’s Personal Preference Program, or PPP, lets someone on NJ FamilyCare choose and pay their own personal care workers, including relatives and friends, instead of having an agency send an aide. This guide covers who qualifies, who you can hire, how the monthly budget and pay are worked out in 2026, and how to apply.

Quick answer: PPP is the self-directed version of NJ FamilyCare’s Personal Care Assistant (PCA) service. To join, a person must be on NJ FamilyCare, be approved for PCA services for at least six months, and be able to direct their own care or have an authorized representative who can. The health plan’s PCA assessment sets the hours, and the hours become a monthly budget. In 2026, workers must be paid between $15.92 and $25 an hour. To start, call your NJ FamilyCare health plan and ask for a PCA assessment for PPP.

What is the Personal Preference Program?

NJ FamilyCare, New Jersey’s Medicaid program, covers Personal Care Assistant (PCA) services for members who need hands-on help to stay at home. PCA covers everyday tasks that are essential to the person’s health and comfort, such as bathing, dressing, meal preparation and light housekeeping.

There are two ways to receive it. With agency PCA, the health plan sends an aide from a home care agency in its network. With PPP, the person receives a monthly budget instead, and hires, schedules and supervises their own workers. The State describes the trade-off plainly: PPP “requires greater individual responsibility, but in return, offers greater control, flexibility and choice over the services you receive.”

PPP is run by NJ FamilyCare, through the Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services. It is not part of the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD), although some people use both. The section on PPP and DDD below explains how they fit together.

Agency PCA or PPP?

Agency PCAPersonal Preference Program
Who hires the workersThe agency hires, trains, supervises, schedules and dismisses themYou do, and you can hire people you know and trust
Timesheets and payThe agency handles them, and the health plan pays the agencyYou or your authorized representative approve timesheets, and a fiscal intermediary pays the workers from your budget
Check-in visitsThe agency makes supervisory visitsThe fiscal intermediary visits at enrollment, then every quarter, and when you ask
Backup when a worker can’t comeThe agency provides itThe fiscal intermediary helps you make a backup plan
Where it’s availableWhere the health plan’s network agencies operateStatewide

Source: the State’s Overview of the Personal Preference Program, 2026.

Who qualifies for PPP?

The State lists three requirements. The person must:

  • be eligible for NJ FamilyCare. If they are not enrolled yet, they can apply online or through their county social services agency;
  • be approved for Personal Care Assistant services, and need them for at least six months;
  • be able to direct their own services, or have an authorized representative who can act for them.

Children can qualify as well as adults. For children, the PCA assessment takes into account the care parents normally give at each age, but the State says each child is assessed individually, taking a developmental disability into account.

The authorized representative

If the person can’t manage the employer side alone, they appoint an authorized representative (AR). This can be a legal guardian, a family member or a friend. The State’s rules for an AR are:

  • they are 18 or older, and someone the person knows and trusts;
  • they cannot be paid for being the AR, and cannot also be one of the person’s paid workers;
  • they live within 30 miles or one hour of the person, and visit at least once every two weeks;
  • they take part in every scheduled visit and call with the fiscal intermediary’s financial consultant, and sign a Designation of Representative form.

The AR handles the paperwork, hires and supervises the workers, signs timesheets, and deals with the fiscal intermediary when something goes wrong.

For families of adults with a developmental disability: if your son or daughter needs an AR and a parent wants to be the paid worker, someone else has to be the AR, such as the other parent, a sibling or a family friend.

Who can you hire?

Almost anyone you trust. The State’s PPP FAQ says you can hire “friends, relatives, or neighbors,” use an accredited agency, or combine the two. The State’s PPP fact sheet names spouses too, and says the program “could enable a relative to stay at home and care for a spouse, parent or child, and receive payment for their services.”

Every worker must:

  • be at least 18;
  • be able to do all the tasks the person needs;
  • be able to work the schedule you need;
  • be authorized to work in the United States (an I-9 form is required);
  • complete the PPP paperwork.

A few more rules from the State’s FAQ:

  • 40 hours a week per worker. One worker can’t be authorized for more than 40 hours a week, and there is no overtime. If the budget covers more hours than that, hire a second worker.
  • As many workers as the budget allows. You can have several, including backups, as long as the budget covers their hours.
  • Background checks are optional, and are paid from the budget. The fiscal intermediary explains which checks are available and what they cost.
  • A PPP participant can’t work for another participant, or as a worker in another self-directed personal care program.

How much does PPP pay in 2026?

There is no single PPP wage. The health plan’s PCA assessment sets the number of PCA hours a week, those hours become a monthly budget, and you decide what to pay your workers within the State’s limits.

The State’s 2026 overview works through the budget in three steps, for a person approved for 25 hours a week:

  1. Multiply the weekly hours by the PCA rate, which is $20.40 an hour from January 1, 2026: 25 × $20.40 = $510.00.
  2. Multiply by 4.33 to turn a week into a month: $510.00 × 4.33 = $2,208.30.
  3. Keep 87.5%. The other 12.5% covers the costs of being an employer: $2,208.30 × 0.875 = $1,932.26.

So a person approved for 25 hours a week has $1,932.26 a month to buy services with. The same method gives:

Approved PCA hours a weekMonthly PPP budget in 2026
10$772.91
20$1,545.81
25$1,932.26 (the State’s own example)
40$3,091.62

Worked out with the State’s 2026 method. Your health plan confirms the actual budget.

Hourly pay must be between $15.92 and $25. The State says workers must be paid at least New Jersey’s minimum wage, $15.92 in 2026, and no more than $25 an hour. The higher the rate, the fewer hours the budget buys. Payroll taxes, workers’ compensation and processing fees are also taken from the budget, so not every dollar becomes wages.

You don’t have to buy exactly the hours you were approved for. In the State’s words, members “are not restricted to purchase the same number of hours for which they have been authorized.” The fiscal intermediary can also pay for goods and services from the budget, within program rules.

How to apply for PPP, step by step

  1. Get on NJ FamilyCare. PPP is only for NJ FamilyCare members. If the person isn’t enrolled, apply first.
  2. Call your health plan. Ask for a PCA assessment for enrollment into PPP. The State lists these numbers:
    Health planPhone
    Aetna Better Health of New Jersey1-855-232-3596
    Aetna Assure Premier Plus (D-SNP)1-844-362-0934
    Fidelis Care1-855-642-6185 (option 3, then option 2)
    Horizon NJ Health1-855-465-4777
    UnitedHealthcare Community Plan1-800-645-9409 (option 3)
    Wellpoint1-855-661-1996 (option 1)
  3. Options counseling. After the assessment, the health plan explains how the budget is worked out, what being the employer of record means, whether you need an authorized representative, and the enrollment forms.
  4. Enrollment with the fiscal intermediary. The plan sends your details to the fiscal intermediary, which assigns you a financial consultant. The consultant helps you apply for a federal Employer Identification Number (EIN), arranges workers’ compensation insurance, sets up your Cash Management Plan, and can enroll your workers at the same time.
  5. Your start date. The workers’ compensation application has to reach the fiscal intermediary’s vendor by the 15th of a month for PPP to start on the 1st of the next month.

For questions about the program itself, the State’s PPP office is on 609-631-2481, or email MAHS.PPP@dhs.nj.gov.

The fiscal intermediary: PPL or Palco

As the employer, you don’t run payroll yourself. A fiscal intermediary pays your workers from the budget, handles employer taxes and fees, arranges the required workers’ compensation insurance, pays for approved goods and services, and helps you make a backup plan. Which one you use depends on your health plan:

  • Public Partnerships (PPL) serves Aetna, Fidelis Care, UnitedHealthcare and Wellpoint members: 1-844-880-8702 (English), 1-844-880-8703 (Spanish), or CS-njppp@pplfirst.com. PPL’s Time4Care app handles timesheets and electronic visit verification.
  • Palco serves Horizon NJ Health members: 877-710-0457, or Supportnj@palcofirst.com. Horizon members are moving to Palco, and the State asks them to contact Palco to complete the switch.

Keeping PPP running

The State asks participants to tell their health plan when:

  • the person is in a hospital, nursing home or rehabilitation center;
  • they are no longer eligible for NJ FamilyCare;
  • they are out of the country, for any length of time;
  • they are out of New Jersey for 31 days or more.

During a hospital, rehabilitation or nursing home stay, PPP is suspended. Workers can’t work or submit timesheets while the person is away, because the facility is meeting their care needs. The State’s FAQ calls continuing PPP during a stay “a Duplication of Services,” and treats it as fraud. Tell the health plan and the fiscal intermediary when the person goes in, and again when they come home.

If the person’s needs change, ask the health plan for a new PCA assessment. The budget is based on the first assessment or the most recent reassessment.

Taxes

The fiscal intermediary handles payroll taxes and withholding for your workers. The State’s PPP page also links the IRS guide for household employers, Publication 926.

Some caregiver pay can count as “difficulty of care” payments. New Jersey’s Division of Taxation says these payments are not subject to New Jersey income tax when they meet the conditions for exclusion from federal taxable income, even if they appear on a W-2 or 1099. Ask a tax professional whether your pay qualifies.

PPP and DDD: can you use both?

Yes, some people do. They are separate programs. NJ FamilyCare runs PPP, while DDD funds services for adults with developmental disabilities from an individual budget. DDD requires NJ Medicaid eligibility, so an adult on DDD who also needs hands-on personal care can ask their health plan about PCA and PPP.

In August 2025, the State published an FAQ for people enrolled in both PPP and DDD self-direction. Its main points:

  • DDD’s change of fiscal intermediary, to Acumen, does not affect PPP. “NJ FamilyCare/Medicaid administers the PPP, not DDD.”
  • PPP requires the person receiving services to have their own Employer Identification Number. If they also self-direct DDD services under the Vendor Fiscal/Employer Agent model with Acumen, they can’t use that same EIN. Someone else has to get a separate EIN and enroll as the employer for the DDD side.
  • If no one can do that, the State says the DDD options are the Agency with Choice model or services from a provider agency.

Our page on New Jersey programs that pay family caregivers compares PPP with DDD self-direction and JACC. Our NJ DDD services guide explains DDD’s programs, and who qualifies for DDD covers eligibility.

Frequently asked questions

Who qualifies for PPP in NJ?

NJ FamilyCare members who are approved for Personal Care Assistant services and need them for at least six months, and who can direct their own care or have an authorized representative to do it for them. Children can qualify as well as adults.

How much does the Personal Preference Program pay in NJ?

It depends on the PCA hours the health plan approves. In 2026, each approved weekly hour adds about $77 to the monthly budget: 25 hours a week gives $1,932.26 a month. Workers must be paid between $15.92 and $25 an hour, and employer costs come out of the same budget.

How much does NJ pay family caregivers per month?

Under PPP, there is no fixed amount. The budget follows the approved hours, and you set the hourly rate between $15.92 and $25. DDD and JACC work differently; our page on programs that pay family caregivers compares all three.

Can I apply for the NJ PPP program online?

You can apply for NJ FamilyCare online, but PPP itself starts with your health plan. Call the plan’s number in the table above and ask for a PCA assessment for PPP enrollment.

Can a parent be paid through PPP?

Yes. Relatives can be hired as PPP workers, and the State’s fact sheet says the program can let a relative care for “a spouse, parent or child, and receive payment for their services.” A paid worker can’t also be the authorized representative, so if the person needs an AR, someone else has to take that role.

Can a PPP worker work more than 40 hours a week?

No. One worker can’t be authorized for more than 40 hours a week, and there is no overtime. If the budget covers more hours, you need a second worker.

What is the PPP phone number?

The State’s PPP office is on 609-631-2481, or email MAHS.PPP@dhs.nj.gov. To apply, call your health plan.

Caring for an adult with a developmental disability?

Ameriwell Care is a DDD-approved provider of home-based, community-based, family-based and behavior support across New Jersey. Through our family-based support, a family member can keep giving the care while we handle the employer side. If you are working out which program fits your family, we are glad to answer your questions. Call (732) 655 2911 ext. 101 or send us a message.

Sources

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