Find Senior Care (City or Zip)
Join Now Log In
C
curalv0909 Asked January 2015

Getting paid through the state for taking care of their loved one. Is this by state or for anyone?

I personally cannot get a job because I am my parent sole caregiver. It would be nice to be compensated.i

jeannegibbs Jan 2015
I guess the bottom line is not whether "a few states" or "some states" or "many states" or "most states" allow paying a relative for caregiving, but whether the state of the poster does!

curalv0909, do let us know what you find out!

jeannegibbs Jan 2015
Ff, yup it would sure be horrendously expensive to pay all relative caregivers. But, as an example, the people the state paid to take care of my mother while she was in my sister's home was WAY less than what they are paying now that mom is in a nursing home. The states that are doing this are considering not only the welfare of the recipients but also of their budgets. Keeping someone at home is more economical than putting them in an assisted living place and that in turn is less than a nursing home.

Things have changed rapidly. It would really be handy to have a state-by-state list, wouldn't it? But it would probably be out of date by the time it was compiled.

ADVERTISEMENT


freqflyer Jan 2015
jeannegibbs, sorry no chart, just answers that I have seen on the forum any time this question is asked about getting paid. I tried looking via Google for something to use as verification but it is too complex.... [sigh].

I also checked under the blue bar above under "Money and Legal", then under "Paying for Care" but that information was from back in 2008-2009.

The other day I was thinking that if it was possible to pay for every relative taking care of an elder in their home, it would cost each State trillions of dollars, and all that money would come from taxes.... States/Counties/Cities/Towns would need to raise all their tax bases to gather said funds.

jeannegibbs Jan 2015
freqflyer, do you know that it is "most states" that don't pay relatives? Have you found a chart somewhere? That would be really useful on this site!

Mom is on Medicaid. When she lived in my sister's home the county paid my sister for some hours of care each day (not 24) -- or my sister could have chosen to have an aide come in. The county also paid our disabled brother for a few hours of housecleaning in my mother's room, bathroom, and sitting room. In both cases the relatives were sent through one of the agencies the county uses for such help. My sister and brother were treated like any employee, with taxes withheld, etc.

As I understand it, with many states expanding Medicaid under the affordable care act, more states are being creative about how money is used to provide care for the elderly.

I don't know how many states now are willing to pay relatives just as they'd pay strangers, but I would be very interested in knowing.

freqflyer Jan 2015
When it comes to Medicaid, most States will not pay for a relative to take care of a relative in their home. But States do have various programs where a Caregiver or Aide would come to the house for a couple of hours a week or more.

Could your parent pay you a salary? That is allowed. You would need to put into writing some type of employment schedule.

jeannegibbs Jan 2015
It is state-by-state, so you will have to research what is available in your state.

If your mother is eligible to go to a day health program, enabling you to work and build up your own SS account, that might be one options to consider.

ADVERTISEMENT

Ask a Question

Subscribe to
Our Newsletter