I have 4 parents that I’m caring for at the same time. They don’t have a lot of money but they don’t qualify for Medicaid. Can I get paid as a caregiver?
Only one has long-term care insurance. How can I get paid as a caregiver. Can you give me some resources? Thanks. Message me.
Here is a checklist of possible sources for payment and reimbursement for your caregiving work:
1 - At-home care programs provided by Medicaid in your state;
2 - If one of the parents is a veteran who served during time of war, an Aid and Attendance pension can reimburse for caregiving costs provided by others, including an adult child;
3 - Private payment from the income(s) of the person receiving care;
Start with an elder law attorney in your state who can get specific about the resources, and draft a written agreement to present to the people who are benefitting from your work (or their agent under POA). Without the written contract you are vulnerable. It helps to prevent arguments and misunderstandings with other family members.
A Caregiver Contract can list the organization of care and other services that are being paid for.
Without a written agreement, an elder who pays you for care could be disqualified from Medicaid coverage if they need nursing home care in the future. Medicaid could consider payments to family members as being "disqualifying transfers."
What state are you in? Also, apparently many seniors are able to qualify for Medicaid by setting up a Miller trust for the excess income. Seems like consulting an elder law lawyer would be a good idea.
Colleenie, Wow, it sounds like you have a lot on your plate. It is really hard to get paid for taking care of family members at home and the wages that you earn are below the minimum wage. Have you searched this website and looked at some of the other posts that ask about getting "paid as a caregiver"? You might contact the Area Agency on Aging and see what assistance they can give you.
How are you taking care of them? Do any of them live in their own houses or apartments or do they live with you? Do you assist any of the 4 parents with performing their ADLs (Activities of Daily Living, such as getting dressed, toileting, bathing, feeding oneself, walking, etc.) or do you just do assist them with their Ancillary or Independent Activities of Daily Living--IDLs (such as writing checks, paying bills, shopping, driving a car, making decisions about hiring someone to mow the lawn or fix the house)?
Are they getting too much retirement and Social Security to qualify for Medicaid? Have you read the long-term care policy and what does it cover--Home Health, Assisted Living or just Nursing Home facilities? The more information that we have ,the better we can give you suggestions that are appropriate to your situation. {Oh, and don't be surprised if your email address gets deleted by the website moderator as email addresses are discouraged.}
Colleenie, the vast majority of grown children who are caring for their parent(s) do not get paid.... unless the parent can pay them from their own retirement funds.
In answer to your question, yes, you can get paid as a Caregiver. My concern, however, is that you are going to experience something referred to as Caregiver Burnout. As a professional Caregiver, I see this happen to family caregivers all the time. Sometimes you just have to let go and accept the fact that you can't do it all. Your local Area Agency for Aging might have free resources for respite (do your research, you will be surprised what's out there for people who are not on Medicaid). Some homecare agency (such as the one I work for) accepts Long Term Insurance and will work with the client to spread out approved hours as needed, all you need do is approach the agency (that you prefer), find out if they accept LTC insurance, and let them know that you will need to be an employee in other for them to get that referral. Your loved one will have to assign the benefit (this is a form signed by the policyholder) to that agency to avoid any direct billing to them, this will allow the agency to bill the insurance directly.
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1 - At-home care programs provided by Medicaid in your state;
2 - If one of the parents is a veteran who served during time of war, an Aid and Attendance pension can reimburse for caregiving costs provided by others, including an adult child;
3 - Private payment from the income(s) of the person receiving care;
Start with an elder law attorney in your state who can get specific about the resources, and draft a written agreement to present to the people who are benefitting from your work (or their agent under POA). Without the written contract you are vulnerable. It helps to prevent arguments and misunderstandings with other family members.
A Caregiver Contract can list the organization of care and other services that are being paid for.
Without a written agreement, an elder who pays you for care could be disqualified from Medicaid coverage if they need nursing home care in the future. Medicaid could consider payments to family members as being "disqualifying transfers."
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Wow, it sounds like you have a lot on your plate. It is really hard to get paid for taking care of family members at home and the wages that you earn are below the minimum wage. Have you searched this website and looked at some of the other posts that ask about getting "paid as a caregiver"? You might contact the Area Agency on Aging and see what assistance they can give you.
How are you taking care of them? Do any of them live in their own houses or apartments or do they live with you? Do you assist any of the 4 parents with performing their ADLs (Activities of Daily Living, such as getting dressed, toileting, bathing, feeding oneself, walking, etc.) or do you just do assist them with their Ancillary or Independent Activities of Daily Living--IDLs (such as writing checks, paying bills, shopping, driving a car, making decisions about hiring someone to mow the lawn or fix the house)?
Are they getting too much retirement and Social Security to qualify for Medicaid? Have you read the long-term care policy and what does it cover--Home Health, Assisted Living or just Nursing Home facilities? The more information that we have ,the better we can give you suggestions that are appropriate to your situation. {Oh, and don't be surprised if your email address gets deleted by the website moderator as email addresses are discouraged.}
As SnoopyLove had mentioned above, look into a Miller Trust. Here is some information: https://www.agingcare.com/articles/How-to-Use-a-Miller-Trust-for-Medicaid-Eligibility-207367.htm
Some homecare agency (such as the one I work for) accepts Long Term Insurance and will work with the client to spread out approved hours as needed, all you need do is approach the agency (that you prefer), find out if they accept LTC insurance, and let them know that you will need to be an employee in other for them to get that referral.
Your loved one will have to assign the benefit (this is a form signed by the policyholder) to that agency to avoid any direct billing to them, this will allow the agency to bill the insurance directly.