How do I become an official caregiver for my wife? Worksource wants me employed, but I must care for her. What can I do?

CDPAP Medicaid Program allows family caregivers to be paid. Call Medicaid to find out which agencies in your area participate. Hugs 🤗

The worksource program in your state sounds a lot like what other states have. A work requirement for people collecting cash benefits (food stamps).

Your wife's SNAP (food stamps) benefit will not be affected if she is disabled because you don't work. If she is as sick as you say she is on regular SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance). If she didn't pay taxes for ten years or more or never worked at all she would be put on SSI (Social Security Insurance). SSI comes with Medicaid. Sometimes SSDI does to if the payment is low enough.

You are considered an ABAWD (Able Bodied Adult Without Dependents). If you live in a red state it's going to be hard for you. These states don't do much for grown men (or women) who don't work. They don't do much for the ones who do.

You may qualify for exemption if you live in certain areas. Ask your caseworker.
Your wife's doctors will also have to make an assessment and say that her conditions require a caregiver to be home with her 24/7.
Good luck to you and your wife.

Contact SNAP directly and explain the situation . Go talk to a social worker at your Local social services or Elder services . Reach Out for support . Look up food banks and Food Pantries also .

SillyJellybean: I fail to see the connection between "Worksource" and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). As you require income, maybe you will have to locate another caregiver since you cannot be in two places at the same time.

There are exceptions to the Work rules. Ask your Food stamp office about a form that can be filled out by her doctor that would allow you exception to the Work requirements.

I looked up Worksource. Its a program that helps people with training for jobs and helps people find jobs. I saw nowhere that they have the ability to stop your wife's food stamps. What I did find was that now we are, sort of, getting back to normal from COVID that the government is cracking down on who receives SNAP. Because you are abled bodied the government wants you to get back to work. Maybe this is what Workforce is telling you. If your wife is receiving food stamps I don't know how this effects you. I think you need to call your Social Service Office and explain your situation. They will probably need something from your wife's doctor concerning her situation and she is 24/7 care and that you are her caregiver.

Here's the article

https://dustyjohnson.house.gov/media/weekly-column/tightening-snap-work-requirements-lift-americans-out-poverty-and-away

Ask Worksource if they will allow a letter from her doctor that states she needs 24/7 care and that you are unable to work. Maybe that will qualify both of you to still get benefits.

I don't know where you live. In the US you can apply to be your wife's full time caregiver and be paid for it. You can also go on FMLA or Intermittent FMLA depending on her needs. You can use all you sick time and vacation time to supplement lost hours. If you're in California, there is also paid leave for family care. Please reach out to your Human Resources department to find out what benefits are available to you.

You need legal help. Get her on Medicaid, but ideally she needs a SNF. The legal help is for you to protect your assets. You may be heading to homelessness

Ok this is a TWC being a but*rash isn’t it? They love to send out letters, lousy on followup but love to send out letters. I’m going to approach this from a slightly different angle…. your wife is ESRD and that is a special disease category for Medicare. So she can 100% qualify for Medicare at younger than age 65, so if she is younger & not on Medicare get her to file for that. Even if she is 65, She needs the ESRD disability paperwork filed & done so that you can show caregiver needed status to ever get any traction with Texas social services agencies & TWC. Texas did not take Medicaid expansion and basically the States that did not take expansion are all States that are very very limiting as to how they do their social services safety net so will be as paperwork heavy as possible for eligibility for any programs. Once she has fresh disability paperwork you should be able to file that with TWC and get a waiver for having to be looking for & applying to FT work or having to go to workforce training seminars.

is she on any type of ESRd program? Like going to a DaVita or Fresenius on a regular basis? Like once a week or more? If so, try to have her to get a fresh reevaluation or if she never has had one get her to be evaluated by them & asap. If she is ESRD she should be able to be diagnosed to be on a dialysis schedule. The State will want this to be on a “at home” dialysis as it’s way way cheaper and the upside is that is you should be able to be designated to be her primary care giver so cannot not be FT worker elsewhere, but she will need to have all her health chart update to show ESRD. The goal imho will be to split her care between at home oversight and at DaVia type of place as often as possible.

Listen the DaVita & Fresenius places make a lot of sweet sweet MediCARE $$d from this disease and they will do what is needed to get her signed up to be eligible for care, so imho it’s worth getting with them to get the paperwork done as they know what’s needed. Yes ya may need to drive from where you are towards Austin or towards SA (maybe I’m getting Burnet mixed up with burkburnet, lol, those are childhood memories). But those 2 corporations know precisely how to maneuver around how to get folks eligible for services & be ok for State programs and bill all to Medicare and any State programs as well.

It’s waaaay to complicated to DIY this. The DaVita or a Fresenius may suggest she sees a fresh group of MDs too. So be prepared for that, it’s to fatten up her health chart as it’s needed to get her “at need” diagnostic updated from ESRD specialists. They may do a site visit to your home to get speciality equipment and bedding for her and DME as well (like bedside potty, shower chair a lot depends on how frail she is). The initial diagnostic is when they can pile on “need” and billable to Medicare. Really you can go along with this. Please let us know what happens, & stay cool another as heat dome in TX!

Good Morning,

Can you work remotely? A lot of places are hiring people to work from home.

I'm not sure how it works in your State but some States allow a person to be paid as a caregiver. I believe you have to put the person on Medicaid, however, check out everything with a hospital Social Worker.

I would check out the Department of Elderly Affairs and speak to a local State Rep and/or Senators. The laws are changing with Caregiver Acts being instituted all over the country.

I believe President Biden has come out with some new programs. Again, it varies from State-to-State. The whole country is in this position but there help out there. You just have to know what is available to you in your area.

You sound like a wonderful person. Ask your wife's primary care doctor, the nurse manager. Usually the nurses are very informed and knowledgeable.

There is home care too--speech, occupational therapies, physical therapy, nurse visitation. Your wife's primary care doc can assist you with this.

Also, call on your local Church people. I hope I was of some help to you.

Are the Snap people aware of your situation. That if you work, your wife needs care in the 10hrs, at least, that you are at work. That there is no one who can help and you can't afford to pay someone. Really surprised they are not sympathetic to your situation. Or do they feel you have the option to place her? Have you sent her doctor records to them.

I can't find info on what Agency oversees SNAP but I think where I live its Social Services. Talk to them.

Is your wife on Medicaid? SSI?

You are going to need a social worker to give you the stats on your own state and whether or not they will pay a spouse to stay home and do care. You wife must have many medical practioners with these dire diagnoses, and they can guide you in finding help and answer.

Usually the answer is no. And even if there is a yes, the pay is very minimal. Most who we see doing this are the children of elders and they often end up with Medicaid coming for claw back on any housing owned, and end homeless, ruined mental health, no money and no job history. We have actually sent some to shelters until they can get a minimal pay job and afford a room in someone else's home.

I think this is a bad plan. I think you need to find out all options here. I am so sorry you are dealing with this. Get a social worker involved who understands the programs in your state open to you.

Do you have a Caseworker at the social services office? A Social Worker at her dialysis center?