Almost 93-year-old MIL receives VA Aid and Attendance at $1244/month. A veteran's organization helped with the process and hooked us up with an agency to employ the caregiver that we found ourselves. I think that is how the vets' org gets their money, i.e. a kickback from the agency. Now, a year later, MIL needs more care and paying the agency $32/hour isn't cutting it. That only gets us 7.5 hours/week from our caregiver, who only earns $14/hour. It's just not enough time. ALF or Board and Care doesn't seem to be an option on mom's budget. (I have explored it.)
We would want to comply with tax, workmen's comp, etc. requirements. I have no interest in managing that myself, but I did find an online service that will do all of it. It sounds like a better deal for us. Has anyone here had experience with such a service? Opinions? We are in California.
I hear that. I worked at an AL and you wouldn't even believe the responsibilities I had for my whopping ten bucks an hour. Everything from bathing and showering some residents, providing them socialization, making sure they got to the dining room for meals and if they didn't bringing a tray up to their rooms, driving and attending them at doctor's appointments when needed, and managing, administering, ordering and keeping a record of the meds for 42 residents. I quit that job after only a few months because they expected ridiculously too much for what was being offered.
CNA's, homecare aides, caregivers, whatever we're called never get the credit, respect, and pay we deserve. It's all reserved for the well-paid nurses who have certified nursing assistants that do the dirty grunt work for them. I never had an experience working in a client's home where a visiting homecare nurse ever helped me change an elderly diaper, or assist with a bed bath, or help change an occupied bed or any other task that can be difficult to do alone.
On every assignment I've ever had (agency or private) where there was also a visiting nurse, they would watch me struggle to do these things like get someone in their wheelchair, reposition, bathe, change a diaper, or make an occupied bed in care situation that really required two people. Not one time did a single nurse who was ever in a client's home with me help out with any of these tasks even offer to. Not even when there was a family member there who asked them to.
In all my years of homecare and they were many, the only response I've ever heard a nurse say in these situations is, 'that's the aide's job'. Most of the time they say nothing and get back to finishing their charting in the client's home (which isn't supposed to be done in the client's home on their time, but always is anyway).
I don't know what the rules are in your state, but in mine the employer didn't have to pay worker's comp for an employee who gets injured on the job if they are part-time.
I took an injury one time and the doctor told me three to four weeks off. At the time I was only 30 hours a week for the agency I worked for so they weren't obligated to pay me worker's comp and they paid me nothing.
Caregivers are always employees. Trying to treat them otherwise will cause problems when trying to get qualified for medicaid for long term care. And it sounds like it is time to look into that.
Next visit an insurance agent and ask them how to take out a special policy for if your aides get hurt while in service and you can pay for that. Such a thing does exist.
Then talk with an accountant. Ask them what paperwork would be needed so the aide can be considered self-employed in your state and how would they go about having taxes taken out of their paychecks.
If you've found an online service to do all of this, great. Go for it.
Why does a middle-man agency who really doesn't do anything have to get a piece of the pie? A piece more than twice the size of the aide's who is the one actually doing the work?
God bless you for even thinking about hiring privately and doing right by your help.