I take care of both my disabled parents full time, both on social security, dad has more issues than my mom. Both are diabetic. They bathe themselves but I do everything else. I have been doing this since August 2016. Will somebody PLEASE help me or point me in the right direction to start my compensation.
The vast majority of family caregivers do not get paid for the provision of care.
However, a loved one may use out-of-pocket retirement savings for this purpose. If a family member has enough funds to privately pay from savings, it is important to formally complete a Personal Care Agreement. Prior to receiving any payment, this document should be prepared to outline the services provided as well as the payment to be received. A personal care agreement can not be created retroactively to pay for past care.
The Caregiver Forum is a great place to come for answers. Additionally, I'd like to offer the following AgingCare articles as reference points:
To understand the purpose of and create a formal agreement between family members, please refer to:
https://www.agingcare.com/articles/personal-care-agreements-compensate-family-caregivers-181562.htm
It is important to note that most outside sources of pay will only pay for medically based home health care provided by an authorized agency. For a general overview regarding paying for care, please refer to:
https://www.agingcare.com/articles/paying-for-home-care-155405.htm
And finally, if you would like further information regarding the decision to hire a home care company that fits your needs and your budget, please refer to:
https://www.agingcare.com/articles/how-to-select-a-home-care-company-230598.htm
If you are new to caregiving you will likely have future questions. There are many answers from experienced caregivers here. Don't hesitate to come back and ask.
Another option is to see if your parents can qualify for Medicaid [which is different then Medicare]. If yes, then depending on what State you live in, Medicaid may be able to pay you an income, but please note the income would be very minimal.
With the new tax laws being changed, and to pay the difference from not getting enough taxes from Corporations due to the large tax drop, it looks like Medicaid [which is State run] may see some programs disappearing because the State can no longer afford the programs because the Federal Government cannot give the States the funds for these programs :( If you can get your parent's into Medicaid now, hopefully for any program changes coming down the pike, your parents could be "grandfathered" to keep the program. Again, this can vary from State to State.