This information, sites and addresses I mention in this post come from an article my mother found. It was written by; The Savvy Senior, By Jim Miller, How to get paid for being a family caregiver, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, SavvySenior.org. The article goes on to answer question sent in by readers and then provides them with the best possible answer. He breaks the article up into different sections which include State Aid, Veterans Aid, Tax Breaks and Family Payments. It allows you to read the section that best suits your needs and not be bogged down by to much information.
The State Aid section brings up the possibility that if the parent or caree is low-income and eligible to receive Medicaid, that it may be possible for the caregiver to receive some funds (however small it may be) from the state. He does reference Medicaids, Cash & Counseling Program’s website at http:\\www.cashandcounseling.org. It is best you contact your local Medicaid office to see if you qualify for the program or go to http:\\www.Medicaid.gov.
The section which covers Veterans Aid first goes into those veterans who are at the point where they may be looking at getting placed into a nursing home. These veterans are eligible to enroll in the Veteran-Directed Home and Community Based Services Program. This program leaves the veteran with their dignity and respect and allows them to handle their hiring and paying of their caregivers as well as managing their own care. Do not give income can not exceed (minus medical and long-term care expenses) $13,362. Now if the surviving patients income is restricted to $20,795 and their assets must be less than $80,000. For more information on this program, go to; http:\\www.va.gov/geriatrics or you can contact you local US Department of Veteran Affairs office. (800) 827-1000 or at http\\www.va.gov.
There are several Tax Breaks that a caregiver may be able to obtain including, if you pay at least 50%of your carees annual expenses, and her income for that same period is less than $3,900 (does not include Social Security). If this is the case you may be able to claim them as a dependent on your taxes which would reduce your taxable income by the dependent amount of $3,900. This is also listed on the IRS Publication (http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p501.pdf) or you can contact the IRS’s help-line at (800) 829-1040. Even if the caree does not meet these requirements you may still be able to claim your caree if you are paying minimum 1/2 of their living expenses (including medical and long-term care), and they exceed 10% (or 7.5% if you’re 65 and over) of your adjusted gross income, your own medical expenses can also be used when calculating this total. It is best to use IRS publication 502 (http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p502.pdf) for more details.
You may also receive Family Payments if the caree doesn’t qualify for the government aid or tax breaks, first, can they afford to pay you or are there any siblings that may be willing to provide funding? Care cost rand from $12 to $25 per hour. Please if any agreement is made regarding payments, please have an attorney write up a short contract listing what are and are not your duties. This little piece of paper can help with any issues you may encounter if you every have to look at putting them into a care facility. Carees may also change their wills (if they have one) so that the caregiver receives a larger sum in return for the care. Again, here is where an attorney drafting an agreement can solve so many future nightmares. Finally, if your caree has any type of long-term care insurance which needs to state that it does in fact cover long term care, if so those benefits may be able to be used to pay you for your service.
Other website which may help you:
National Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP) at http://www.hhs.gov
American Association of Retired People at http://www.aarp.org
Huffington Post at http://www.m.huffpost.com/us/entry/3938391
Aid Page, http://www.can-you-get-paid-to-be-caregiver-for-a-family-member.brown9148.aidpage.com
I hope some part of this post may help you in receiving funds for the caregiving you provide. If or when I happen to cross more information pertaining to this subject I will gladly complete another blog post for your and my own benefit. Thank you for taking the time to review my blog. If you have questions, feel free to contact me at, http://www.pickyourpain.net. – Richard
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