Find Programs That Pay Family Caregivers

Giving Caregivers a Helping Hand

Anyone who has worked in the eldercare space for long can tell you the most common question they hear. "Can I get paid for caring for my loved one?" This is a complicated question and there is not a single answer for everyone. Today we are happy to announce that we have made answering this question a little bit easier with the launch of our Paid Caregiver Program Locator.

Nationwide there are over 100 programs that can pay family members or friends for the caregiving efforts they provide to their loved ones. However finding these programs and understanding their complex eligibility requirements is a major challenge, especially for time-constrained caregivers. Now caregivers can search our comprehensive database of programs by answering a few simple questions describing their situation and quickly discover if they are any programs available to them.

The need to pay caregivers can best be illustrated by statistics which clearly show what a major burden our caregivers carry both economic and otherwise. In the US today, there are approximately 35 million individuals providing unpaid care for aging family and friends. They provide an average of 25 hours / week of care for an average of 4 years. Over half of them work full-time in addition to caregiving and 60% of those individuals, not surprisingly, say their caregiving responsibilities have impacted their work.

Lastly, 84% of caregivers say they require more information about caregiving topics. Since we know their number one question is about financial assistance programs, we hope Paid Caregiver Program Locator can reduce that last statistic.

View PayingForSeniorCare.com's new Paid Caregiving Program Locator.

12 Most Popular Articles on Financial Options for Elder Care

Many people discover our website through search. We are very happy to be there when people need more information about financial options for caring for an elderly loved one. Over the six years that we have been providing information services for programs and support for caring for seniors, we have learned a lot about what people are looking to learn more about. Here is the list of our most popular articles:

1. Home Care Financial Assistance and Payment Options – Article

Home care is increasing in popularity and it is easy to see why this information rich article tops our list. In this article, we take a closer look at the costs that are involved in home care, define the most important terms, and explain how the major long term care programs will and will not help cover the costs of home care.

2. Financial Assistance and Funding Options for Assisted Living – Article

Assisted living is an attractive and very diverse set of services. For families who are new to elder care, this informative article will serve as an excellent primer on topic. We review the costs and financial options for paying for assisted living. A wide variety of options are discussed from creative uses of home equity to clarifying which types of services Medicare will cover.

3. Medicaid's Assisted Living Benefits: Availability and Eligibility – Article

Medicaid has expanded, state by state, towards offering more assisted living benefits for eligible seniors. In this article, we dive into the topic on how, when, and where Medicaid can be used to cover assisted living expenses. Readers, no doubt, appreciate the comprehensive table of all state Medicaid assisted living benefits.

4. Receive Payment as a Caregiver: Cash and Counseling and Other Options – Article

From its debut as a pilot program, Medicaid’s Cash and Counseling options have been extremely popular. The programs have grown significantly over the years and the appeal is not hard to see. These flexible programs are often used to help pay family caregivers. Readers likely value our factual approach and well linked articles.

5. Costs of Senior Care – Article

As the title suggests, this article introduces the reader to many of the costs, fees, and less known expenses associated with caring for an elderly loved one. Updated annually, readers learn what average costs are and how they vary by geography and other factors.

6. Medicaid and Long Term Care for the Elderly – Article

Continuing with our friendly and helpful tone, this article seeks to assist the reader with gaining a basic understanding of how Medicaid functions. We address some of the common misunderstandings, clarify the various names that the programs are called, and explain the eligibility requirements. This is an invaluable crash course on using Medicaid for long term care.

7. Medicaid's Home Care Benefits: Eligibility, Waivers & Application Information – Article

Addressing another popular topic, this article seeks to make sense out of Medicaid’s benefits for home care. While a federal program, Medicaid is implemented by the states. The policy is made quite complex by all the state variations. Readers save not just money but their time spent researching Medicaid.

8. Making and Paying for Home Modifications to Enable Aging in Place – Article

Anyone who has had to care for an elderly loved one in their home will understand how daily life can be made extremely difficult by common architectural features. Readers will learn how to receive assistance to pay for modifications to allow a senior to continue living in their home and community.

9. Medicaid Planning: When it is Necessary and Finding Assistance – Article

While our informative site provides a lot of knowledge for family caregivers looking after an elderly loved one, a professional Medicaid planner can apply their specialized knowledge to their particular senior’s situation to help the family save money. This article will help a family decide whether to work with a Medicaid planning professional.

10. How to Pay for Nursing Home Care – Article

Skilled nursing might be necessary for some seniors. In this article, we dive deeply into this topic and how to make sure that the reader gets the information that they need to provide for an elderly loved one. From Veteran’s benefits to Medicare, this article reviews all of the programs and explains how they can be used. We also included a table on home nursing daily rates in all 50 states.

11. Paying for Walk-in Tubs: Medicare's Benefits and Other Financial Help – Article

Somewhat surprisingly, we discovered that this article’s focus on one particular home modification was very popular with readers. Walk-in tubs are sometimes a key feature that allow an elderly person to continue to live in the home where they are most comfortable. Medicare can be sometimes used to help offset the costs of walk-in tubs.

12. Types of Senior Care: Definitions and Comparisons – Article

Rounding out our review of the top 12 pages on our site is another great introduction for readers new to elder care. The field has many specific terms that can confuse someone. Often these particular terms make the difference whether one is eligible or not. Readers learn essential information that helps them throughout their care giving journey.

Getting Paid for Caring for an Elderly Loved One with Medicaid

Update Sept. 2015 - Our organization has released a Paid Caregiver Program Locator which allows families to search for programs that can be used to pay them as caregivers.  Start here. 


There are a variety of ways to help bridge the financial gap when caring for an elderly loved one. One of the most attractive approaches is to be paid as a family caregiver. For many families, this option offers two distinct advantages: receiving a new source of income while also ensuring the quality of care that your loved one receives.

In this post, we explain how Medicaid can provide this type of funding. If you are interested in the other, non-Medicaid based programs to get paid for care giving, please see this blog post (“Five Ways to Pay Family Members as Caregivers”).

Photo by the Abbeyfield Kent Society.

Overview

Medicaid, a federal program that is administered by the states, operates a series of programs referred to generally as ‘Cash & Counseling.’ The National Resource Center for Participant-Directed Services oversees the states’ Cash and Counseling programs. Other names include as Consumer Direction, Participant Direction and Self Directed Care. Most states have these programs under their own Medicaid waiver programs. They exist with a variety of names, such as Colorado HCBS Waiver for the Elderly, Blind, and Disabled and the New Jersey Personal Preference Program. See the full list here.

Program Description

At their most basic level, these programs provide cash to the participant and allow them the choice as to how best to spend it on their care. Participants can select their own home care agency, which may be someone from their own family. This means that the adult children and, in some cases, the spouse of the recipient could be hired as a caregiver.

When an individual is already enrolled in Medicaid or eligible, the agency will begin with a visit to the home of the senior to understand their needs. They will also contact the recipient’s caregivers and doctors. Once the agency has made a decision how much care is needed, a specific funding benefit is made based on the need and the regional cost of care. The benefit amount can change as the recipient’s needs change.

Most programs consider the situation where the care recipient needs a ‘surrogate’ to help them make care provider decisions. In these situations to avoid conflicts of interest, the care decision maker should be different from the individual who is employed as a caregiver.

Because the caregiver will actually become an employee of the senior, in some states, a third party organization might be required in order to make sure that payroll taxes are filed if those payments are above a minimum level where taxes are due.

Eligibility

• The care recipient must be enrolled in a Medicaid consumer directed waiver. Sometimes Medicaid waivers are oversubscribed and individuals will be placed on a waiting list.  

• In most states, individuals must be 65 and/or disabled. Participants with Alzheimer’s, who require nursing, or who require assistance with the activities of daily living are medically eligible.  
• Participants must be a resident in one of the states where these programs are available. See our list of the state programs for detailed information on your state program.

Understandably, getting paid to provide the care that many family members are already providing is an attractive option for families. However, the programs can be complicated. For people who are considering applying to Medicaid for the first time, a Medicaid planning professional can help. 

Learn More

Individuals wishing to learn more about how these programs can be accessed for your situation should visit our website for the full article on the Cash and Counseling programs and to find out more the program in their state.

5 Ways to Pay Family Members as Caregivers

Update Sept. 2015 - Our organization has released a Paid Caregiver Program Locator which allows families to search for programs that can be used to pay them as caregivers.  Start here.

Without question, the most common question our organization is asked is: "Can I get paid to provide care for my parents (or spouse)?"  On own website, we maintain a list of programs that offer that option to family caregivers, but as some new options have become available, we thought a blog post overview of all five different ways family members can be paid as caregivers of their elderly loved ones was in order. 

1) Medicaid Waivers

This is the most common and well known option.  Many states have Medicaid Waivers that allow participants to receive care at home instead of in a nursing home.  Some of these waivers allow for self-direction of care services.  This means the participant is free to select their care providers.  They can "hire" their adult children, other relatives or a few states, their spouses to provide them with personal care.  Relatives are paid the Medicaid hourly rate for home care.  Medicaid Waivers have enrollment caps, so only a limited number of individuals can participate through this option.

The exclusion of spouses in many states from being paid has led to an unintended consequence of some divorces.  While there are rules prohibiting spouses from being paid, there are no rules that prohibit former spouses.

See our website for a state by state guide of the Medicaid programs. 

2) Medicaid Personal Care Services (PCS)

Approximately 50 percent of states allow for personal care services in their Medicaid State Plans.  As with Medicaid Waivers, some of these programs allow for consumer direction of personal care providers enabling participants to hire friends and family members to provide them with personal care. 

These PCS programs differ from Medicaid Waivers in two key ways.  First, typically Medicaid Waivers have less restrictive financial eligibility requirements than PCS programs.  It is not uncommon for the monthly income limit for a Waiver to be approximately $2,130, while Medicaid PCS programs might be closer to $800 - $1,000 / month.  Second, because these programs are offered through the Medicaid State Plans, they are entitlements, unlike Medicaid Waivers which are not. 

3) State Based Non-Medicaid Programs

There are also non-Medicaid consumer directed care programs.  Unfortunately, a much fewer number of states offer these programs.  During our most recent survey, we found 12 states offer consumer direction in their non-Medicaid assistance programs for the elderly. 

4) Veterans Directed Home and Community Based Services

The 4th option is for veterans and their spouses only.  Similar to Medicaid Home and Community Based Services Waivers, there are Veterans Directed Home and Community Based Services.  Under these programs veterans, especially those living in rural areas, are given the flexibility to select what cares services they require and whom shall provide them.  Family members and friends can be hired to provide personal care.

5) Medicaid Life Settlements

Also referred to as Life Care Funding Plans, this is the newest way family members can receive payment for caregiving.  The approach is for holders of life insurance policies who require ongoing care and are considering Medicaid as a long term solution. 

Medicaid counts life insurance policies as assets and generally persons with these policies cannot qualify.  A Medicaid Life Settlement allows the individual to convert their life insurance policy into a dollar amount of care services.  That money is put into an account and used to pay for care for the policyholder.  It can be used for any type of care such as home care, assisted living or to make home modifications that help seniors maintain their independence (walk-in tubs, wheelchair ramps, stairglides etc.). 

It can also be used to pay family members for the care they provide.  For example, a spouse with Alzheimer's may require 24 hour supervision.  They might go to adult day care for 8 hours on weekdays and be looked after by their spouse for the remaining time.  The spouse could be paid the hourly Medicaid rate for the caregiving. 

The account that holds the money is a Medicaid qualified spend down, so when the funds are exhausted the individual is in a very strong position to qualify for Medicaid.

To learn more about each of this option and discover other sources of funding please explore our website.