Any help at all with finances when a parent lives at my home and is dependent on me for just about everything?
Expert Answer by Joseph L. Matthews
Joseph L. Matthews is a Caring.com senior editor, an attorney, and the author of Long-Term Care: How to Plan & Pay for It and Social Security, Medicare, & Government Pensions: Get the Most Out of Your Retirement & Medical Benefits.
You might be able to get some pay directly from the state for taking care of your parent if your parent has few assets and little income. Your parent might qualify for home care through Medicaid. But instead of getting that care from a Medicaid home care agency, it might be possible – depending on the rules in the state where you live -- to have the state pay your parent directly. She could then use the money to pay you for taking care of her. In some states, this kind of cash assistance is possible even your parent has slightly too much income or assets to qualify for Medicaid.
All this depends on your state having a program called Cash and Counseling, or a similar program. To find out more about these cash assistance programs, go to the page on this site called How to Get Paid for Being Your Parent's Caregiver. Your parent can apply for Medicaid and Cash and Counseling, or for a similar state cash assistance program, at your local Medicaid office. To find the local Medicaid (social services) office near you, contact the Eldercare Locator by phone toll-free at 800-677-1116, or go online to any search engine and type in the word Medicaid plus the name of your state.
