How can I get paid for taking care of parents?

There are two ways you might get paid for taking care of your parents -- in addition to your parents paying you directly. Depending on the rules in your state, you might be able to get paid as a home care aide if your parents qualify for the state's Medicaid program and Medicaid providing them with home care. But for you to get paid to provide that home care, you'd have to be certified by the state as a home care provider. To get certified, you have to go through training that meets state and Medicaid requirements. Such training is often available for low fees at local community colleges or adult schools. One place to start finding out about getting certified is your county's local social services or human services department; ask them about Medicaid caregiver certification. Or, you can use an Internet search engine -- in the search field, enter the name of your state plus the words "Medicaid paid caregiver."

Another way to get paid is if your parents have long-term care insurance and they qualify for the insurance policy's home care benefits. Some long-term care insurance policies only pay for home care that is provided through a licensed home care agency. But other policies pay for care provided by individual aides if they are certified by the state as home care aides. And still other policies pay a daily benefit amount directly to the insured person, who can turn around and use it pay anyone. If your parents have such a policy, carefully read the sections of the policy that describe home care benefits.