Sunday, July 27, 2008

Caregiver Benefits

Question: My parents are 80 and 85 years of age. I have recently had to consider moving in with my parents to become a full time caregiver as their health has declined very rapidly in the last two months. My parents’ doctors are aware that they are not capable of living alone. In a case such as this, are there any provisions given for caregivers as I need to work full time and will have to give up any outside employment. Other than my plan to take care of them, the only other option would be nursing homes. Thank you for this consideration.

Brenda from Kentucky

Answer: Sorry Brenda, there are no such provisions under Social Security.

I don’t know if they would qualify, and apparently it is a very difficult and time-consuming process, but your parents may qualify for some cash assistance from the Veteran’s Administration to help cover the cost of home care attendants. This program is called Aid & Attendance benefits. To be eligible, a veteran must have at least 1 day of wartime service, and the assets, not counting a home and a car, must be under $80,000. There are also income restrictions, but the cost of medical and health care assistance is deducted from income. Before contacting the VA, see the very helpful website VeteranAid.Org.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I have no idea if you've found the help you seek or not. If your parents are on Medicaid, or Medicare, you can apply to be a full time caregiver through them.