Caregiving
Getting paid as a caregiver, legal authority, paying for care, and help for relatives raising a child, in one place.
Caring for a relative raises two questions: what help exists, and whether any of it pays. The answers come from different programs. In many states a Medicaid waiver can pay a family member for hands-on care. The National Family Caregiver Support Program offers respite care, counseling and training, but no paycheck. Grandparents and other relatives raising a child have their own set of programs, which the guide below explains. The calculators check which of these fit your situation.
Grandfamilies Benefits Guide: TANF Child-Only vs. Kinship Navigator
Help for grandparents raising grandchildren comes from three separate programs with different rules.
Read more → Financial HardshipGetting Paid as a Family Caregiver: The Tax Rule Neither Checker Covers
Pay from a Medicaid waiver program for caring for a relative can be free of federal income tax.
Read more → Elder ProtectionPower of Attorney vs. Guardianship vs. Advance Directive
You create a power of attorney and an advance directive yourself. A court creates a guardianship when those documents are missing. Here is what each one covers.
Read more → VeteransHow to Apply for VA Aid and Attendance (And the Look-Back Rule Nobody Mentions)
The application is one medical form attached to a pension claim.
Read more → HousingDoes Medicaid Pay for Assisted Living? The Real Answer
Medicaid can pay for care in assisted living, but never for rent or meals, and the care coverage comes with a waitlist in many states.
Read more → HousingHow Much Does Assisted Living Cost? A State-by-State Guide
The national median is $6,200 a month. State medians run from about $4,400 to more than $12,000, and the advertised base rate often leaves out care fees.
Read more → Housing & Long-Term CareDoes Medicare Cover Long-Term Care? Skilled Nursing, Home Health, and Hospice Explained
Medicare pays for skilled care with an end point: a rehab stay, home health visits, hospice. It does not pay for ongoing help with daily living.
Read more → Financial HardshipCongregate Meals vs. Meals on Wheels
The same federal law funds both programs. One serves a meal at a community site with other people, and the other delivers to the home. Here is who each one is for.
Read more →A caregiver's starting point
Family caregivers often juggle three things at once: arranging care, paying for it, and handling legal and money matters for someone who may not be able to. Help exists for each, but it comes from different places. Medicaid home and community-based services waivers can pay for in-home care, and in many states can pay a family member to provide it. The National Family Caregiver Support Program, run through local Area Agencies on Aging, offers respite, training and counseling. The VA has its own caregiver programs and the Aid and Attendance pension for veterans and surviving spouses.
Where to start
- Can I be paid? Check the paid family caregiver checker, then read how caregiver pay is taxed.
- Need a break or training? See what the Family Caregiver Support Program offers, and find your local office with the area agency on aging locator.
- Need legal authority? Read power of attorney vs guardianship before an emergency forces the decision.
- Paying for care? Compare costs with the senior care cost calculator and read whether Medicaid pays for assisted living.
- Caring for a veteran? See how to apply for Aid and Attendance.
- Raising a grandchild? Start with the grandfamilies benefits guide.