I've be living in my mom's house for about a year. I can't hardly get out of the house since October of last year. I have my mom on Medicaid Waiver and I've been being paid some but not much. The job is 24/7/365 never any days off or uninterrupted sleep but I only get paid 15 to 24 hours per week. As it was explained to me, my mom was approved for 31 hours respite care, so those hours are really for a home care agency to come in to give me a break, but since the agency doesn't have somebody available for all 31 hours, I can get paid for the hours they don't work. Currently the lady who stops by here only has 3 hours per week.
To explain it further, the agency charges $30/hr self-pay, so those people get priority. Medicaid only pays the agency $20/hr, so they take the self-pay clients first, then my mom gets whoever happens to be available if they have extra time. Should they have the availability to work more hours, then I can only get paid for whatever hours are left if any. To make it more screwy, they approved me for up to $17/hr. but I'm only authorized to bill for $14/hr. They said that was so they would have room to give me a raise. I don't think it's right the agency gets $20 and I only get $14, but that's another story.
My big concern is right now, if my mom goes to a nursing home, my income stops. Also, if she would pass away, my income would stop as well. I would need a job like fast. I've been a family caregiver for the past year now and likely it will continue on a little longer. There is NO other family to help. According to a lawyer I talked to, if my mom is on Medicaid and goes into a nursing home, I would be expected to pay her fair market value for my rent which would go towards her care. Since I don't have a job, I wouldn't be able to pay rent and would have to move out with no place to go. The lawyer told me having another source of income from outside the house would be my best option. I tried for several part-time openings but each time they decided to go with another applicant.
I don't even know about getting my old job back, all of the managers over me have quit and they have all new people working there so I don't know anyone. It's 50 miles from my mom's place and we have to deal with a number of customers every day, so the chances of getting COVID-19 are really high and if I get exposed I can't go back to my mom's place.
Even if my mom passes away, there is still the problem with the life estate she did back in 2008. Her idea was to leave me her house, but a new law passed in 2017 prevents that. A second lawyer showed me a table, https://public-dhhs.ne.gov/nfocus/Manuals/APX469/apx469/life_estate_and_remainder_interest_table.htm My mom is 96 so you take the value of the house (all I know is the current tax value) which is showing as 25,000 x .22181 which gives you her share or $5,545.25. This would depend on the amount the house is appraised for which could be lower or higher, but with no job and unable to borrow the money, I would be forced to sell the house leaving me homeless.
Saving the house would only help me out a little bit because I would still need an income to support it.
I hope you will consider continuing a job hunt, working at first for low pay as apprentice. There are so many skills that today are more rare and require learning as you go whether tile setting, building, plumbing or any other skill. You will be starting from scratching from scratch.
This is how it is done. You need a job and you decide what you want to do and you work your way up. I can't even tell you the number of years it took me to work from CNA to RN. Two kids, job, college course a year, and just devilish hard work. I sure wish you luck.
Maybe all of us here can look into what social programs are available in SGeorge24's state and federal ones.
They are out there if you know how to look. Sometimes a person has to be willing to work the system a bit too and shouldn't feel at all bad or embarrassed by it if they are in need.
Good caregivers who show up, put in the time they are being paid for and are honest to boot are HARD to find.
And, nope, you will not get the full amt that the pts family pays as income. The agency has to run!
I made a roaring $9 an hour when I first started CG. But that was actually slightly higher than minimum wage at that time--after 6 months I inquired about a raise and was told 'we don't give raises, ever'. I replied "then that's why you have a 100% turnover every year!!" My client's family drew up legal contracts and tipped me out every month so I made more like $15 an hour. It was all done aboveboard and with 2 lawyers (the sons) drawing it up so it didn't look sketchy.
My agency would not allow more than 32 hrs, b/c at that point they had to pay health insurance and they did NOT want to do that. And, actually, 32 hours was about all I could handle.
You may make more at a NH, or ALF, than in private care. If I were to go back, I would have taken the CNA licensing classes and been qualified for better pay.
A nursing home CNA doesn't make much above minimum. For that money a nursing home CNA has to bust their ass. It's not worth it.
Private in-home care pays a lot more than any agency or nursing home. The downside is that the work and hours aren't guaranteed.
https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=68-919
I'd find a better attorney to help you with this. A good social worker may also be able to help.
The lawyer told you your best option is to have another source of income outside the house. The lawyer didn't figure that you probably knew that already? I hope you didn't have to pay him much to tell you that. Talk to a different one.
Anyway, Medicaid does a five year look back on property and assets. Your mother's property could be protected. If it's not and she does have to go to a nursing home, you will not just get thrown out of the house that day. The nursing home will try to scare and intimidate you about what you will owe them, but you can't get blood from a stone and they know that.
Could it be a possibility for you to take boarders into the house? Or as they are more politely called 'paying guests'. This way you may have an option other than a homeless shelter or a park bench.
There are resources out there and I think you would benefit better from a social worker than from a lawyer. There are all kinds of programs people collect on. People who are far better off than you are getting. Programs like rent subsidy, food stamps, Medicaid, and disability (SSI or SSD). There are also federal programs called 'Basic Needs' which are for housing and other necessities. You may have to work a little bit of a hustle, but you wouldn't be the first or certainly the last to do so.
Please speak to a social worker through your state's Department of Social Services.
Good Luck on the job hunt!
There are many people that have "reinvented" themselves this past year.
You have not mentioned what you did when you were working but many places are still hiring and employees are Working From Home. (I would be very surprised if that will not become the "norm" as many businesses are finding that the work gets done and they are not paying rent for multiple brick and mortar offices) Keep applying.
From the posts that I have read and the comments I agree that you need to find another lawyer.
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