I quit my job to take care of my parents. Where can I get help with the finances?

Nov 28, 2011

i had to give up my job b/c i take care of my parents and take them back and forth to doctor appt. and my work place just don't understand

garydbowling

Nov 28, 2011

i love careing for my parents but i can't have a job b/c of the care i give!

garydbowling

Nov 28, 2011

i enjoy taken care of my parents but i have no money coming in to help me, so what do i do b/c don't want them to go in a nursing home?

mariesmom

Nov 28, 2011

Here is some info you might find useful.

FMLA Family Medical leave The FMLA entitles eligible employees of covered employers to take unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons with continuation of group health insurance coverage under the same terms and conditions as if the employee had not taken leave. Eligible employees are entitled to:

* Twelve workweeks of leave in a 12-month period for:
o the birth of a child and to care for the newborn child within one year of birth;
o the placement with the employee of a child for adoption or foster care and to care for the newly placed child within one year of placement;
o to care for the employee’s spouse, child, or parent who has a serious health condition;
o a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the essential functions of his or her job;
o any qualifying exigency arising out of the fact that the employee’s spouse, son, daughter, or parent is a covered military member on “covered active duty;” or

* Twenty-six workweeks of leave during a single 12-month period to care for a covered servicemember with a serious injury or illness who is the spouse, son, daughter, parent, or next of kin to the employee (military caregiver leave).

Medicaid in some states runs a program called Cash and Counseling, which pays seniors directly to cover their in-home care. The amount the senior receives depends on a Medicaid assessment of need and the prevailing pay rate for in-home care aides in that state.

Seniors can then use the money to pay anyone of their choosing — including you or other family members — to provide care. They can also use some of the money to buy things for the home that would make life more comfortable, such as kitchen items, a new vacuum cleaner, safety equipment, or the like. Or they can use some of the money to pay for services such as cleaning, meal delivery, or transportation.

Cash and Counseling programs are currently in effect in the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia. Other states have programs similar to Cash and Counseling, offering cash for in-home care to seniors who have little money but whose income or assets are slightly too high for them to qualify for Medicaid in that state.