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When my dad needed full-time care my sister and I checked into the details of his ltc policy just to see what it covered and there did not seem to be a way for us to be paid to care for him (and my sister is an RN). So we think of the policy as basically as insurance if something were to happen to one or both of us.
What state are you in?
Thus, it would be far better to help your Mom, without an Agency, and let her pay you the amount the caregiving Agency would be paying you. I do think the schooling would be excellent as so many of us dive into this adventure without any training at all.
An alternative to working for an agency is to be paid directly by your mom or other family members as Eyerishlass was. If your mom pays you, then make sure you have a signed and notarized personal services agreement (PCA) to ensure that her payments to you will not be considered as gifts made during a 5-year Medicaid look-back period that could be in your mom's future. (If your mom is eligible for veterans assistance, a PCA will also be useful for that.) Unless your mom's monthly retirement benefits are larger than most, a need for Medicaid could be in her future. Here's a link to an AgingCare.com article on Personal Care Agreements (PCA) including a link to a sample PCA: https://www.agingcare.com/articles/personal-care-agreements-compensate-family-caregivers-181562.htm
You haven't said what your mom's condition is or how many hours of care she needs, but if she needs 24-hour care now or in her likely future, that will be the equivalent of 4.5 full-time jobs (8,760 hours in a year / 1,940 avg. full-time hours = 4.56). My experience is that this becomes physically and mentally exhausting and the result is that nearly half of caregivers die before the person receiving care. If your mom does not yet need 24-hour care, then you providing her care via a PCA could be at least a temporary solution for her to help you with your finances while not not jeopardizing her future Medicaid eligibility.
There was no such arrangement when I cared for my mom. Or when I cared for my dad.
The truth is that most of us family caregivers don’t get paid. Some states provide a (very) small allowance, I think through Medicaid. I’ve heard the waiting list for those funds is very long. And yes, it’s not fair.