Can I get paid to take care of my grandmother who is 98 in her own home through Medicaid? She has $$ in the bank in the form of CDs

If the CDs are in your grandmothers name then they are considered her asset and she won’t be eligible for Medicaid home & community based services if she has assets. She can have her house, a car and $2000 in the bank. So if the CDs are over $2k, she won’t be eligible for Medicaid until the money has been spent down. And a great way to spend down the money is by paying you to be her caregiver. Once she’s spent down the money, she can apply for Medicaid & you can be paid through the program.

Her money is for her care, not family inheritances.

Your profile states that your grandmother is independent. Her children's view of what should happen to the money in her CD accounts is therefore immaterial. It is grandmother's view that counts.

(For Medicaid's view of the matter, see worriedinCali's explanation)

If she doesn't already get this important point, what you need to help her understand is that her money must be spent on her expenses first and then any that remains can go in due course to whomever she chooses. At the moment, I'm guessing, she would rather set aside her children's legacies and get by somehow on what's left over. She has in mind the cart before the horse.

What have your father and aunts actually had to say about the cost of her care? That they are self-isolating is probably quite sensible. It does not follow that they do or can expect you to abandon paid work and your other family commitments to provide her with care free of charge.

Have you talked to your grandmother about this?

Make sure you have a legally drawn up caregiver agreement with your grandma. It should stipulate what you will do for her and how much you will be paid. It will also cover reimbursement mileage when you drive her to appointments and if you are pick up groceries for her. When you buy groceries, either use her debit card or have her write a cheque to you stating in the memo line that it was for groceries on xyz date. Keep a copy of the cheque and the receipt

The agreement should also look at replacing you wages for the days you take off to care for her. If you usually make $200 a day, then she pays you that, plus reimburses you for mileage etc.

The most common question that we see on Aging care.

https://www.agingcare.com/articles/how-to-get-paid-for-being-a-caregiver-135476.htm

Yes, you are probably correct that her beneficiaries, one of which is one of your parents, will most likely not want to lose inheritance to cost of care. But, grandma's assets are for her care, FIRST. If they won't get a caregiver agreement to pay you, tell them to find someone else.