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My step bro. has POA over my dad’s estate. I’ve taken care of my dad & lived in his home for 12-13 yrs. & paid by my POA bro. $160./ month, cash. I NEVER had a day off, no weekends or holidays. One bro. would visit week days a few hours, while the POA would visit 1-2 a week. But they never helped with any of dad’s care. I recently hurt my back trying to break dad’s fall & ended up in the hospital, (several herniated discs & nerve damage) & eventually rehab, where I’m learning to walk & trying to control my bladder. The POA sent a letter, stating,“you abandoned our father & I had to hire two caregivers. We’ve changed the locks, come & get your belongings, or they’ll be tossed into the trash.” I weigh 105 lb. & am 5’ 2”. I not only cared for dad, but did ALL the house work (windows included), cooked three meals/ day, did all the grocery shopping, yard work, laundry, everything! I did it out of love for dad! A second letter arrived from POA stating, I was given free: rent, satellite TV, phone, gas, electricity & use of a car, all this was already in the home before I began caring for dad. NOTHING was added after my arrival. The 15 y. o. car’s maintenance, tags & insurance, were deducted from the $160./month. Presently two caregivers are doing the job I did, ALONE! The POA stated if I tried to fight him for anything, he’d use MY money to fight me! I’m assuming maybe dad left me a little something in the living trust, but I don’t know. I’m still in rehab & have no place to go. The POA sent me a check for a $5000. & allowed my neighbors to collected my belongings to store them. The POA didn’t state what the check was for, relocation expenses, or what. Do I have a legal right to view the living trust? My dad once mentioned he would leave something for me after his demise.

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Kvivara, the only reason I'm setting this down is that I remember what a relief it was to me when I related something hurtful a sibling had done and, before giving me practical advice, my Texan friend said "Gaad! What a cow!" I don't know, I suppose I just felt better to have it acknowledged that I'd been unkindly treated.

So although I agree with the very level-headed and pragmatic advice above, that will really help you focus on protecting yourself and your quality of life going forward, I just want to add: your stepbrother? - What an a******!
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Let's think this over. Dad is still alive, so you have not inherited anything yet. You will not be able to care for him anymore. You probably won't be able to drive the car. You will be eligible for Medicare SSDI payments. You will get Medicaid as well BUT if you have assets, like the $5K, you will have to spend it down before Medicaid kicks in. Your caseworker will help you find appropriate housing after rehab.
Don't go after money that the government will take anyway. Maximize the benefits you can get by not having assets.
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An aside - such lopside "accounting". They conveniently forgot to offset the benefits to the caregiver with the benefits to the father - 24/7 care, housekeeping and cooking, yard work, running errands and probably transportation to doctor's appointments. The dollar value of your work will be very apparent as they hire people to do these tasks, including weekends and holidays. Pam makes a great point - these days, the parent's care often eats up any inheritance. Take care of yourself.
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I think you should talk to a lawyer.
Not just about what might or might not be in a Living Trust but the fact that you were a "paid caregiver" but apparently taxes were not taken out...does not sound like unemployment was taken out...does not sound like Social Security was take out...and you fell while on the job. Technically you could probably sue for medical expenses, loss of wages as well as any permanent damage. Just like you would sue the driver of the car that hit you.
If your brother wants to "play hard ball" join the game with a hard hitting team.
I never like the idea of a law suit but I think in this case just talking to a lawyer and getting some information would be helpful as to what your rights are.
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Actually, the brother (the father even) can't just toss out her belongings and change the locks. They have to legally evict the caregiver. She does have basis for damages if she has money for a lawyer to pursue the matter. We don't know the whole story but. the home, TV, utilities, use of the car, etc all have value and can't be discounted just because they were there when the writer moved in.
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NEVER take on the role of being a care taker for a parent unless you are made POA. The job is hard enough with out having to deal with ungrateful siblings who are in control. Your story is not that unusual. You now have the choice of getting a lawyer (could be expensive) or walking away. I learned this lesson too and I am very sorry for your situation.
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Don't talk to them without an attorney present. Whatever the law says, if there were laws against what they did, they did it anyway. My experience trying to get attorneys is that it is best to speak with a paralegal or the attorney him/herself when you call them. If you speak with a secretary, often they are not well-versed in whatever the topic is and all they do is input what you say into some data entry form. Speak directly to the attorney and remember you only have a half hour if that. I find it best to work from notes. I also found that they got turned off if I didn't speak in an organized manner, spoke too quickly, got too emotional, added too many extraneous details or added too much "opinion" that wasn't fact, or added speculation that couldn't be proven nor was based on solid evidence. Also, tell them everything in the order that it occurred. I know when you are on the phone it's hard because they pressure you, some can be rather abrasive, too.

Another thing. I have called bar associations and have had a bad experience with them. Try your best to get an entire list to work from That's not what the bar associations will give you. Calling them will lead to a lengthy wait, and only one name at a time. I personally found that so exhausting! Invariably the names they gave me led to dead ends and so much hanging on the phone that I wondered if the "system" was designed to get people to give up! Try to get a long list of attorneys from some other source. Actually, this site has listings right on here by state and topic.

Another thing (this probably varies by state as well) but I found that the state legal assistance agencies are weak or nonexistent or just do not help anyone. Or actually, they exist to stall, stall, stall and hope that the people who have been screwed (like us) give up and stop being pests. I am not the only one who had this experience. I usually tell people to go to private attorneys and hope that one will take you on. Yes, it is really like a needle in a haystack.

Try your state rep, too. Their offices sometimes have resources.
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First thing, find a place to live after you are out of rehab. Buy some groceries, and set up telephone, electricity, etc. Life essentials. That will probably take the bulk of your $5000. Then, go to your Social Security and Medicaid offices, county welfare, etc. and see what help you can get. It's not fair, but you've been screwed over by a bunch of narcissists. As someone else said, they'll soon learn the real market value of the care you've provided...and that will make them even more stingy with any funds that might be earmarked for you. Say a prayer for your Dad, who is the loser in this, and sing a little song of freedom for yourself. You have a chance to make a new life now, away from these people who have taken you for granted.
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That's just ridiculous. First, your dad is alive so he doesn't have an estate. Your BIL has financial POA so he should have been paying all your dad's bills and seeing to his care (at least financially) using your father's assets. Money didn't need to go to you unless an agreement for reimbursement for care was arranged. That's generally not done because 1. It's family! 2. You're living rent free and using the things that he uses. So, that's like your payment. Your BIL cannot legally kick you out. He can evict you with proper notice. I know because my second cousin was recently kicked out by her boyfriend, and he had to let her live there for a month. As everyone has said, get thee to a lawyer. Best of luck.
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Retain an attorney. You'll need one.
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