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She's been living with us for the past 13 years? We pay all of her living expenses, manage all her medical care, transportation, etc, and have gotten her through several major illnesses (two bouts of cancer) and surgeries in this span of time - It almost seems crazy that she makes over the minimum in her dividends to be able to claim her as a dependent on her taxes. We had to move her cross country 13 years ago as she was running out of $$ to live on her own and care for herself. Here we are on tax day again barely making ends meet for ourselves and have an additional dependent we cannot claim - With so many people in this same situation having to move their elderly parents in with them, if this is the status quo, it seems there needs to be some serious tax reform here that needs to be looked at. We live in California, and someone mentioned that we may be able to get a small stipend for being her caretaker, does anyone know anything about this? Thank you!

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That’s a very common question about being paid. Majority of grown children do not get paid for caring for their parent, unless the parent is financially able to pay from their own pocket. If a parent can afford to pay you, the parent might as well hire a certified trained caregiver allowing you to keep a full-time job.

See If your parent qualifies for Medicaid, the State might allow a trained Caregiver come in to help for a couple hours. Also check to see if your State is one of those States that has a “Cash and Counseling” program to help you out, it‘s worth looking into. Note that each State has their own rules, regulations, and programs. It's my understand that California does offer some type of aid to the caregivers.

If your Mom gets dividends, I assume that means your Mom owns stock. You might look into selling said stock to use for her care, thus giving her more of a chance to apply for Medicaid. Best bet is to told to an Elder Law attorney for his/her opinion on what to do regarding the stock.

Also contact your county agency on aging for programs, such as Case Management, Meals on Wheels, Adult Day Care, housing, care referrals, etc,... go to the website link below.... click on your State.... now click on the city/county. https://www.agingcare.com/local/Area-Agency-on-Aging

And please come back to the forums if you have any Caregiving questions, we would be more than happy to share our experiences with you, and give you ideas on what to do.
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P.S. regarding tax reform... I can understand your frustration. Instead of tax reform, we need to start teaching the next generation to save big time for those rainy days and for their retirement.

Any time there is a local or State vote to raise taxes to help pay for more social funding, thus Medicaid, the voters tend to vote "no". We have only ourselves to blame :(
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Thanks for your thoughtful answer and all the info - I certainly wasn't implying that "grown children" should get paid for caring for their parents! My mother certainly cannot afford to pay me as she had to leave her independent living and move into our home, where we do not take or ask for living expenses, nor would she be able to cover them - her measly $100 or so she earns monthly on dividends do not warrant selling stock. But I would think in this day and age, when they are CLEARLY dependants, you should be able to claim them as such on your taxes, I have to chuckle at where the $3-4K earnings formula was calculated - ridiculous.
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Does your Mom receive social security or is the stock her only source of income getting only $1,200 per year? Her expenses living with you are certainly much more than that. I would also check with a CPA or tax preparer as to what are your options.

Sounds like Mom is probably just over the limit for help from Medicaid? I really would consider selling some of her stock and using it for her care, so that eventually you can put her as a *dependent* on your income tax, and also help her qualify for Medicaid. There will come a time when she will need a higher level of care, something one person just cannot do.
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