Nothing big; small things like used paperback books. Maybe a couple dollars from her purse? Nothing she can prove. Plus, Mom's memory is notoriously bad, and it's entirely possible she just can't remember what the did with these things. She says she can no longer trust CG and wants to let her go. We have been here before, and each time Mom called me just before D-day and said "never mind, everything's okay, caregiver is wonderful." We are not there yet.
My concerns are that the care is paid for with VA funds (Aid & Attendance) and is with an agency. So, 1) if we let her go and can't replace her, the A&A funds will go away; 2) I think we need to be careful with confronting CG, as there is no proof and I don't think we can just accuse and let her go. Does anyone know the rules on this? I'm thinking the agency would expect us to tell them the CG is not a good fit and we need them to send someone else. But, the agency didn't find her in the first place, as Mom lives in a remote area and the agency/we would have had to pay 2 hours of travel time each day. So we recruited someone local, and Mom is her only client. When Mom is not suspecting her of stealing or lying, she is singing her praises.
Sorry for the long-winded post. All I need to know at this point is, when you suspect a household employee of stealing, how must you conduct yourself to avoid overstepping any legal constraints? Thank you, experts.
Not all facilities have "Medicaid Beds" and she might be on a waiting list.
There are lots of others that post that know soooo much more about Medicaid than I do hopefully they will respond and give some insight.
We live in a litigious world and accusations of wrong doing can end in lawsuits if you are dealing with an entitled, irresponsible jerk. Tread lightly when dismissing someone.
If you have an accountant or know someone that does, ask them about doing the payroll or you can use a payroll company that is set up to be the "employer" meaning they file the payroll under their company tax numbers and have workman comp insurance, etc.
I don't know about all industries but my workmans comp annual minimum was 1,500.00. So it may be well worth what they charge, or I also had to pay a 200.00 bond for unemployment insurance. Speak to your insurance broker for guidance on workman comp, your state will help you with unemployment and other state requirements and the IRS can help you with SS/Medicare, FUTA, and Fed Withholding.
I looked up some general info about Workers Comp in California, and it said about $800-$900 a year for household employees. I think now I can get an actual quote since I have CG's DMV report. And the most economical payroll service quoted $45 a month to help get an employer ID, handle payroll including withholding, FICA, SDI etc and file quarterly taxes, end of year filings, basically everything but Workers Comp.
You do not indicate if she has been diagnosed with any type of dementia.
The thought/fear that someone is stealing from you is a common one with dementia for the simple fact that they do not know what happened to the missing item so the assumption is that it was stolen.
There is not much that you can do about the thought/fear other than try to work around it using diversion, therapeutic fibs.
You can tell mom that you can’t fire one caregiver without having another in place first so the one will have to stay until a replacement can be found, vetted and trained. By the time all that would be done mom will be “ok” with keeping the caregiver she has now.
Hopefully the caregiver is understanding and can work with this type of scenario.
I do think your mom should be tested for dementia.
It might be wise to put in cameras so that you can monitor mom when the caregiver is not there. IF you are dealing with dementia mom should not be left alone.
I like your answer about having to put another CG in place before firing the current one. That will probably work. In so many ways, Mom is still very sharp and functional. But she is having more and more trouble remembering events, conversations and things in the house that she moves or changes. Between CG, SIL and myself we cover nearly every day through mealtimes, meds and appointments, more if she is ill. But the funds are not there for more paid hours, and family is about at our limit of time we can put in without sacrificing others who need us, or our own health. I feel like Mom will soon be needing placement but again, the funding just doesn't exist, even with the VA benefit. Meanwhile, I'm trying to extend the hours we get from VA by looking at direct hire with all the legal requirements met.