Can I be reimbursed for mileage?

I rather doubt it, but you can check with whoever monitors his money. Mileage to take a Veteran to medical appointments can be deducted and in some cases reimbursed, but I'm not so sure in this case. Any others on this thread who know the answer?
Carol

My Dad has a lawyer that I was able to go to .He knew, I have alot on my plate for a couple of years now as my Dad starting getting sick all the time he depended on me for everything .My brothers sisters wouldn't do anything The lawyer wrote up a caretaking agreement and my Dad agreed to pay every month an amount that he could afford .my husband does all the handy work mechanical fixing around my Dad's house and I do all the running food bills cleaning doctor appts now he needs 24 hour care So he's in a senior group house instead of nursing home its really nice but he still needs me for doctors paying his bills care of his home so on....You should check into and make sure it's written signed by lawyer

Aren't you supposed to be a loving daughter who would make those trips out of love? Asking for mileage seems really petty...

To ferris1 - The trip can be made for love, but love doesn't pay for gas. Some of us are on limited incomes, and things like this matter.
To crazy8 - Maybe it's time to think about selling the house, if you don't think your father will ever be able to move back home. An empty house doesn't "keep" well.

Ferris,
We aren't supposed to be judgmental here, just to give helpful answers. Elders make choices that impact their children. I would not expect my children to look after my home for nothing especially if I weren't living in it.
Now crazy 8 - We kept my mother's home for the past 5 years that she's been living with us. It has gone down a lot even though we pay a neighbor to look after the lawn and minor upkeep. The roof is now starting to go so that is a major expense. My mother's home is 3 hours away from us. renting it out is out of the question with this kind of drive, we are selling it. Think about that now rather than later when it could cost lots in fix up money.

If you take him to the doctor, I know you can put the mileage on your taxes if if if he is listed as a dependant...

To Ferris: my mom has some financially better off friends who insist on not taking her money that she might offer for their giving her rides. Oh yes, she had temper tantrums for about 5 years insisting that just because I was her daughter she wouldn't have to give me anything, not expect that I have to work for a living, calling me daily with her daily trauma demands and all the rest. I finally went to a counselor, learned how to deliver my boundaries, asked her for money for gas, and limited my errand running to one day a week. Her love isn't worth much to me at this point, to tell you the truth because she is so mentally ill and mean to me.
Part of detachment is refusing to play the part of the "loving daughter" in an abusive relationship: sick or not.

She is a loving daughter and her is funny and had to cut back on hour to see her father. You do not known what her resources look like. Maybe move your home with you. Gas price very at time.

Love does not pay the bills when your on a fixed income and it costs $30 in gas to take a parent where they need to go. Helping an elderly parent should not become a financial burden on adult children.

crazy8, could your Dad pay you as a *property manager* for his home? Glad to hear that the house has been winterized, you'd be surprised how many people forget to do that.

Make sure your Dad's home insurance has been notified that the house is vacant... the insurance company might tack on an extra fee because the house is more of risk being empty..... otherwise if something did happen to the house and the insurance company wasn't notified the insurance company might not pay for full damage.

Yeah and especially when they just don't want or mentally can't comprehend that you don't exist only for them! When I had no work, and no food, she still didn't get it. When I asked for gas money, she'd literally throw $5 at me as if it were a dagger.
I finally became more and more unavailable. She began turning to others: many times her needs are just excuses for people to entertain her. She's also a bottomless well in that respect. She never gets enough attention. I am so DONE!

I really dont know the answer to your question but I do know that you are eligible to get reimbursed for out of pocket expenses. I recommend keeping track of your mileage until you find out the legal answer. Current reimbursement for mileage is .56 per. Keep your gas receipts as well and talk to your father's financial caretaker to atleast get reimbursed for your fuel expenses. Mileage reimbursement is quite a bit more which is expected to cover repair expenses and so on. Ask yourself if you really need to check on his vacant home 3 x/wk or will 1 time be sufficient? Love does not pay the expenses... money does.

Now aday we are accommodating and sacrificing our self to make sure parent are care for and doing well. When taxes come saver the gas receipts for 2015. If taken to VA for visit they pay you fortravel time. Take care our self also be careful with hardship. I telling you from experience , but hardship hit me and both parent gone. I got to get myself back for the hardship and these mine. Family members do notcare. It is not there money or resources.

News flash - gas prices have really decreased. If you cannot afford the gas prices, then don't attend to your father's house, and maybe it is time for a sale because he will not be going back. Not all daughters and sons are loving, nor are all parents, so forgive me for "assuming" such. I made an ass out of you and me.

Keep track of the miles and hours, send it as an itemized bill to whomever is the POA. Any payment for your time will need to be reported as income to Fed and State. You can only deduct mileage for medical appointments, and then only if you parent is claimed on your tax return as your dependent.

The house is 45 miles round trip from your home? So, that is 22.5 miles, one way. How long does it take you to get there & back, one way? 15 or 20 minutes?

If the pipes have been drained & the water has been turned off, why do you need to go there 2 or 3 times a week? People that leave their homes in the northeast to go to Florida for the entire winter do the same---turn of water, drain pipes---and maybe have someone check on the house once a month or so. It is unnecessary to check on your father's house 2 or 3 times a week.

If your father is never going to be able to go back to his house, you'd probably be better off selling it. Keeping electric & heat on for an empty house is a total waste.

Freqflyer had a FANTASTIC point that nobody ever thinks of----notifying the insurance company that the house is vacant. If something were to happen---like the house was broken into, the walls destroyed to access the copper pipes & the copper stolen, like what happened to a friend of mine---if the insurance company was not made aware that the house was vacant, to change the policy, they will not cover the repairs. My friend said that she didn't even know that her homeowner's insurance company needed to be notified that no one was living in the house----it was up for sale & they had already moved into another home. So, that is pretty important, actually.

Probably don't need to visit as much as I do, but the insurance company has been notified that it is vacant, and their requirement is due to its location it needs to appear that it is visited often enough to keep the snow plowed as it needs to look like their is frequent traffic, the walks need to be kept shoveled etc, with no accumulations. As for shutting the heat off, it is kept on minimally to keep the wallpaper etc. from being damaged by dampness. It will sell in the spring, but lake property doesnt sell well in the winter, especially as remote as it is.

thanks ferris1, your lack of help and apparently uncaring, has been unwelcomed and I will be unsubscribing from this site. It appears your not interested in offering constructive criticism and I hope that one day you get to walk a mile in my shoes.

Crazy8, don't leave the site because of one or two unkind comments. There are many people here who can provide ideas for dealing with aging parents. It sounds to me like you have done everything necessary to care for the house until you have a chance to list it for sale. My mil moved to assisted living several years ago, and was stalling on the house sale because she wanted to "go through everything" in the house despite the fact that she was too ill to spend more than an hour at a time there. After a year, the insurance company discovered that the house was vacant and said the policy would be cancelled in 30 days. Only then did she decide to sell, and we had to scramble to get it emptied, cleaned and repaired for listing.

As far as reimbursement, who would be reimbursing you? If your father has funds, there is no reason why he can't pay you mileage for your trips. If Medicaid will be likely in his future, you should carefully document each trip so that it will be treated as reimbursement, and not a gift. A service contract written up by a lawyer would be an added layer of proof. If you father is already receiving help from Medicaid or some other program, I don't believe that any of these programs will pay you mileage. I reimburse myself from my mother's funds for any purchases I make for her (I keep receipts) and also for mileage to run errands and take her to appointments. My father wanted whoever did the work to be paid for their out-of-pocket expenses and I have been assured by an attorney that this will not be a problem as long as there is good documentation. I am not paid for my time.