What would disqualify me from caregiver pay to take care of my mom, who has lived with me 12 years and now needs close care?

Consult with an attorney specializing in elder care.

And:

Here is some information I just found:

To become a paid family caregiver in California, the main route is through the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) programthrough the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program, requiring Medi-Cal eligibility, a needs assessment, and care recipient self-direction; other options include Paid Family Leave (temporary wage replacement), Veteran's benefits, or long-term care insurance, with IHSS allowing family members to be paid for assisting eligible seniors or disabled individuals with daily tasks in their homes, often without needing a separate license but requiring state enrollment and a background check for the caregiver.

Key Program: In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS)

Eligibility for Recipient: The care recipient must be a California resident, enrolled in Medi-Cal, and live in their own home (not a facility).

Application Process:

Apply for IHSS through your county's social services agency. Undergo a county assessment (interview) to determine care needs (e.g., bathing, dressing, meal prep) and authorized hours. Submit a Health Care Certification (Form SOC 873) from a doctor.

Caregiver Requirements:

You must be at least 18, a California resident, and pass a background check. You'll need to complete enrollment and paperwork to become an authorized IHSS provider. Family caregivers (including spouses) can be hired and paid by the state through IHSS.

Other Potential Ways to Get Paid

California Paid Family Leave (PFL): Offers partial wage replacement (up to 8 weeks) for temporary leave to care for a seriously ill family member, requiring State Disability Insurance (SDI) deductions.

Veteran's Benefits: Programs like Aid & Attendance or Veterans Directed Home & Community Based Services can provide funds for family care.
Long-Term Care Insurance (LTCI): If the care recipient has a policy, it may cover family caregivers.

General Caregiver Steps

Get Training/Certification: While not always mandatory for IHSS, courses (like CNA) or certifications can improve skills and may be required by private agencies.
Build Skills:

Use resources like the California Caregiver Resource Centers for guidance and support.

Gena / Touch Matters

Contact your County's Dept. on Aging to inquire and request an application. I live in the State of Illinois and they have exemption disqualifying payment if you are the POA. This makes no sense as the POA is often the advocate and caretaker/caregiver. If you are POA and there is an exemption or pay based on this in your state, apply anyhow as appeals and exemptions can be made on an individual or case-by-case basis dependant upon circumstances.

There is no guarantee that the person can be paid to care for the person's mom.

Not a damned thing that's stopping you from getting paid to care for your mom. Senior services ADRC and DHS for disabled people who can help you with getting paid.

Other community members have already explained how Medicaid paid programs in your state can cover your mother's home care.

The care you provide protects her and saves the state from having to pay for care in a skilled nursing facility.

To answer your question "what would disqualify me from caregiver pay," let's focus on who would be paying you: Your mother? The state Medicaid program? or maybe both?

Your mother could pay you from her income and assets, but you will need a written Caregiver Contract with her to document the work you are doing. Your hourly rate of pay should conform to what home health care providers are paid in your state. Set up a payroll with a local accountant or online payroll service to keep track of your income taxes. You'll be contributing to your own Social Security retirement account by complying with the tax laws.

Without these payroll formalities that document your mother's money is being spent for valuable services, the transfers could be considered disqualifying, and your mother could be denied Medicaid in the future.

The Medicaid program in your state could pay for the care you provide, if your mother's income and assets fit under the eligibility limits. If your mother's life savings are over the asset limits, she can spend them down by paying you.

Most states already have a 5-year look-back period for Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) programs, meaning that an elder can't simply give away assets within five years before applying for Medicaid. My state (Massachusetts) didn't have this transfer restriction for elders needing home care, but beginning in 2026 the 5 year rule is being imposed here. California had a shorter 3 year look back period, but California will also be looking back 5 years starting in 2026.

It's possible you could be paid by both your mother and by the Medicaid program, if you carefully document your services and comply with the program rules. By documenting your care services you protect yourself and your mother's eligibility now and in the future.

Your question indicates that you already own the house you are living in. For other people reading this, it's worth mentioning that Medicaid has exceptions that allow an elder to transfer their house to a disabled family member or to a caregiver child who lives in the house. But there are strict requirements for using these exceptions.

If your mother can afford to pay for care, talk to her about what would be a fair monetary arrangement.
If you are hoping for government benefits, then you can help her to apply for medicaid. If she is financially eligible, and her condition makes her eligible for care at home for activities of daily living, then you may be paid to provide those cares.

The case manager who assess your mother's needs will break it down into tasks which have an assigned length of time, from 15 min to 1 hour. They will tell you how many hours of care your mother is approved for on a weekly basis.

There is no government benefit you can receive simply for having an elderly parent living with you who requires help with their daily needs.

The program that could potentially pay you would be IF your States Home & Community Based Services Medicaid program (HCBS) does funding for IHHS (In Home Health Services) AND IF the IHHS allows for family caregivers to be paid by Medicaid (as opposed to only have caregiving done by contracted agencies). HCBS is an “at need” medically plus financially program similar to the LTC Medicaid program (the one that a pays for care in a Nursing Home/Skilled Nursing Facility) but is more low/lower income than LTC Medicaid which is basically being impoverished for most States eligibility.

Your State will have a website for Medicaid which has information on how Medicaid programs in your State run. Medicaid is joint Federal and State funding but administered by each State uniquely. What your State does is what matters.

Also you & mom will be within an Area (Council) on Aging which has info on elder programs. AoA’s exist nationwide and are in every State. They are a sector within the Council of Governments in your State, which coordinate regional planning programs that cross jurisdictional lines, like transportation planning. Aging is just 1 of many divisions of the “Council”. The AoA will have info on what programs exist and tend to be the place where Ombudsman’s for NH and AL are as paid staff. AoAs are your tax dollars at work so utilized them.

If your State does family caregivers paid thru HCBS, what you will be paid will be interdependent on the care plan assessment for your mom and what your State has as its minimum wage. Mom will be evaluated as to determining her care plan.

IHHS tends to be 15-30 hrs per week.* Unless it’s in a very HCOL city, like New York, which will do 40+ hours. The wages paid tend to be maybe 25% above your State or city’s minimum wage. Wages have FICA done; it’s reported & taxable income. Like TX which has $7.25 hr min wage pays IHHS caregivers abt $10.50 hr. It’s low wages and is a problem as it’s hard for agencies to keep employees as they can go work for Target for $15+ hr a d work more than a few hours a week.

* on the assessment, that is done usually in person by a State agency or a company contracted by the State. There will also be a review of her health chart. The health chart doesn’t mean that they will necessarily contact the elders doctors…. what tends to be done now is a review of payments made by Medicare and for what. Why? Well both Medicare and Medicaid payments are done by CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid) and it’s easy peasy keystrokes to find in-depth info on a persons health chart, with its codes for type of diseases and diagnosis. Please pls pls keep in mind, you don’t want the # of hours needed to be too too high…. like the assessment has mom coming in at needing 35+ hours a week as that is close to full time care needed and once administrative time gets added in become over 40 hrs a week. And that means it’s Full time care and that’s care in a facility.

If you don’t want to deal with Medicaid and its very detailed rules, your mom is probably paid Social Security income. She can pay you for the caregiving you do. It would be whatever the local wages are for where you live. Ideally it would have a caregiver agreement done by an elder care attorney & notarized. Or mom pays you a realistic amount of rent for her living with you. What amount is ideally is based on what an elder law attorney advises.

mother2013, welcome to the forum. Please note to be paid to be a parent's caregiver under a government funded program (paid by the tax payers), your pay probably would be minimum wage for a limited number of hours each week.

Why limited hours? Because the time spent grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning the house, laundry, etc. are things you would still be doing even if your Mom wasn't living with you.

Check with your State or County to see what programs would be helpful for you, and for your Mom.

Medicaid is pretty much the only way you would get paid. Getting help would depend on Moms finances. There is an asset minimum that has to be met, in my state thats $2000. Her monthly income has a limit too. She pretty much has to be low income to qualify. The other option is she pays you.