How to Get Paid to Care for a Loved One in Pennsylvania

When a person falls ill, family members and loved ones often need to accept the responsibility of caring for the sick individual. While caring for your loved one can be exhausting and time consuming, some health care insurance policies must give the sick individual money to pay for in-home care. Under Medicaid, the government will also provide funding to you if you are caring for a loved one.

Instructions

Funding through Medicaid

• 1

  Contact the Pennsylvania Department of Health to speak with an expert on Medicaid. Explain the specific conditions of your suffering loved one and the care that you provide to determine if your loved one qualifies for Medicaid in-home funding benefits.

• 2

  Modify your care procedures to help qualify for Medicaid benefits. For example, Medicaid might require you to care for your loved one for no less than 15 hours per week in order to qualify as a personal assistant. If you currently care for your loved one for only 13 hours a week, it would beneficial to attempt to add two more hours of care per week. Attempt to fit as many minimum qualifications as possible before applying to Medicaid for money.

• 3

  Obtain funding applications from the Pennsylvania Department of Health if you qualify. Have your loved one fill out the documentation and send it in. If the request is accepted, the Pennsylvania state government will pay your loved one money that he or she can use to pay you for the care that you provide. Pay will vary based on time, your qualifications, location, and the condition of the loved one, but payments typically occur monthly in the range of several hundred dollars to $2,000. The better your qualifications, the more time you spend with your loved ones, and the more dependent the loved one is on your care, the more money you are likely to receive.

Funding through Personal Insurance

• 4

  Call your loved one's insurance provider to speak to a representative about personal care funding. Determine the minimum requirements that one must fulfill in order to qualify.

• 5

  Modify your caregiving to qualify. For example, many insurance companies require that caregivers know first aid. Take first aid classes to become certified in order to qualify for benefits.

• 6

  Ask your loved one to send in a request to her insurance company in order to receive money for personal home care. If the insurance company accepts the request, your loved one can begin paying you for your help.