Denise M. Brown, founder of The Caregiving Years Training Academy, began writing about paying family caregivers more than 20 years ago. In 2019, she began researching the possibility of families hiring a family member to provide care. Her research including conversations with financial planners and elder law attorneys. An article she wrote in the spring of 2019 which appeared in CSA Journal (Opportunities and Challenges When Family Caregivers Get Paid fueled her to desire to create a solution to help a family member get paid for providing care.
In the spring of 2021, Denise led an advocacy campaign to encourage states to increase funding for programs that support family caregivers. The campaign featured three recommendations: Compensate family caregivers, provide mental well-being support and help family caregivers get a break. As a result of the advocacy efforts, The New Republic profiled the need to compensate family caregivers and several states increased funding for their caregiving programs. She also shared insights in The Wall Street Journal article, Caring for Family Doesn’t Have to be Unpaid Work.
In September 2021, Denise released a planning tool for families to use with a Certified Caregiving Consultant™ to think through the hiring options, payment structure and contract specifics. With these details in place, families can then meet with an elder law attorney and financial planner to ensure their plan works for the family, the caree and the reimbursed family member.
You can meet with Denise on the second Friday at 3 p.m. ET (2 p.m. CT, Noon PT) of every month to begin your planning process. You then can schedule a follow-up session with a Certified Caregiving Consultant to individualize your plan.
Download your Paying Family Planning Tool.
Take our quick assessment to learn about options for getting paid.
RSVP to join Denise for an upcoming virtual meeting to being your planning process.
Resources
- Contracts are required for domestic workers in Chicago as of Jan. 1, 2022.
- Sample contract (useful to create your own contract regardless of where you live)
- Gift Tax Information from the IRS
- VA Benefits for Family Caregivers
- VA Aid and Attendance or Housebound benefits: https://www.va.gov/pension/aid-attendance-housebound/
- VA Directed Care: https://www.va.gov/GERIATRICS/pages/Veteran-Directed_Care.asp
- Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC):
-for eligible Veterans who have incurred or aggravated a serious injury in the line of duty on or before May 7, 1975 or on or after September 11, 2001. https://www.caregiver.va.gov/support/support_benefits.asp - VA Caregiver Support program: https://www.caregiver.va.gov/
- Seniorlink offers helpful information to consider all your options for getting paid.
