Ask Mike - Wanting to be paid to care for disabled sister

Dear Wants,

Thanks for writing. Your question is a common one. Family members getting paid to provide services and supports to family members has become the most frequent "Ask Mike" issue; your question asks how you can be paid to care for your sister.

Your sister will need to apply for Medicaid home and community based services. The state she lives in will have application materials that will spell out the eligibility requirements, whether there is a waiting list for services, what kinds of services and supports could be available, and any training and credentialing requirements for workers. Since your sister is already receiving SSI, she is eligible for, and likely already receiving, Medicaid. Medicaid, a state and federal matching program, pays for most of the nation's formal, paid home and community-based long term services and supports. Medicaid is probably going to be the source of any payment for services for your sister and ultimately, any payment for you.

You can use the PAS Center's website to check out your state's Medicaid home and community-based service programs. From our State Information page, click on the link Contact Info and Descriptions for Medicaid Waivers. On the next page, click on your state on the map of the USA. Next will appear names, descriptions and contact information for the various Home and Community-based Medicaid Waiver programs in your state. Check these out and try to find the one that best fits your sister.

Contact the program and describe your sister's age and disability and ask for eligibility and application materials along with any requirements for direct service workers. Go ahead ask your question about wanting to be paid to provide services for your sister.

You might be able to get the answer you need more quickly and directly by asking for assistance from an agency such as a Center for Independent Living (CIL) or an Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC). To contact these agencies follow the same steps except that instead of clicking on "Contact Info and Descriptions for Medicaid Waivers" under the heading "State Background and Contact Information for Resources and Agencies Related to PAS", click on Agencies Related to PAS. Again, on the next page, click on your state on the USA map. Next click on "State Independent Living Council and Centers for Independent Living" and "Aging and Disability Resource Centers". These agencies might be able to quickly answer your question and many more. "Medicaid Agency" at the top of this last listing for CILs and ADRCs could be another good resource.

Best of luck!

Mike Oxford