Will I lose disability if I get paid to care for my mother?

Please note that Hospice is not a full-time caregiving group, unless the patient is living in a Hospice facility.

If a patient lives at home, that patient still needs someone 24/7 to take care of them. Example, Hospice will drop by to check on the patient, take vitals, make any changes to the Hospice assigned meds, etc. Another day, Hospice will drop by to bathe the person. Volunteers will drop in also to check on the patient and on the family to see how they are doing. Thus, the rest of the time, there needs to be a full-time caregiver, be it a grown child or a paid caregiver.

Lots of really bad information on this thread re SSDI/SSI. They are both federal programs so you're state is irrelevant.

On SSDI you can earn a limited amount each month (I believe it's $780 for 2016) and still collect your full check, forever. If you earn over SGA (again maybe $1,090 this year) for more tha 9 months out of 60, you lose your check. SSDI never pays a percentage, its all or nothing. It only applies to EARNED income of the beneficiary (not gifts, donations, inheritances, etc).

SSI is a welfare benefit, paid from the general fund just like TANF and SNAP. If you work, after the first $85 they deduct $1 for every $2 you earn. You could get no SSI one month and a full benefit the next. If you have a spouse, their income affects your benefit (unlike SSDI).

So yes, you can work no matter which program you are on. It affects your check differently.

@dawnm6770: the only way I know off to get paid for caregiving is if the person for whom you are caring is a military veteran. I take care of my father who is a 100% disabled Vietnam Vet who spent 36 years in the Marine Corps. After 5 years, I'm just now FINALLY getting a meeting with the V.A. to discuss getting paid what's called "Aid & Attendance" in March. My morbid joke has always been that I'll literally be leaving my dad's funeral when they call me and inform me that I'm finally going to get paid by the government (that same government which sent him off to war and poisoned him with Agent Orange in the jungles of Vietnam!) to care for him as I've been dutifully doing for the past half a decade.
I'm sorry to say, but if it's so difficult for the government to pay me for caring for my father who dedicated his life to keeping his country safe and retired a Lieutenant Colonel after 36 years in the Marines and was declared 100% disabled (extremely difficult to get) because of their own indiscriminate use of poison, then I'm 99.9% sure there's no way the government (or anyone) pays average civilians (for whom they're not responsible for their health problems) and their families/loved ones anything to care for ailing parents. I'm sorry. I hope I'm wrong but highly doubt I am.

For those of you who are incredulously and suspiciously asking what kind of disability a person could possibly have that would still allow him or her to be a caregiver for TWO people: First of all, from what I read, the brother is in hospice so I don't think this person would be the primary caregiver for him- only his elderly mother. Second, you ARE aware that a person can be awarded disability for mental conditions right? I have bipolar disorder but I'm a full time caretaker for my father. Granted, I'll never get on disability because I live in a welfare state where too many people abuse the system so that they won't have to actually work.if you're on this type of disability, you ARE allowed to work part time.

I agree with Vegaslady 100%. Chimonger is someone who just puts sentences on a page to scare the sh** out of people. So much of her post is BS. Please please please everyone: Go down to your social security office, sit down for a meeting with a person who has been trained and educated with the most up to date FACTS, go home, mull it over and if need be, make ANOTHER appointment with a Different person in the office to ask questions and verify whatever you were told from the first person. People are human and they make mistakes. Even someone in the SS office might have missed something! or explained it in a strange way so that you didn't "get it".
There is so much changing year to year. There are so many conditions. What is right for one family, may be way off for another. (even if it "seems" they are in the same situation.)
I beg everyone on this site to become informed about YOUR state rules and what programs are available to your elderly parents. Don't forget the SNAP federal program. (food stamps in the past) It is amazing how much money people are leaving at the table because SNAP is based on your monthly income and NOT on your assets. For example, if someone makes $750 a month, and has $330, 000 in a savings bank, not making much interest....they qualify for supplemental nutritional program. Even if it is $52 that is $52 that you can use to help them!

Chimonger's info is all screwed up. Disregard it. For starters, SSI is NOT Social Security it is Supplemental Security Income. Different rules apply to income received and how it affects benefits. I'm not going to correct everything but please disregard Chimonger's comments.

How do you go about being payed to be a caregiver for parent? been trying to find this our

Legally, ANYTHING one earns, be it from a garage scale, or trades of goods and services, are taxable income. Therefore, it counts towards the amount by which one's disability income can be reduced.

Some States have State Disability. Any State that has State Disability, yes, you most likely would lose that, if you earned more than the allowed amount--which is pretty low.
ASSUMING this question is about FEDeral Disability:
I was told that IF able to earn more than $700 per month, _on-going and regularly_, my SSDI would be reduced by the amount earned. Gross.
That actually happened to Gma, too, before SSI retirement rules changed. IT used to be that a retiree would get their SSI cut by the amount they earned, if it was over a certain amount, but that if they wanted to work AFTER age 72, they could earn as much as they wanted/could, and still get their full SSI.

One thing you should be able to do: Make sure to deduct SSI/SSDI tax from your incomes. THAT keeps your SSI/SSDI account building, instead of only diminishing.
That way, you are less likely to suffer a reduced amount once your Disability converts to SSI retirement income.
Those on Disability often don't realize, the longer they are on disability, the more the SSI Retirement account reduces, and that Disability converts to SSI retirement, at retirement age. This results in a smaller monthly check from retirement fund. Working and continuing to add to that retirement fund, helps off-set that.
ALL on SSDI/SSI need to be aware that this year, legislators are currently pushing for a massive cut in disability incomes. At present, they are seriously considering a 19% cut in monthly check amounts...unless anyone can come up with better ideas to keep the funds afloat.
This kind of cuts, to those who are already barely subsisting on below-poverty level on SSDI/SSI as their only incomes, PLUS States being too broke to cover needs for those living below Poverty Levels, will befit extremely hard.

The threats also include that the SSDI/SSI funds are only about 1 year from total depletion.
I don't know how true that is, but have contacted legislators to learn if the threatened cuts are true--cut threats ARE true.
How depleted the funds actually are, is up for much deeper investigation.

Bless your heart foxmolder! I have a friend with RA taking care if her mother who has Ca, COPD, and beginnibg stages of dementia. She gets exhausted and some days it is difficult for her to help her with meals.i will look into the programs u mentioned. Thank you. I totally understand how one can be disabled and be a primary caregiver.

I feel I am qualified to answer this question since a) I am disabled. and b) I take care of my mom 24/7. In the last month, that has changed somewhat. My mom is qualified for a program here in CT called CCCI. I forgot what the initials mean, but it has been a life saver for me and my mental help. The state pays 91% per hour for a qualified person to come to my mom's part of the house and Mom and I pay 9%. If you do the math on that: An agency usually wants $20 an hour for a person who can help with meals, bathing, dressing, light housekeeping, and being good company for a 92 year old woman. (conversation, puzzles, watching Family Feud and shouting out answers, going for walks when it is not 7 degrees outside.)
The state program pays about $18 and that leaves $2/hour for me and mom. Right now I use the help two hours in the AM and two hours in the PM three days a week. It is a nice break for me and I can be more her daughter then her caregiver these 12 hours a week.
You ask how can I qualify for disability AND take great care of my mom? Easy. My mom is not my "employer". She knows I will leave the room when she is difficult. She knows that sometimes I will go for a walk as long is she is comfortable in her chair and not going to get up and do her leg exercises without me or Vera. Although she obviously wants me 24/7, she understands that for me to take care of her, I need to put myself first. (proper eating, sleeping, taking my meds, and seeing my doctors). Just like a stressed out mom. If a mom always puts her kids first, before herself.... the whole family unit falls apart. There is a middle place to look for. An employer would not allow me to go outside when ever I wanted, or sleep next to her in another chair for the whole day, (available to wake up in a second if she needs the applesauce top opened.)
For four hours a day, three times a week, Vera comes into her part of the house. She is an angel. WE picked her. Not anyone else in our family that knows nothing about our situation. WE pay her, not family money that my mom does not want to touch. WE are in charge of our own future.
Some of you on this site might know of our troubles in 2013 and 2014. Once again, I will strongly suggest to have lawyers and outside people involved when family does not agree on how to care for elderly parents. yes. I am disabled. yes. I might have to rest for days at a time. Yes. I am the best person for the "job" of caring for our mom until she passes. yes. I have my "own life". The man I am dating knows that our time together will always be at my place, and not his. He understands that we might need to pause the TV show if my mom needs me to fix the phone. (not broken, mom just put the receiver back on the cradle backwards).
My mom has income. A pension and social security. We get by together. We communicate. She knows my limits. An employer would have a hard time paying me for what I can do and can't do.

I hope this long response has helped in explaining to people how a person can do a GREAT job taking care of a family member and also be disabled in regards to the state. I take A LOT of crap from society when it comes to discrimination for having a mental illness. Never in my life did I imagine I was going to have to take even more CRAP from my two older brothers. I often wonder how they can sleep at night.....

Good points, freqflyer.

In defense of the OP, some of the answers here seem to imply that she's somehow trying to "get over," or that she's not actually disabled. It is *extremely hard to get on disability, even for those who qualify to the letter. If the OP were not disabled, I'm sure she would not be on disability. We don't know what her disability is, and the Americans with Disabilities Act gives her the legal right to not disclose the details of her disability. Please understand, too, that disability is not just a check, it's also medicare, so losing your Disability (SSD) is serious since it means also losing your health insurance. So recognizing how much time and yes, money, you spend as a caregiver, she's looking to be recompensed. I don't see the crime in that. She wants to care for her family just like all of us do, but she still has to think about her own survival. Just wanted to add my take to the mix.

If you are paid by medicaid or medicare on a waiver demonstration, and through a caregiver agency and your mother lives in the same residence, that wage is a vendor payment as is excludable from Federal Income tax and SNAP benefits.
Search IRS Bulletin 2014-7 and
CFR 273.9 - Income and deductions. see sub. (E vi)

The reason for getting disability benefits is that you are too ill to work anywhere. You could lie about getting paid for caregiving, but if social security finds out, you will have to pay back your already paid benefits. If your mother can pay and your brother can pay, then let them pay someone else...

Do you want to collect disability and still work, collecting a paycheck as well?

How can you take care of 2 people if you're disabled?

Christine, paying under the table can backfire upon the family member who needs the care, especially when the time comes that the person needs Medicaid to help pay for a continuing care facility. Buying a care, paying someone else's rent/mortgage would be considered "gifting" by Medicaid.

And what if that kind soul doing the caregiving becomes hurt on the job [not unusual for that to happen], will the homeowner's policy help cover? It might not, unless there is a "workman's comp" rider attached to the homeowner's policy.... but the caregiver would have to show proof he or she was an "employee".

If you are on SSDI, you can call SS and ask them how much money you can make without losing your SSDI. Usually its unlimited for 9 months and then about 50% of your SSDI check. After the 50% you lose one dollar for every two dollars you make. Call and find out.

Very likely. I qualify for disability (not SSDI)but because my dad lives with me they keep declining mine because they think im capable of doing caregiving for pay since we do not have help in home. They assume so I wouldn't jinx. I have no one else too look after my 90 yo loved one but sounds like your family has options. If your doing it just to earn more then do as previously stated. Either within your scope and below your minimum allowable.

You are allowed to work and earn a certain amount of $ "on the books" while on Disability. You need to find out what that is. As far as I'm concerned, however, whatever your family chooses to give you under the table for caring for them is nobody else's business! In order to make it not look like income, you can have them pay your bills, rent/mortgage, buy you a car, etc., instead of giving you actual cash.

My bro in law is on SSDI for traumatic brain injury, and believe me he needs it. Very bad car accident where he lost his son. However, he is allowed to work, but only part time. Caregiving is work, but depending on your state, you need to find out XX amount of dolars and XX amount of hours you are allowed to work and still keep your own SSDI.

My brother gets disability payments and also got paid (a little) for doing my mother's laundry and cleaning. He has gone on to do limited caregiving for others.

I think there is a lot of "it depends" involved in this answer. You best bet is to talk it over with your disability case worker. My brother's case worker encouraged him to do some work within his abilities and for limited hours.

Munelmo, who would be paying you for the caregiving? If you could do even small part of what they are eligible for, such as housekeeping help, and not lose your disability that would be a little extra money for you, comforting for you family to have you do some tasks, and (hopefully) not too big a burden for you.

Talk to your case worker!

(And I am so sorry about your mother and brother. This must be a very stressful time for you.)

Sorry. I was going to add to that but got distracted and have since lost my train of thought. If the train passes by again I finish. Senior moment?!!!

SSI is disability. This is from the Social Security Administration web site: Supplemental Security Income. Social Security administers this program. We pay monthly benefits to people with limited income and resources who are disabled, blind, or age 65 or older. Blind or disabled children may also get SSI.

Working while on SSD means light duty. Caregiving will become very physically demanding as your mother and brother decline. How can you be disabled and transfer either of them? Being a caregiver is strenuous on able bodied people. How can you be disabled and help execute all the necessary activities of daily living for two additional people?

Munelmo, are you on SSI or Social Security Disability? The effect of having income is different for each program. You can and are encouraged to work while on SSD. See the Ticket to Work program. What is the nature of your disability? Would your disabled status vome into question? Why not use the benefits of your family's benefit programs to get aid in the household rathervthan do it yourself and complicate your finances?

I wanted to add that this includes assets, like a house etc. The only way around it that I know of is a special needs trust - where the trust owns the assets not the individual.

Not sure if this varies from state to state but in Oregon if you exceed $2,000. in you bank account(s) SSI will stop paying.

Absolutely yes, you would lose disability. You can't do both disability and get paid to give care.