The elder attorneys at Elder Needs Law have extensive experience advising family caregivers in Florida, including those seeking Home Care in Brandon FL. Florida has several Medicaid exemption programs that allow for home care services, including care provided by family members. If your loved one has long-term care insurance, the benefits of the policy can help pay for the care of a family member. This program requires employers to keep the position vacant for the caregiver who is taking time off and requires that the employer continue to offer them health insurance, but does not pay them. Florida Medicaid offers a program called Consumer Directed Care Plus (CDC+) that allows eligible Medicaid beneficiaries to hire their own family members or friends to provide care and assistance in their homes.
It's important to note that the VA allows families to deduct certain expenses from their income, so in practice, they can remain eligible even if their incomes are considerably higher. Care recipients must be Florida residents, over 60, and at risk of being admitted to a nursing home if their caregiver doesn't provide support. To apply for the CDC+ program, the beneficiary must be a Florida Medicaid beneficiary who meets the eligibility criteria for the program. To be clear, caregivers don't receive hourly compensation for the care they provide, as they would with the Florida Medicaid program mentioned above.
Five states, plus the District of Columbia, currently have paid family leave programs; however, Florida is not one of them. Medicaid exemptions in Florida allow for self-management of care services, which Florida calls the Participant-Directed Option (PDO). Florida Medicaid pays caregivers a salary for their services and provides additional benefits, such as health insurance and paid time off. Therefore, an older veteran can hire their adult child (or other family member or friend) to provide personal care, and the amount they pay their caregiver can be deducted from their income.
Unfortunately, this option is only relevant to a few Florida residents because most long-term care insurance policies are too restrictive. In Florida, there are several programs that pay family members to provide practical, non-medical assistance to a loved one.
