18

Page 18 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, MARCH 17, 2023 Savvy Senior Getting Paid as a Family Caregiver Dear Savvy Senior, I have been taking care of my elderly father for over a year and it’s taking a toll on my finances because I can only work part-time. Are there any resources you know about that can help family caregivers get paid? Seeking Support Dear Seeking, Caring for an elder parent can be challenging in many ways, but it can be especially difficult financially if you have to miss work to provide care. Fortunately, there are a number of government programs and other tips that may be able to help you monetarily while you care for your dad. Here are some options to explore. Medicaid Assistance All 50 states and the District of Columbia offer self-directed Medicaid services for long-term care. These programs let states grant waivers that allow income-qualified individuals to manage their own long-term home-care services. In some states, that can include hiring a family member to provide care. Benefits, coverage, eligibility and rules differ from state to state. Program names also vary. What’s called “consumer directed care” in one state, may be called “participant-directed services,” “in-home supportive services” or “cash and counseling” in another. Contact your state Medicaid program to ask about its options or to start the sign-up process. Veterans Benefits If your dad is a military veteran, there are several different VA programs he may be eligible for that provide financial assistance to family caregivers, including: • Veteran-Directed Care: Available in most states, this program provides a needs-based monthly budget for long-term care services. (VA.gov/geriatrics/pages/Veteran-Directed_Care.asp) • Aid & Attendance or Housebound benefits: These programs provide a monthly payment to veterans and survivors who receive a VA pension and who either need assistance with activities of daily living (i.e., bathing, dressing, going to the bathroom), or are housebound. (VA.gov/pension/aid-attendancehousebound) • Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers: This provides a monthly stipend to family members who serve as caregivers for veterans who need assistance with daily living activities because of an injury or illness sustained in the line of duty. (Caregiver.va.gov/support/support_benefits.asp) Other Options If your dad has some savings or other assets, discuss the possibility of him paying you for the care you provide, or talk to your siblings to see if they can chip in. If they agree, consider drafting a short-written contract that details the terms of your work and payment arrangements, so everyone involved knows what to expect. A contract will also help avoid potential problems should your dad ever need to apply for Medicaid for nursing home care. Also, check to see if your dad has any long-term care insurance that covers in-home care. If he does, in some cases those benefits may be used to pay you. Tax Breaks There are also tax credits and deductions you may be eligible for as your dad’s caregiver that can help. For example, if your dad lives with you and you’re paying at least half of his living expenses, and his gross income was less than $4,400 (in 2022) not counting his Social Security, you can claim him as a dependent on your taxes and get a $500 tax credit. If you can’t claim him as a dependent, you may still be able to get a tax deduction if you’re paying more than half his living expenses including medical and long-term care costs, and they exceed 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross income. You can include your own medical expenses in calculating the total. To see which medical expenses you can deduct, see IRS Publication 502 at IRS.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p502.pdf. Or, if you’re paying for in-home care or adult day care for your dad so you can work, you might qualify for the Dependent Care Tax Credit which can be worth as much as $1,050. To claim this credit, you’ll need to fill out IRS Form 2441 (IRS. gov/pub/irs-pdf/f2441.pdf) when you file your federal return. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior. org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. GET A FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO MASSTERLIST – Join more than 25,000 people, from movers and shakers to political junkies and interested citizens, who start their weekday morning with MASSterList—the popular newsletter that chronicles news and informed analysis about what’s going on up on Beacon Hill, in Massachusetts politics, policy, media and influence. The stories are drawn from major news organizations as well as specialized publications selected by MASSterlist’s new editor, Erin Tiernan, with help from Matt Murphy. Both are pros, with a wealth of experience, who introduce each article in their own clever way. MASSterlist will be e-mailed to you FREE every Monday through Friday morning and will give you a leg up on what’s happening in the blood sport of Bay State politics. For more information and to get your free subscription, go to: https://lp.constantcontactpages. com/su/aPTLucK THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records local senators’ votes on roll calls from the week of March 6-10. There were no roll calls in the House last week. $368 MILLION SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET (S 23) Senate 40-0, approved a $368 million fiscal 2023 supplemental budget. The House has already approved its own version of a $363 million package. A House-Senate conference committee will work out a compromise package. Provisions include $7 million for coordinated wraparound services for incoming immigrants and refugees; $2 million for the reimbursement of SNAP benefits for victims of benefit theft; $1.25 million for Family and Adolescent Health Services; $44.9 for million Emergency Assistance Family Shelters and Services; $65 million for the School Breakfast Program; $7 million to address the needs of newly arrived immigrants and refugees; and $1 million for a public awareness campaign to educate providers and the public about crisis pregnancy centers and pregnancy resource centers and the centers’ lack of medical services. A total of $250,000 of the $1 million would be earmarked for Reproductive Equity Now’s free abortion-related legal hotline. The package also extends some pandemic-era programs, set to expire, including allowing public corporations and nonprofits to hold meetings by means of remote communication; extending the power of municipalities to allow outdoor dining services; and extending the ability of public bodies to allow remote participation By Bob Katzen If you have any questions about this week’s report, e-mail us at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com or call us at (617) 720-1562 by members in public meetings. “This supplemental budget ensures that our commonwealth continues to support the most vulnerable among us while also building on the lessons we learned during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Senate President Karen Spilka (DAshland). “I’m proud to say that this body has proven once again that it has the courage to chart a course that leaves no place or person in the commonwealth behind. As I have said since the start of the pandemic, we must go ‘back to better,’ not ‘back to normal.’” “As we continue to emerge from the pandemic, the Legislature has taken the necessary steps to keep the economy of the commonwealth on a firm footing,” said Senate Ways and Means Committee chair Sen. Mike Rodrigues (D-Westport). “The passage of this supplemental budget today utilizes robust tax revenues to its fullest effect, making substantial investments in economic development, housing, education and the social service safety net.” (A “Yes” vote is for the budget.) Sen. Lydia Edwards Yes ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL DIZOGLIO TO AUDIT THE LEGISLATURE – State Auditor Diana DiZoglio announced she has launched an audit of the Massachusetts Legislature—something she promised in her campaign last year. “As I committed, my office has begun an audit of the state Legislature,” said DiZoglio. “We hope this will increase transparency, accountability and equity in an area of state government that has been completely ignored. Historically, the Legislature has been a closeddoor operation, where committee votes have been hidden from the general public and legislation has been voted on in the dark of night.” “Taxpayers deserve more—they deserve the opportunity to weigh in on legislative, budgetary and regulatory matters that are important to them,” continued DiZoglio. “Everyone should have equitable and transparent access to and information about all state-funded agencies, including the Legislature. Unfortunately, the Legislature has not been audited [by the state auditor] since 1922, while Massachusetts ranks as one of the least transparent and least accessible state governments in the nation. It is my hope that the Legislature welcomes the opportunity for an audit to uncover where we can, and must, do better as a state government. Our office looks forward to working with them.” “Under the Massachusetts Constitution, and as the separation of powers clause dictates, the Senate is required to manage its own business and set its own rules,” said a spokesperson for Senate President Karen Spilka. “Those rules require that the Senate undergoes an audit every fiscal year by a certified public accounting firm experienced in auditing governmental entities and provides that audit to the public. Further, Senate business is made public through journals, calendars and recordings of each session, while payroll and other financial information is publicly available on the comptroller’s website. If anyone wishes to view this information, it is available to the public.” “Massachusetts is the only state in the country in which all three branches of our state government—the executive, the judiciary and the Legislature—exempt themselves from public records laws,” said Paul Craney, a spokesman for the Mass Fiscal Alliance. “By most accounts we have possibly the least transparent state government in the country and it’s a commonly held belief that the Legislature is where transparency and good governance principles go to die. If Auditor DiZoglio is actually able to make good on her promise to audit the Legislature, it will be a welcome check on the power of the most opaque state government in the country and a victory for the people of the commonwealth.” Despite repeated requests from Beacon Hill Roll Call, the following Democratic and Republican legislative leaders did not respond to a question asking them whether they support an audit of the Legislature by DiZoglio: House Speaker Ron Mariano (D-Quincy), House GOP Minority Leader Brad Jones (R-North Reading) and GOP Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester). AND THERE’S MORE – Here are some more of the bills filed for consideration in the 2023-2024 Legislature: CHARGING ELECTRIC VEHICLE (SD 1165) – Would direct the Department of Public Utilities to offer a rebate for consumers who choose to charge electric vehicles at off-peak hours when fewer people are likely to do so. “We need to do more than just provide people the option of switching to more environmentally[-friendly] energy alternatives,” said sponsor Sen. John Keenan (D-Quincy). “We need to make sure those alternatives have a direct, positive impact on people’s lives. This rebate program will make sure we’re not just helping the planet. We’re also helping the consumer while relieving undue stresses on our electrical infrastructure.” AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE (SD 2057) – Would require that American Sign Language (ASL) is taught BEACON | SEE Page 20

19 Publizr Home