Quote:
Originally Posted by SandyC
Awww Tammy, I was just this morning trying to find legislation on caregivers. I received my SS statement and it says I have lost any and all disability benefits due to not working for the past 6 years. My retirement is pretty bad as well. Jim stopped working at a young age so his is low as well. So I started my search and so far I have hit too many walls.
I am about to send out letters to my local reps as well as Washington DC. I believe caregivers who "give" their time for free should somehow be allowed to retain their SS benefits and gain the necessary points to do so. One way is for caregivers to pay the SS fees each month so they can retain their benefits. I mean, if we are saving the community money by doing this why shouldn't we at least be able to retain our SS benefits and gain points like everyone else?
For us, I retired to care for Jim and the VA helps me do so through a program called aide and attendance. This means Jim requires 24 hour care for basic daily activities such as bathing, dressing, etc. But the money they give is in Jim's name, not mine. I've often questioned this because if they would tax it and allow me to pay into my SS I wouldn't be losing my benefits. But that's the way it's done.
There is one bill floating around that includes paying caregivers. I'll post it here so maybe you can write this person sponsoring the bill and explain your situation. Please also write all of your state reps because this is a problem that has slept long enough.
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-769 |
What you are asking for is yet another level of government bureaucracy with various levels of staff who will evaluate whether or not the level of care you are providing someone you love is worth taxpayer dollars. I can understand the desire to have this kind of program, but just who is supposed to pay for it? The Social Security system has come a long long way from the basic premise of supplying an income to elderly working people in their retirement years to keep them out of the poorhouses (literal, not figurative poorhouses). Funding. Where does the money come from and who decides who can qualify and what happens when you get turned down. Sounds a lot like the broken Social Security system we already have. But at least there is a plan in place for paying the cost. The cost will soon outgrow the income, and there is no agreement on how to fix that.