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You sign on with the agency and they provide insurance and bonding for you. You usually sign a non-compete clause, too.
When my client's family found out how meagerly you get paid as CG they went THROUGH my company and upped my bas salary so I was making a decent $15 an hour instead of $8. One of the client's sons was a lawyer and he did all the legwork. I didn't ASK for the raise, b/c the company DID NOT give raises, ever. Whatever amt you 'hired on' at was what you made no matter how long you worked for them.
Appalling, really. Plus my client routinely tipped me 'out of pocket' when she had me do extra stuff for her that wasn't in the contract. I've never felt so valuable and loved as I did those years I worked for her!
Sure, giving her a raise and paying under the table would save money. That is illegal and could get everyone in trouble with the IRS and other taxing authorities. Not paying into social security will effect the caregiver's benefit when she retires. Without a caregiver contract and legal payment could effect mom's ability to get Medicaid should she ever need it. Payments to caregiver without proper accounting would be considered a gift and subject to a penalty, the period of time that mom would be denied Medicaid until private pay equals the penalty. If caregiver were paid $36,000.00, under the table for one year, then once mom needs Medicaid fees to nursing home would have to be paid out of pocket for three months if nursing home fee was $12,000.00 a month. 12x3=36.
Be Kind, be very careful with under the table payment. Do you pay taxes, etc on the income? Do you pay into social security? What will happen if you are injured on the job?
Do you have one health aide on duty for 24 hours? That's a lot for one person.
Unfortunately, much as I searched, I was unable to find a home care worker outside of an agency. The ones who were interested either weren't experienced, didn't have any insurance, and just weren't the right fit. But those weren't the bigger issues, which were the costs and liability.
In order to hire this aide directly, you'd have to pay her directly as well, raising the issue of obtaining liability insurance, taking deductions and sending them to the IRS, and possibly the state.
The comp insurance, which in my state can't be added to a HO policy but would have to be a commercial comp policy, would have cost approximately $750 annually, with increases up to $1K the second year. If the worker was injured, that comp policy could be paying out for years, causing you to dip into cash reserves you might have.
These are some of the downsides to hiring someone directly, especially for a 24/7 job.
BTW, I love your cute dog!
My MIL did well with 4 caregivers through 1 agency that provided 24/7 care for her in her condo in Hawaii. She now goes to adult day program and has a caregiver at night.
In any case: have you actually asked the aide whether she is interested? If she were my friend I'm not sure I'd advise her to accept the offer, and certainly not if the agency she works for is a good one.
And again, from your point of view: what happens if she falls ill or is injured? It's never wise to place all your eggs in one basket, so to speak.
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