Family caregivers Taking care of a loved one is often rewarding, but it can also be stressful and exhausting if you don’t have enough support. There are several ways WA Cares may be able to help you and your family. Get support through WA Cares Many of our covered services can be helpful for family caregivers. If your loved one has WA Cares benefits, they can choose services to support you as you provide care. Icon Paid family caregiving Pays you (as an employee of an in-home care provider) for the time you spend providing care. Icon Respite Gives paid or unpaid family caregivers a break while your loved one receives care from someone else at their home or in their community. Icon Education and consultation Provides training or individual consultation to help you and your loved one manage daily activities or specific health concerns. Icon Transportation Helps your loved one get to and from the grocery store, medical appointments, social services and some recreational activities. Learn more about your loved one’s options for covered services and supports. Help someone apply If you’re caring for someone who needs help applying for benefits, you have several options. You can get set up as an authorized user to help manage their application or benefits. Keep in mind that an authorized user should not also be paid to provide care or services to the person they’re helping. If they plan to pay you as a WA Cares provider, they may want to choose someone else as an authorized user. We can also help with applications over the phone at 844-CARE4WA (toll free). We can provide an interpreter if you need one. Your local Area Agency on Aging can help with applications in person, but they may require an appointment. Become a paid caregiver 1 Check if your loved one might qualify To get WA Cares benefits, your loved one will need to meet our contribution and care needs requirements. 2 They apply for benefits Your loved one will apply online or call us for help. We’ll confirm their contributions and meet with them to talk about help they need with daily activities. 3 You apply to work as a caregiver To be paid for care, you will need to become an employee of Consumer Direct Care Network Washington or a home care agency registered with WA Cares. 4 Begin providing paid care Once they’ve been approved and you’ve been hired as a caregiver, your loved one can use their benefits to pay you through CDWA or the home care agency you provider care through. Employer options Once the person you’re caring for has been approved to use benefits, they have two options for in-home care services: Consumer Direct Care Network Washington or a home care agency registered with WA Cares. If they want to pay you to provide care, you’ll need to become an employee of one of these providers. You’ll be paid through whichever employer you choose, not directly by your loved one. Consumer Direct Care Network Washington The beneficiary will be your day-to-day supervisor Beneficiaries will have the option of creating a care agreement to be followed Mileage reimbursement Employee benefits for those who qualify CDWA is unionized Home care agency You’ll have an assigned agency supervisor The agency supervisor will create a plan of care that needs to be followed Mileage reimbursement Employee benefits for those who qualify Some agencies are unionized Learn more about the differences between these options. Get started If you want to work for CDWA, you can visit their website to learn about becoming a paid caregiver with them. You’ll go through the same hiring process as any other individual provider. If you want to work for a home care agency, you can contact any agency registered with WA Cares and follow their hiring process. To find registered home care agencies in your area, you can visit the WA Cares Provider Network Directory and select the Caregivers/In-Home Personal Care category. If you’re interested in a home care agency that isn’t registered yet, you can encourage them to apply. You may decide you want to work for more people than just your loved one. If you want to support others in need, talk to CDWA or the home care agency you provide care through about the training you would need. Things to consider Before you start the process to become a paid caregiver, ask yourself: Am I ready and able to have my loved one rely on me for care? Am I okay with signing a care agreement that my loved one fills out about their care needs? Can I physically do the things that my loved one needs help with? Will I take direction well from my loved one? Do I want to have a job in addition to caregiving? What will I do if I start to feel burned out, or like I can’t do certain things for them anymore? What if I don’t agree with what they are asking me to do for them? Do I have the time, or appropriate availability, to work when they need me?
