According to the AARP, approximately 580,000 people in Wisconsin provide a combined total of $7 billion in free services per year. While many people may take on this role without expecting anything in return, state and federal schemes and benefits exist to help alleviate the financial pressures that family caregivers face. 

At Aidaly, our mission is to increase awareness of opportunities for family caregivers across America to receive payments or other financial benefits for their work, ensuring family caregiving remains a sustainable model of care. Read on to learn about the ways you may be able to receive compensation as a family caregiver in Wisconsin.  

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Tax Benefits in Wisconsin 

Family caregivers of children or dependents in Wisconsin may be eligible for tax credits to assist with the costs of their caregiving role. 

The Child Tax Credit (CTC)

Most families with a child under 18 automatically qualify for the Federal Child Tax Credit (CTC). The CTC allows eligible families under specified income thresholds to receive up to $3,000 annually for each child between the ages of 6 and 17 claimed as a dependent on their tax form and $3600 for dependents under the age of 6. The credit can be used for any expenses, even those unrelated to childcare. Learn more about this here. 

The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC) 

The Child and Dependent Tax Credit is more specific than the CTC, and helps reimburse taxpayers for the childcare costs they incurred while they were working, looking for a job, or studying. Wisconsin families with annual incomes below $125,000 can receive the full benefit of $4,000 annually for one child under the age of 13 or $8,000 for two or more children under the age of 13. Families who earn more than $125,000 can still receive a credit, but this will be reduced according to their income. Find out more about this credit here. 

Medicaid and Other State Programs

Medicaid 

Medicaid waivers are exemptions to the general Medicaid rules that states can apply for. In Wisconsin, three Medicaid waivers are available that can enable beneficiaries of a Medicaid plan to direct funds to a family caregiver, rather than to an institution. The relevant waivers are family care, family care partnership, and IRIS.

Wisconsin’s Medicaid “Family Care” program is a long-term care program under which elderly, disabled, or chronically ill adults can receive funds to hire and pay their family members for home-based care. Learn more about this program here. 

State Programs

In Wisconsin, a number of organizations aimed at supporting family caregivers can be found. These organizations provide different types of support and benefits, and many allow those requiring care to hire and pay their own caregivers. 

Relevant organizations include the Wisconsin Caregiver Support Program, the Aging and Disability Resource Center, the IRIS Program, the National Family Caregiver Support Program, and the Alzheimer’s Family and Caregiver Support Program. Each of these have different purposes and eligibility requirements to receive support. Find out more here. 

Veterans Benefits in Wisconsin

Specific benefits exist in Wisconsin that allow veterans or their surviving spouses access to funds that they can use to pay family caregivers for their care. Learn more about these benefits here. 

Department of Veterans Affairs Caregiver Support Program 

The Department of Veterans Affairs Caregiver Support Program offers services to family caregivers of veterans through two main programs. The Program of General Caregiver Support Services (PGCSS) provides predominately holistic support to caregivers while the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) also offers financial support through monthly stipends to eligible beneficiaries. Learn more about PCAFC here. 

Veteran-Directed Home and Community Based Care Program

The Veteran-Directed Home and Community Based Care Program allows Veterans at risk of requiring institutionalized care to use a monthly allowance to hire and pay their own caregivers (including some family members). 

Veterans Benefits

On top of the general allowances that Veterans receive, they may qualify for two other benefits that they can use to pay their family caregiver. However, a Veteran may only receive one of these additional benefits at a time. 

Veterans who require long-term professional care may apply for the Veteran Aid and Attendance Benefit. The benefit can provide more than $1,794 per month to veterans, and $1,153 per month to surviving spouses. Veterans who are housebound (mostly unable to leave their homes) may alternatively apply for the Housebound Benefit, which similarly increases the beneficiary’s benefit rates. 

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On top of all your caregiving duties, determining whether you can receive compensation as a family caregiver and navigating the application process can seem daunting. Thankfully, Aidaly is here to help.