Mom has been living with my husband and I for over two years. We did not claim her as a dependent last year and we have not as yet "charged" her any fees for living with us.
She is now on MaineCare and currently only receives benefits for her medications and doctor's visits. As of this coming October she will have depleted her meager savings for adult day care services while I work. If I decide to stay home and quit my job to care for her, can I use her monthly social security benefit and use that as "room and board" to provide the care she needs? If I did this would there be some sort of penalty to repay Mainecare should she need supervised residential care in the future? (I cannot afford to be home without any income whatsoever). My mother has been diagnosed as needing 24/7 supervision. Any advice would be welcomed and appreciated.
Thank you.

SMC hi, and welcome to the forum.

There are many programs that may provide financial assistance, Federal, state, and local. The trick is tracking them down. Go to:

http://alzheimers.boomja.com/F...ssistance-27304.html

There are several tools to help you find the programs for which your mom may be eligible. If your father was a veteran, don't overlook VA programs for surviving spouses, such as Aid and Attendance -- this is a pension benefit and does not require any sort of service-related injury, only service during a "time of war" (fighting not required.)

I would encourage you to talk with a good elder law attorney. There are ways to pay yourself for providing care, and certainly for paying her share of room and board expenses, but you want to be sure you do it correctly. Otherwise, there may indeed be some sort of penalty if you have to place her in the future. The Medicaid laws are complex and differ from state to state, plus they change all the time, so expert advice is a really good idea.

Ditto! Great advice, and Welcome!

Yes, great Advice from JAB (as usual)

may I add my Welcome?

Thank you JAB, maebee and Lisa428.

I especially didn't realize that there could be additional benefits available to widows of military veterans. My dad served in the Army during World War II. I'll be reading some more about that aspect.

Much appreciated and God Bless,
SMC

That's great! You can use Aid & Attendance to pay for someone to come in and help care for your mother, but you can also have her pay you rather than an outsider. You'd have to pay income taxes on it, though.

It can take a long time to get A&A in place, but once you do, the money is retroactive to the time you apply. Call a nearby VA hospital and ask to speak with an advisor. Several people have recommended asking your local chapter of the American Legion to help you apply. Or you can look in the yellow pages for The Purple Heart Society in your area and call them.

Your local Veterans Council may be very helpful in locating VA programs for your mother, and helping you deal with all the paperwork.

A website for survivor's benefits programs:

http://www.vba.va.gov/Survivors/agencies.htm