What else can my mom do?

[mommylamb]

Under the new health care law, there will soon be a new national high risk pool that has a subsidy from the govt. I don't think it has been implemented yet, but it's coming really soon. It is for people with pre-existing conditions and currently uninsured. Not sure if she would qualify, but keep an eye out.

Definitely look into HUD programs.

Another possibility is LIHEAP (low income home energy assistance program) which can help with energy bills.

As kijip said, Medicaid differs a lot state to state. This is from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, which does a great job explaining a lot of federal programs:

Who Is Eligible for Medicaid?

Medicaid is an “entitlement” program, which means that anyone who meets eligibility rules has a right to receive Medicaid coverage. It also means that states have guaranteed federal financial support for part of the cost of their Medicaid programs.

In order to receive guaranteed federal funding, states must cover certain “mandatory” populations:

* children under age 6 with income below 133 percent of the federal poverty line (in 2008, the poverty line is $17,600 for a family of three);
* children aged 6-18 with income below the poverty line;
* pregnant women with income below 133 percent of the poverty line;
* parents whose income is within the state’s eligibility limit for cash assistance that was in place prior to welfare reform; and
* most seniors and persons with disabilities who receive cash assistance through the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program.

States may also receive federal Medicaid funds for the costs of covering additional, “optional” populations, including: pregnant women, children, and parents with income above “mandatory” coverage income limits; elderly persons and persons with disabilities with income below the poverty line; and “medically needy” people — those whose income exceeds the state’s regular Medicaid eligibility limit but who have high medical expenses (such as for nursing-home care) that reduce their disposable income to below the eligibility limit.

Every state covers at least one of these “optional” groups. Because states have such broad flexibility to determine which groups they will cover and at what income levels, Medicaid eligibility varies significantly from state to state.

Not all low-income Americans are eligible for Medicaid. In particular, childless adults — that is, those over 21 who are not disabled, not pregnant, and not elderly — are generally not eligible for Medicaid, no matter how poor they are. In addition, legal immigrants are barred from Medicaid for their first five years in this country, even if they meet all of the program’s eligibility requirements.

[BabyMine]

Thank you so much Mommylamb. I didn't know about the LIHEAP so I sent her that information. She called Medicaid and they told her she doesn't qualify becasue she isn't pregnant, have children, or on SSD/SS.

Thank you all so much.

[mommylamb]

Good luck to her. It's such a tough environment out there for people and the safety net isn't so sturdy for childless adults in her situation. FWIW, she is more likely to get LIHEAP if she lives in a northern state than in a state in the South or Southwest. The formula is skewed towards colder weather climates (a gripe of mine, as more people die or have health related problems due to hot weather than they do due to cold weather-- or at least most people who die from cold weather do so because they don't have a home, not because they can't pay their heating bill, while people suffer heart attacks/strokes/asthma/etc all the time in their homes due to heat).

[BelleoftheBallFlagstaff]

Could she babysit evenings/weekends? Do her knees allow her to do that?

[BabyMine]

Could she babysit evenings/weekends? Do her knees allow her to do that?

She did work for a daycare for about 9 months. She would go home and her knees were swollen. It was a job that paid so she just worked throught the pain. She called all her contacts from the daycare and everyone said they would get back to her. 2 people said she could babysit for $5/hr for 2 kids. She is on sittercity and car.com. So far no bites. I cannot believe the lack of services that are available.

[hillview]

How about care.com -- they do care giving for older folks at an hourly rate?
/hillary

[zag95]

What about respite care or some type of care working with elderly? What about retirement homes? If she has worked with daycare- what about working in schools or year round daycare that is not church affiliated?

Can she do anything with real estate again? Staging, photos of dwellings, anything? Are there any rental places or apartments that she could work at as a manager (managing books, collecting rent etc)

Can she take in a boarder (to rent a room from her home?- or maybe a graduate student or similar?)

[tiapam]

As far as a job, she might try looking in local government for something clerical. Many municipalities and counties have the job openings posted on their websites. Maybe there would be something she could do in spite of her health problems.

Also, I would look for a free or reduced fee clinic in her area. I would assume a doctor at a place like that can certify that she is disabled the same as any other. We have a privately run one nearby, but I have also seen ones highlighted on TV that are organized by church groups. The social services department at a local hospital is another place that might have helpful advice and info.

Good luck.

[California]

My was widowed and left in a similar spot. Sending out resumes, being told she wasn't the right fit for the job over and over again was so tough on her. Gave me a whole new insight into age discrimination and the unique challengs of finding a career path in your 50's. My mom finally got an entry level job at an amusement park and fortunately quickly moved her way up.

Brainstorming:

If her PT job hours permit, put a flyer up around local daycares and schools offering before/after school care and childcare to see if she gets any leads.

Contact a local pastor to find out what services he/she knows about. For instance, in my area we have one service where you volunteer for a couple of hours and get a few free bags of groceries, and another that gives out free fruits and vegetables at different locations once a week on a first come, first serve basis. Pastors tend to be very connected to these organizations.

As a PP suggested, maybe a roommate?

House/Pet sitter specific to cats. She wouldn't have to walk them

Tutoring if she has any areas she could teach

Is she near a university? If she has basic computer skills she could apply for the temp pool to get her foot in the door.

A lot of retail sales jobs would be very hard on her with her knee. My mom goes through the same thing with her back.

Maybe look online to see if there are any local nonprofit business groups that help with resumes or job searches. If she graduated from college alumni groups sometimes offer assistance. My mom went to a seminar on how to get a job offered for free through a university HR department and it increased her confidence.

Will keep checking this post to see what other ideas come up and will add any I think of. It really is tough and I hope we're able to give your mom a little support.

[California]

Oops-- make that "My Mom" in the previous post. For some reason when I try to edit I get a "you do not have permission to edit this post" message.