Input needed to help extremely low income family member

[MaybeBabyMustache]

I have an aunt who is developmentally disabled, and approaching a point where my parents are struggling with her increased needs as they age. My sister & I are trying to step in to help as we can & are currently focused on the financial side. She is in excellent health, lives alone, and can currently manage her own feeding, etc & aspects of living independently.

A few data points:
Aunt lives in Washington state
Over 60 (believe she's 62)
Earns $13,000/year via Social Security benefits
No other income
Has a couple of thousand dollars in savings
Has a paid off house

She struggles a lot with money management, and is willing to have us help, but on the flip side, is also dishonest & lies quite a bit (think of a youngish child who lies when they understand they've violated the rules but doesn't want to get in trouble.) We are working to put some systems in place that gives her the money she needs to pay bills, while putting safeguards in place to ensure she can't run through it all. This is all done with her approval/support/desire.

As part of this, it's clear she's struggling to make ends meet, given her income. We've already gotten her qualified for reduced energy bills & reduced property taxes. What's the best way to find out if there are other services available? Food benefits, transportation, etc? She did apply for some version of a food benefit, and was told she would only qualify for $25/month. I find it hard to believe you wouldn't qualify for more if your gross income is $13,000/year, anywhere in the US.

Any advice, pointers, or areas for me to explore would be super helpful!

[iris lily]

She actually has a house? A stand-alone dwelling?

[Rob_bob]

I did a Google search and found this, don't know if it will help you.

https://www.payingforseniorcare.com/wp-content/uploads/UGG-PFSC-3398050-state-resource-pages-washington.pdf

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Yes, she has a house. My grandmother purchased it for her before she passed away. My aunt made small payments on it for years before she retired (she worked full time as a dishwasher, until she retired). The house was paid off as part of my grandmother's passing, and is now fully in my aunt's name. I'd estimate it to be worth the land only - maybe $80-$120k.

[LifeHappens]

I used to work with people with developmental disabilities. It's been a long time, and I was in another state, but I think some of my knowledge still applies.

1) Each county will have a clearinghouse for resources for people on Social Security Disability (SSDI). If your aunt's county has a United Way, they should operate a 211 number, which is a good place to start.
2) With such low income your aunt should absolutely qualify for food stamps. Amounts do vary and can be quite low for single adults, but I would shocked if it is only $25 per month. Since she is over 60 she may also qualify for Meals on Wheels.
3) I'm guessing your aunt gets medical insurance through the joint Medicare/Medicaid program. *Those* insurers do often give their customers something like $25 or $50 per month for healthy groceries. They also often help with transportation for medical appointments.

Hopefully that is a start. If I were in your situation, I would look for a United Way 211 as a first step and work through the resources from there.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Thanks so much, LifeHappens! Super useful starting point

[iris lily]

Yes, she has a house. My grandmother purchased it for her before she passed away. My aunt made small payments on it for years before she retired (she worked full time as a dishwasher, until she retired). The house was paid off as part of my grandmother's passing, and is now fully in my aunt's name. I'd estimate it to be worth the land only - maybe $80-$120k.

Before we renovated the house we now live in, its market value was $79,000. Taxes were $1000 a year. Utilities, which are considered high for this area, were around 200–250 a month.

 I always said that poor people could be in this house and be just fine, and I could see where your aunt could live in a house like ours  on her income. But the problem comes when big shit needs to be fixed like roof replacement. She could live for another 30 years so she will definitely be replacing a roof there as well as HVAC system, water heater at minimum.  I suppose you can ignore old windows and just let them leak air. It’s almost guaranteed. There will be a major plumbing problem in the next few decades that needs multiple thousands of dollars to address.

The bottom line is it doesn’t seem sustainable to own a home in this income range. I understand why your grandmother  bought her a house because she wanted her daughter to have a place to live and I can see that working for a few years.

 I would be looking into subsidized senior housing for her at this point. Wait lists for those properties are quite long.

[dandarc]

Probably does qualify for more SNAP benefits, but the application can be confusing, sounds like in particular if she is applying for herself vs. having someone help her out.

Specifically, I'd bet "I get $1100 per month from SS" was answered as well as "I don't pay a mortgage or rent", but not a lot of the follow up details like:

"Monthly out of pocket medical expenses for household members who are age 60 or older or have a disability"

"Monthly homeowners insurance and taxes:"

"Which of the following utility bills do you pay?"

When I put in just $1100 / no mortgage, $23 / month is the amount. But add $100 for OOP medical, $500 for homeowners / insurance and check all the utility bills, it goes up to almost $200 - a much more helpful amount. But you'd have to really read and understand the questions and know the amounts being paid to be able to do this. https://www.floridapolicy.org/posts/snap-calculator-do-you-qualify-for-snap-in-florida

That's just one example - bigger picture, we're in a different state and dealing with something similar with an extended family-member, but I'd say that to help, you really need to get in touch with her assigned social workers. And if there are none, find the local disability / elder council in her area and get her one to get a proper assessment done and help navigate the system. There's so many different programs with different qualifications and she's obviously not in a good position to advocate for herself - this is what social workers are being paid to do, but someone from the family needs to be sure she's at least on their radar and there to push from time to time when it is needed.

Longer-term, particularly if family cannot help, it might be wise to try to get her into some kind of group-home situation or some in-home aid of some kind, although the sale of the house would have to be done carefully to avoid disqualifying for benefits.

Tough situation and can be shockingly frustrating to engage with the system and frankly the rest of the family if you haven't had reason to do something like this before - but do what you can, and have faith that it will ultimately work out OK for your aunt and everyone else involved.

[seattlecyclone]

Where in Washington state?

The state Department of Social and Health Services might be a good place to start to get an idea of what's available.

Regarding food benefits the state has this online calculator you can fill out. Given the social security income, $25 looks about right actually. The exact amount would depend on property tax and any medical expenses. Look into food banks as well.

What does she do for health care? Is she on Apple Health (Medicaid)? Her income should easily qualify.

Property taxes: just want to verify you got her the senior/disability exemption and not the deferral. The exemption is better and it sounds like she should qualify. https://dor.wa.gov/taxes-rates/property-tax/property-tax-exemptions-and-deferrals

Transportation: in the Seattle metro area she should be able to qualify for a disability permit or an ORCA Lift (low-income) fare card. Either one of these should provide rides for $1 on most transit services. Similar programs should be available elsewhere in the state.

She likely qualifies for Lifeline phone services as well. Does she have or want home internet access? Low-income discounts are often available for that as well.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

@iris lily - agreed. We've had family members do significant repairs (electricians, plumbers, etc, so they are professional) help out in the past, so she's been able to get by with that.

She also qualifies for reduced utilities & property taxes, both of which my dad was able to secure in the last few months. However, inflation has outpaced the rest of her spending. She's also not great at budget management, efficient grocery purchasing, etc, and while we can absolutely "teach" that, she struggles to retain that information. My sister is picking up all of her bills, and I suspect there's also some really inefficient things like subscription services (e.g. TV, etc) that can be negotiated down.

We are preparing for the inevitable move to assisted living. I'd say it's no more than 5 years away, with certainly the potential to be much sooner, if her health declines in any way.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Thanks for all of the great feedback so far! My parents have been very involved, so I'm just getting up to speed.

@seattlecyclone - southwestern Washington (Cowlitz County). She has a property tax exemption (it's not for the full amount, but a reduction in what you pay).

Great question on health care. She was previously covered under her employer, but they folded during COVID, and she "retired", e.g couldn't find another job & took SS early. I'll find out.

Not in Seattle, and transportation options are very limited where she is, given it's quite rural. She currently has a very inexpensive car, but the next repair or breakdown of it will mean it's not an option, so we're trying to get ahead of that. She uses it only to drive in a 5 mile radius, doesn't drive at night, and actually has a clean driving record.

The low income phone would be great. No internet at home, although she does have Dish TV, and I need ot find out if we can substantially lower that bill or find a cheaper alternative.

We also have her credit on lock down, as she's been subject to numerous scams.

[seattlecyclone]

I found this Regional Mobility Guide describing various transportation services in Cowlitz and surrounding counties. Give it a look and see if anything would be available in your aunt's location.

Yeah you still have to pay some tax on the senior exemption, but I believe it has some nice benefits such as locking your property value in place so taxes won't increase over time. We bought our first house from someone who was on the senior exemption and she was paying something like a quarter of the normal amount.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Thanks for all of the help! A few positive updates:
-Negotiated her TV package, and saved $45/month. While you could argue the TV can go, it's her only source of "entertainment", and books aren't really an option. Another family member covers a very inexpensive gym membership, so those are her two "hobbies".
-Negotiated her phone service. She has a home phone, and does keep in touch with her older sister, who is out of state. Calls daily, so long distance was important. Saved $12/month.
-Discovered that she's eligible for discounted water, sewer & trash (in addition to the power/heating she's already getting at a discounted rate). Not sure how much this will save yet, but potentially $100/month.
-Worked with her on a list for her necessary monthly purchases. My parents may pick up things at a significantly reduced rate at Costco, as she goes to a very local store that is much more expensive.
-She is calling her insurance agent to authorize me to update her policies on her behalf. A quick skim of them indicate that there's a lot of room for optimization.
-Considering rehoming her multiple cats. This is a last resort, but does need to be considered given her income level, her own financial security, and the cost of numerous cats. I believe she has four. She also can't afford vet services.
-My sister is working on getting financial POA.
-Built a budget for her, and a cash flow analysis to understand what's going awry month over month.

I feel like I've made some progress that will tangibly help her!

[meadow lark]

I wonder if @Tammy has any suggestions.  She lives in Washington, I think, and is very aware of programs, at least the ones near her.

[SunnyDays]

Is there a local Humane Society/ASPCA that maybe could help with vet services geared to low income owners?  Or an Animal Food Bank she could tap into?  Four cats are a lot, but if she considers them her family, it might be traumatic for her to give them up.  Also, pets can provide socialization and comfort, so have value that could surpass their costs.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

We are open to trying to keep the cats, and will prioritize them, but I also want to make sure she is able to take adequate care of them. I agree that the pets are playing a role in her life. Good call about seeing whether there are options to help. We were also thinking about researching if she could give up a few of the cats, but keep a couple to allow her the positive aspects of having a pet. But, that may still also be traumatic.

I think our larger goal will be to ensure that, moving forward, if she keeps these cats, to not replace them when they die. Maximum limit of one cat, if she has the income to support it.

[lifeandlimb]

I know somebody who used to volunteer with Meals on Wheels as an assistant pet caregiver. You can search to see if the local chapter near her offers pet volunteers:
https://www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org/find-meals

[Thrallama]

We are open to trying to keep the cats, and will prioritize them, but I also want to make sure she is able to take adequate care of them. I agree that the pets are playing a role in her life. Good call about seeing whether there are options to help. We were also thinking about researching if she could give up a few of the cats, but keep a couple to allow her the positive aspects of having a pet. But, that may still also be traumatic.

I think our larger goal will be to ensure that, moving forward, if she keeps these cats, to not replace them when they die. Maximum limit of one cat, if she has the income to support it.

The Humane Society of Cowlitz County offers low-cost spay/neuter, vaccinations, and parasite prevention for cats: https://www.cowlitzhumane.com/services-2/

I agree with the goal of gradually transitioning to one cat (or no pets at all). Unless it's her idea to give them up (even if it is her idea), it will likely be traumatic to rehome them.

Many (most?) assisted living facilities do not allow pets, so that may force the decision if she does have to move while the cats are still alive. If there is a friend or family member who would be willing to take the cats so your aunt can visit/get updates on them, it might ease the transition.

[midweststache]

OK, so this is maybe not what you're looking for, but you've gotten a lot of great advice re: cutting costs. I'm going to offer another perspective.

I have an uncle (70s) who is developmentally disabled. For most of his life, he lived with my grandmother; shortly before she passed away, he transitioned to a group home. He works - his choice - but specifically in a developmentally-disabled workforce program that keeps his income super-low for SS/Disability/etc. I don't know this is apples-apples - your aunt sounds much more independent and high-functioning than my uncle, who has the cognitive functioning of ~10-year-old - but here are some things my family did:
 
1. My uncle cannot make responsible life choices. My mother has POA for his decisions, including medical, and my grandmother held POA before that for all of his adult life.
2. When my grandmother passed away and my mother took over, the learning curve on all the logistics and red tape surround his situation was HUGE. My mom essentially has a part-time job in managing doctors' appointments, social services, POA, etc - and she's worked in a field where this kind of hoop-jumping is common. My uncle has some health complications that add a layer of this that you don't have, but if you're the person who will be taking this over if/when your parents no longer can, I would ensure you're up to speed with them ASAP.
3. Our family has put most of his assets in a family trust that is specifically allocated for his care, that is managed by a family member; if you're looking at a financial POA this may be a consideration, though I'm not sure how the paid-off house would be impacted by this. The keeps his income low so he can access benefits, while ensuring there will be money to care for him as long as necessary; I believe the plan for when he passes is to donate leftover funds from the trust to the workforce development program / disability program that he's been a part of for decades, but I'm not the trustee so I'm not sure. It might be worth discussing your situation with a lawyer who specializes in family law and disability to ensure you're optimizing things while still ensure your aunt is cared for.
4. The family member who manages the trust talks with him about his discretionary spending and helps him shop, ensures his utilities and whatnot are paid, etc. There's a lot of stuff he doesn't "get" (he hates living in an apartment with "those people" but absolutely cannot live without someone available 24/7 - even if just for a wellness check) but talking about things and letting him grocery shop on his own has given him some independence.
5. Good call on the pausing credit due to scams. Another reason to consider a trust - real estate scams are not uncommon and prey on the elderly; if the house is your aunt's name and she's susceptible to these kinds of scams, you'll want to investigate a way to protect the house (and her) from that kind of predatory fraud.

Again, it sounds like my uncle has a lot more "family involvement" in his day-to-day life than your aunt does, but take from that what you will. And good luck - caregiving his hard, and that difficulty is compounded when the person you're caring for is dishonest and/or combative in that process.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Thanks for all of the resources & input, everyone! I'm exploring a bunch of them.

@Midwestache - thanks for the details. We are getting a financial POA for my aunt (my sister has agreed to take this on, as she lives about an hour away from my aunt). We've basically required double signature for her to access money out of her accounts. We've set all bills to auto pay, and she gets a small "allowance" each week to spend on things. It's not ideal, is a bit time consuming, and certainly now how I'd want to handle anyone who was capable of making independent decisions. But, our goal is entirely to preserve what little money she has. All of us have already invested money in her care (and, each of us are covering a few small "extra" bills as well).

Very big agree to your #2. As my sister & I pick this up, it's a huge learning curve. Everything from how to set up the accounts to best protect her, to additional resources on what she qualifies for, to how potential benefits work together & can't be used together, etc.

At this point, my parents are so frustrated, burned out & angry with my aunt that they are taking a time out. We're hoping that, by my sister & I stepping in to help & automate a bunch of stuff, it will allow my parents to rebuild their relationship, but in a way that isn't caregiving. The ongoing lying has been exhausting all around.