Frequently Asked Questions
Why can’t Lisa’s caregiving be handled through a state or government program, such as Medicaid?
Long story short: Lisa is too healthy and has an income level that affects her qualification.
To be eligible for long-term care through Medicaid, Lisa would need to have a medical condition such as diabetes or be on dialysis and have an extremely low-income level. Thankfully, she does not meet either of these conditions.
Lisa and many surrogates have on numerous occasions met and spoken with state and federal agencies regarding her situation. These sessions have not produced meaningful results. Although efforts to seek effective government assistance continues, Lisa must now focus on her needs at hand.
As advocates for Lisa, we do not have to wait for government systems to provide proper financial assistance. We can help now by providing recurring monthly contributions.
Why doesn’t Lisa’s income cover her caregiving costs?
Lisa’s monthly income only covers her typical living expenses, such as rent and utilities, not the additional high costs of caregiving. The kind of quality consistent caregiving Lisa requires costs an estimated $7200 a month.
Lisa has made many sacrifices over the years and experienced financial difficulty along the way. On occasions when financial help was not available, Lisa has been forced to utilize her retirement funds or take out personal loans to meet the cost obligations.
Anyone who has dealt with the high costs of healthcare due to an ongoing illness or unexpected surgery knows how regular income is not enough to meet the extra financial burden. Lisa’s caregiving costs are constant and will continue. Therefore, there is a need for the dependability of monthly gifts.
Are there other programs which could help? What about the consumer-based program, Division of Rehabilitative Services (DARS)?
Lisa has participated in DARS, a state funded agency designed to enable disabled persons to hire their own caregivers.
DARS’ mission: to improve the employment, quality of life, security, and independence of older Virginians, Virginians with disabilities, and their families.
The agency does provide valuable services to many Virginians, however, the program was not designed to meet the needs of someone like Lisa — an otherwise healthy, hardworking individual with a high level of caregiving needs without family as a fall back security measure.
Under DARS, Lisa must manage all of her own caregiving. This obligation requires full time work on planning, caregiver recruitment, and administrative management. Caregivers serving through DARS are without accountability to an oversite organization. This has lead to issues regarding quality, availability, and dependability of care.
Lisa suffered untold emotional strain from the chaotic and inconsistent nature of her caregiving through DARS. After trying again and again, Lisa realized she could not make DARS work for her.
How do I know my financial gift at littlelimbsbigpurpose.com is actually going to meet Lisa’s caregiving need?
Lisa oversees the process of transferring the funds allocated for caregiving to the Little Limbs Big Purpose bank accounts, which she, in turn, uses to pay her healthcare agency bills. After credit card processing fees, 100% of the contributions are allocated to the caregiving cost.
In an effort to provide full transparency, we have provided various data charts that display fund contributions. You can view daily, weekly, and monthly contributions HERE
Why is monthly giving so important in meeting Lisa’s caregiving needs?
To understand how monthly giving serves as the backbone of support for Lisa, we might consider a circumstance where we had to pay bills without knowing how to find the money. We’ve all likely been there a time or two. However, Lisa has lived there, and as you can imagine, being forced to ask for help is a uniquely humbling experience.
Designating your gift as “monthly” can be life changing for Lisa as it can help her rest assured that the finances she needs to cover caregiving costs will be there when they are due.