How to pay for care

The simplest arrangement and the fastest to start, because it does not depend on anyone else approving it. You choose the schedule, you can change it, and care can begin as soon as the assessment is done and a caregiver is matched.

There is no minimum number of hours at Serenity, so private pay does not have to mean a large commitment. Many families start with a few mornings a week and adjust from there.

Families often use private pay as a bridge — covering care now while a VA claim or a Medicaid waiver application is still in process.

If your parent bought a long-term care policy years ago, it may cover exactly this. Policies vary enormously in what they pay, for how long, and under what conditions, so the policy document is the only reliable source.

Two features to look for specifically: an elimination period (a waiting period, often counted in days of paid care, before benefits begin — meaning you usually pay out of pocket first), and whether the policy requires care from a licensed agency rather than an individually hired caregiver.

Claims run through your insurer, not through us. We can provide the service documentation an insurer typically asks for, but we are not the claim filer and we cannot tell you what your policy will pay.

Aid & Attendance is an increased monthly VA pension payment for an eligible wartime veteran or surviving spouse who needs another person’s help with daily activities, or who is housebound. Because it is paid as pension money, the family decides how to use it — including for home care.

Eligibility depends on service, income, net worth and level of need, and those rules change periodically. We are not accredited to prepare or file VA claims and we do not give benefits advice.

Get free, accredited help. Every Ohio county has a County Veterans Service Office staffed by accredited officers whose help costs nothing, and accredited representatives from the VFW, American Legion, DAV and AMVETS also file claims for free. Never pay a company to file a claim a service officer will file at no charge.

Claims can take months. Families who wait for a decision before arranging care generally lose that time, so it is usually better to start what you need now.

PASSPORT is an Ohio Medicaid waiver program that helps older adults who meet its financial and level-of-care criteria receive services at home instead of in a nursing facility. In this region it is administered by the Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio.

Serenity Care Partners is a contracted COA provider and accepts PASSPORT. If you are already enrolled, you can ask your care manager about choosing Serenity as your provider.

If you are not enrolled, the Council on Aging is where an assessment starts. Eligibility is determined by them and by Ohio Medicaid, not by us — we can tell you who to call, and we can begin care under another arrangement while an application is pending.