In the United States, 10,000 people turn 65 daily, and due to the rising costs of residential care, the demand for family caregivers is growing. But nothing about the caregiver world is simple, from whether relatives providing help qualify for reimbursement from insurance to how professional assistants should be paid.
The latter issue made headlines three years ago, when actress Betty White was sued by her former live-in employee for not being paid overtime. We asked attorney Ryan Zick of Price, Postel, and Parma to educate us about how professional caregivers should be handled to ensure everyone remains happy.
Why is caring for caregivers so complicated? Families that employ in-home caretakers for loved ones are generally unfamiliar with the complex labyrinth of California wage and labor laws. Even seasoned employment attorneys can get lost navigating through these intricate rules. In-home caregivers are subject to a special and unique set of wage and labor laws. There are three main issues any family employing an in-house caregiver should be aware of: classification of the caregiver, overtime, and break/meal periods.