Legal Question in Employment Law in Ohio

hi, im charlie.

im a full time caregiver for my grandfather and here is my story about my situation..

my grandfather is a marine vet who fought in the Korean war and then later retired from GM..

his wife and my grandmother died of cancer and so my uncle who is now his power of attorney

took him in and cared for him for many years. gpa fell ill and ended up in a nursing home for 5 or 6 months.. supposedly his insurance wont cover the stay any longer and his house in wich my mom has been staying in would be lost unless we care for him in the home for at least 2 years. i was the only person in the family who could care for him due to the fact i was unemployed and not in school. he moved back into HIS home where my mother was staying.. when they asked me to care for him they said he'd be coming home in less than a week so i needed to make a quick decision. i gad no idea what it involved.. he has congenital heart failure, vascular disease, diabetes, mind dementia, cant control bowels or bladder and cannot stand on his own. i had no prior experiance but i agreed thinking my family would take care of me financially. currently my mother works 12 hrs a day 5 days a week, so from 5 am till 5pm i am responsible for his every need. including dr appointment, keeping records of his blood sugar and meds, cleaning him up and feeding. my compensation is 140 dollars a week and i dont have to pay rent. i dont want to live here for 2 more years.. what if i wanna move out, there not gonna pay me any more.. i dont have a life and i cant work anywhere else because this takes up all my time! the money my uncle is paying me is out of my gpa's pocket not his.. i believe he is taking advantage of being the power of attorney and is used to having my gpa's money all these years and dont want to give it up.. i feel like what i am doing is worth so much more than this!! this is family i know but how do i go about trying to solve this problem? my family says im wrong because its my gpa and i should not even ask for money but i have needs too! student loans, car insurance, gas, child support, food, clothing, cell phone... i dont even make enough to pay my bills let alone ever be able to get out of this hole im in. they have made me feel like im stuck and cant get out. ive educated myself on his diseases and i now know what im doing.. he has been in my care for aprox 2 months now. im working on getting my STNA so his insurance could possibly pay me for my time.. but ive got to cover the expenses of the stna myself... what gives? ive given up alot for this, and im not getting the recognition i deserve.... any suggestions?


Asked on 7/19/10, 4:11 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Neil Rubin Neil S. Rubin, Attorney at Law, LLC

This message is not meant to: 1) contain my signature; 2) contain legal advice; 3) create an attorney/client relationship; or 4) guarantee confidentiality.

Charlie:

Unless you have a valid, executed contract with your grandpa or family this is not a legal issue. It appears that you are getting paid under the table which has you and them violating the law. Moreover, minimum wage laws do not apply. You are free to ask for more money or get another job.

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Answered on 7/23/10, 9:31 am


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