Note on market scope: This article covers resources from both Korea and the United States. Each piece of information is labeled 🇰🇷 Korea or 🇺🇸 U.S. in the text to indicate which country it applies to.
When a parent suddenly has trouble getting around, or begins showing signs of cognitive decline, family caregivers face a very practical question: What do I do about my job? And where will the money for daily living come from while I am away? Turning that vague anxiety into concrete knowledge about available programs is the first step.
🇰🇷 Korea The first program to look into is 가족요양비 (Special Cash Benefit). This benefit is paid when an older adult who has been assigned a long-term care grade is unable to use a long-term care facility due to living in a remote or island area, a natural disaster, or physical or mental circumstances. No 요양보호사 (care worker) certificate is required to apply. As of 2026, regardless of care grade, 240,450 won per month is deposited directly into the recipient's own bank account — a modest increase from 233,400 won in 2025. It is important to remember, however, that this benefit is not automatically granted simply because a family member is providing care; the National Health Insurance Service (국민건강보험공단) must officially recognize that one of the legally defined qualifying circumstances applies.
🇰🇷 Korea A separate program that is easy to confuse with 가족요양비 is 가족요양보호사 급여 (Family Care Worker Benefit). Under this arrangement, a family member obtains a 요양보호사 certificate, joins a long-term care institution, actually delivers in-home care visit services, and receives reimbursement based on the hours of care provided. As of 2026, providing 60 minutes of care per day for 20 days a month yields approximately 420,000 won; providing 90 minutes per day for up to 31 days yields approximately 961,000 won. Obtaining the certificate is a prerequisite, but because income grows with the number of care hours provided, this can be a realistic option for full-time family caregivers.
🇰🇷 Korea If you want to focus on caregiving for a period without leaving your job permanently, look into 가족돌봄휴직 (Family Care Leave) and 가족돌봄휴가 (Family Care Days Off). Under the 남녀고용평등법 (Act on Equal Employment Opportunity and Work-Family Balance Assistance), employers are required to grant a leave of absence when an employee requests it due to illness, accident, or aging of a parent, grandparent, spouse, or other covered family member. 가족돌봄휴직 may be used for up to 90 days per year; if taken in segments, each segment must be at least 30 days. 가족돌봄휴가 allows up to 10 days per year to be taken one day at a time, and those days count within the 90-day leave limit. Both programs are currently unpaid as a rule, so planning ahead for the resulting gap in household income is essential.
🇺🇸 U.S. At the federal level, FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) provides the basic framework. Employees who have worked for at least 12 months at a company with 50 or more employees, and who have logged at least 1,250 hours during that period, are entitled to up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave per year. This leave can be used when a parent has a serious health condition. During the leave, the employer must maintain the employee's health insurance benefits, and the employee is guaranteed the right to return to the same or an equivalent position. It bears emphasis that FMLA is job protection, not wage replacement.
🇺🇸 U.S. To address the gap in pay, you need to check whether the state where you live has a paid family leave program. 2026 has been a significant year for expansion in this area. Minnesota began implementing a paid leave program on January 1, 2026, offering up to 20 weeks per year combining medical and family caregiving leave. Maine launched a paid leave program for private-sector workers on May 1, 2026, covering up to 12 weeks. Massachusetts already has an existing paid family leave program that pays a percentage of wages for up to 12 weeks of leave taken for family caregiving purposes. Because there is still no federal mandate for paid family leave, which state you live in is a critical variable.
In both countries, many people simply do not use these programs because they do not know they exist. In Korea, we encourage you to contact your local 국민건강보험공단 branch first. In the United States, reach out to your employer's HR department or your state's department of labor. There are real ways to continue caregiving while also protecting your livelihood.
Sources: 국민건강보험공단 2026 가족요양비 guidance; 찾기쉬운생활법령 (easylaw.go.kr) provisions on 가족돌봄휴직; 고용노동부 (Ministry of Employment and Labor) Work-Life Balance Portal; U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) official FMLA guidance; AARP state-by-state paid family leave status for family caregivers; Congressional Research Service (CRS) paid family leave report (R44835).
Note: This article was compiled by AI from the sources cited above. We strive for accuracy, but for decisions about your specific situation, please confirm the latest guidance from a professional or the relevant agency.