Caregiver timesheet for long term care insurance: what insurers want on it

FLTCIP's informal caregiver instructions ask you to "round time to the nearest quarter hour." Genworth's independent provider form says the signature date cannot come before the last date of service. John Hancock's proof of payment guidelines say the payment date must be on or after the last date of service. Each of those is a small detail, and each one shows up on the insurers' own forms.

Here is what the published forms ask a caregiver timesheet to show, line by line.

Which timesheet form does each insurer use?

Most insurers publish their own form for a caregiver you hire directly.

• Genworth: an LTC invoice form for independent care providers (providers not working under a home care agency), split into days 1 to 15 and days 16 to 31.
• John Hancock: the Independent Care Provider service bill, with 14 rows per page, or the CareGiver app.
• MetLife: a monthly invoice form, with one timesheet per caregiver and per month.
• FLTCIP: the Informal Caregiver Invoice, or time tracking in the My LTCFEDS dashboard.

If your insurer has a form, use the current version from its claims page.

What identifying information goes at the top?

• Insured's full name and date of birth (John Hancock asks for date of birth).
• Policy number and claim number. Genworth's form says these must be clearly printed so the invoice routes to the correct Benefit Analyst.
• Caregiver's name, phone and address.
• Caregiver's relationship to the insured. Genworth's form and FLTCIP's invoice both include this field.
• Service from and to dates for the period. Genworth uses mm/dd/yy; John Hancock and FLTCIP use mm/dd/yyyy.

John Hancock's form also asks whether care was provided at home and whether the insured was in a hospital or facility that month, with admission and discharge dates.

How should time in and time out be recorded?

One date per line, with a start and end time marked a.m. or p.m.

• FLTCIP: "Complete the time in and time out for that calendar day." "Include a.m. and/or p.m., and round time to the nearest quarter hour."
• Genworth: start and end times for each day, with a.m. or p.m., and room for up to two shifts in one day.
• John Hancock: date, time in, time out, total hours, hourly charge and total daily charge on each row.

Quarter-hour rounding means times like 8:00, 8:15, 8:30 and 8:45. A shift from 8:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. is 4.25 hours, and at $25 an hour the daily charge is $106.25. Write the math out on the line so the hours, rate and charge agree.

Genworth's form asks each provider to enter the hours actually worked.

What services or ADLs should the timesheet list?

Two of the forms name the activities of daily living (ADLs) directly, and the third asks for a written description.

• John Hancock's form has checkboxes for bathing, continence, dressing, eating, toileting, transferring/mobility, cognitive supervision and other.
• FLTCIP's form has columns for bathing, continence, dressing, eating, toileting, transferring, supervision/safety and other, marked with an X on each line.
• Genworth's form asks for a description of the specific tasks performed each day, plus the type of provider (nurse, therapist, companion aide or homemaker).

FLTCIP's instructions define two terms closely. Eating "refers to providing assistance with getting food into the insured's mouth," and "does not mean providing assistance with meal preparation." Transferring "means providing assistance with getting out of a bed, chair, or wheelchair," and "does not mean providing transportation to the insured."

Match what you check to what actually happened that day, and to the services in the approved plan of care.

Who signs the timesheet, and when?

Both sides sign, after the care is finished.

• Genworth: the care provider signs and dates Section C, and the insured or legal representative signs and dates Section D. Neither date can be before the last date of service on the invoice.
• John Hancock: the insured or fiduciary signs and the care provider signs. If someone signs for the insured, the form asks for their title (power of attorney, guardian or other) and documents showing that authority.
• FLTCIP: "Handwritten signatures are required," from both the caregiver and the insured or legal representative, after services are rendered.

FLTCIP adds one rule for families. If the caregiver and the legal representative signing for the insured are the same person, "an additional signature is required by a third-party to attest to the services rendered, hours worked, and payment made."

What proof of payment goes with the timesheet?

The timesheet shows the care. A separate bank record shows the payment.

• FLTCIP asks for the check or transaction number for each date of service, says "the invoice total and proof of payment amount must match," and says payment must be made after services are rendered.
• FLTCIP checks need images of the front and back with a valid bank stamp. It does not accept carbon copies, copies of uncashed checks or check registers.
• John Hancock's guidelines say proof must show the provider who was paid and the person who paid, must be a completed transaction (not pending), and that a "PAID" stamp alone is not acceptable.
• John Hancock's form accepts canceled checks or Venmo receipts as examples, and says "Cash payments are not acceptable."
• Genworth's form says it may require copies of canceled checks or other proof of payment.

Paying by check or traceable transfer after each pay period, for the exact invoice total, keeps the two documents in agreement.

What about daily care notes?

Genworth's payments page says, "Ensure that care notes accompany invoices, if applicable." A short note per shift (what was done, any change in condition) supports the services checked on the timesheet.

Timesheet checklist

• Current insurer form, one per caregiver.
• Policy and claim number on every page.
• One date per line, time in and out with a.m. or p.m., rounded to the quarter hour.
• Hours times rate equals the daily charge, and the daily charges add to the total.
• Services checked match the plan of care.
• Both signatures dated on or after the last service date.
• Proof of payment matches the total and is dated after service.

This is general information, not legal, tax or insurance advice. Your policy and your claim approval letter control what is reimbursed.

FAQ

Sources:
https://cdn.ltcfeds.gov/planning-tools/downloads/Invoice-Submission-and-Reimbursement-Package.pdf
https://cdn.ltcfeds.gov/planning-tools/downloads/Informal-Caregiver-Invoice.pdf
https://www.ltcfeds.gov/claims-information/reimbursement
https://cdn.ltcfeds.gov/planning-tools/downloads/2.0-3.0-Using-Your-FLTCIP-Benefits.pdf
https://www.genworth.com/dam/Americas/US/PDFs/Consumer/Forms/LTC-invoice-form.pdf
https://www.genworth.com/claims/long-term-care-claims/claims-process/payments
https://www.johnhancock.com/content/dam/jh-com/us/customer-support-and-self-service/long-term-care/LTC-ICPSB_Fillable.pdf
https://www.johnhancock.com/content/dam/onejohnhancock/pdfs/ltc-4208_guidelines_to_submitting_proof_of_payment.pdf
https://www.johnhancock.com/individual/help-center/long-term-care/understanding-the-claim-process/benefit-reimbursement
https://www.metlife.com/ltc/ltc-claims-process-claim-reimbursement