Can I claim funds I used caring (unpaid) for a disabled person that lived in my home (standard deduction)? Ex. Paid for childcare so that I could take elder to med appt.

[rmjokinen1673]

I was an unpaid provider to a senior/disabled/vet/friend/loved one that also lived in our home. The gentleman required medical care that consisted of him attending appts at minimum 3x a week (sometimes more). Each time, I would pay out of pocket for my own child care so that I could take him to these appointments. Some even were out of town for multiple days that required travel and lodging. From my understanding you can't claim these expenses if you are taking the standard deduction which I am. However it won't let me claim any of the babysitting because I personally wasn't disabled or a student. I just wanted to know if there was a different credit that was available to me with the standard deduction or if there was a way around this? Also worth noting that unfortunately we lost our home in a fire last year and lost a good deal of documentation that supported this.  Obviously I would like to claim as much of the money I paid out of pocket as I could so any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

[Mike9241]

sorry, no tax credits or deductions are available

however, you may be able to claim the vet as a dependent (Qualifying Relative) if

1) they lived in your household the entire year. Absences for medical treatment are ignored
2) their gross income for 2021 was less than $4,350
3) you provide over ½ their support