Letter to the Hon. Paul Ryan, the Hon. Nancy Pelosi, the Hon. Tom Cole, and the Hon. Rosa DeLauro - Funding for National Caregiving Grants

Letter

Dear Speaker Ryan, Leader Pelosi, Chairman Cole, and Ranking Member DeLauro

As you negotiate a final Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2019, we write to express our support for Care Corps grants and urge you to include funding and report language for these grants in the final bill. Specifically, we request $10 million in additional funding for Care Corps grants within the Aging Network Support Activities account from the FY18 level, with the following language included in the explanatory report:

"The Committee recognizes the growing demand for services and supports to help seniors and individuals with disabilities live independently in their homes, and the need to support family caregivers who facilitate that independence. In addition to existing aging network support activities funded under Section 411 of the Older Americans Act, the Committee includes $10,000,000 for grants to public agencies or private nonprofit agencies for the purpose of placing volunteers in communities to assist family caregivers and/or assist seniors and individuals with disabilities in maintaining independence by providing non-medical care. Such grants shall be consistent with the requirements of the Nationwide Program for National and State Background checks on direct patient access employees of long-term care facilities and providers, and the worker displacement and grievance provisions in the AmeriCorps program."

As our population continues to age, many more Americans will require long-term supports and services, placing a huge burden on a fragmented system that is already struggling to provide and finance care for current seniors and individuals with disabilities. Studies have shown that most Americans in need of these services prefer to receive care in the home, but we face a shortage of professional caregivers, and family caregivers cannot do it alone. Care Corps grants would help to fill those gaps, placing volunteers in communities to work with seniors and individuals with disabilities across the country, while also building a career pipeline for young adults and others seeking exposure to a new career field.

House appropriators recognized the critical need for caregiving resources, providing $5 million in Care Corps grant funding and including the requested report language in the House LHHS Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2019. Furthermore, Senators Udall, Moore Capito, and Heinrich introduced an amendment to add Care Corps grants to the Senate LHHS Appropriations bill, demonstrating bipartisan support for Care Corps grants in the Senate.

Care Corps grants are strongly supported by members on both sides of the aisle, in addition to a broad range of stakeholder groups. We urge you to include these grants in the final LHHS bill for fiscal year 2019. We thank you for your attention and stand ready to work with you to ensure that seniors and individuals with disabilities are able to live out their lives with dignity and independence.

Sincerely,