The Caring for Seniors Act (H.R. 3000) aims to address two interrelated challenges: (1) a growing shortage of workers to provide long-term care and (2) the high cost of long-term care for seniors. The bill would expand federal workforce development programs to train and certify direct care workers for assisted living and other home- and community-based services. It would also create a new Senior Care Cost Reduction Program under the Older Americans Act to help low-income seniors pay for living in approved assisted living facilities as an alternative to more expensive nursing home care. The program would provide a monthly subsidy (starting at $1,000, adjusted for inflation) to eligible individuals, with strict income and asset limits. The plan would be funded by reallocating recovered COVID-19 relief funds. Overall, the bill seeks to improve access to affordable, community- and home-based care while expanding the workforce that serves older and disabled Americans.
Key Points
- 1Expansion of workforce programs (Department of Labor): Creates new and expands existing education and training grants to grow the direct care workforce serving aging populations and home- and community-based services, including core certification and training for direct care workers in assisted living facilities.
- 2Expansion of HRSA workforce programs (Health and Human Services): Establishes new and expands existing training grants to address shortages in direct care staff for the aging population and home- and community-based services, with emphasis on training for staff at assisted living facilities.
- 3Senior Care Cost Reduction Program (Older Americans Act): Establishes a new program to provide monthly cost-reduction payments to eligible low-income seniors to reside in assisted living facilities as an alternative to more costly institutional care.
- 4Eligibility and benefits of the cost reduction program: Eligible individuals must be 70 or older, reside in an approved assisted living facility, be chronically ill or Medicaid-eligible for long-term services, and meet financial eligibility rules (income and assets as defined in the bill). The initial monthly subsidy is $1,000, adjusted annually for inflation.
- 5Funding mechanism: Allows appropriations from funds recovered by the Health Resources and Services Administration or the Treasury from COVID-19 emergency relief programs to carry out the act and its amendments.