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Senate Considers Caregiver Respite Bill

By Allison Bell

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Members of the Senate are now considering H.R. 2035, the “Lifespan Respite Care Reauthorization Act of 2019″ bill.

The bill would provide $200 million in state respite care grant funding for the period from 2020 through 2024.

(Related: Long-Term Caregiving Realities Hit Home for Boomers)

Members of the House passed H.R. 2035 by a voice vote on July 24.

The bill was introduced by Rep. James Langevin, D-R.I.

H.R. 2035 had four Republican sponsors in the House as well as 12 Democratic sponsors, according to the bill’s Congress.gov page.

The History

The federal government has provided funding for state respite care programs in the past, but funding authorization for the program expired in 2011.

A federal agency, the Administration for Community Living, came up with $4 million for the program for this year, according to a Congressional Budget Office analysis of the bill.

What Is Respite Care?

Respite care programs can provide temporary home care or daycare services for families providing informal care for frail adults, adults with disabilities, or children with special needs.

They could be of interest to any financial professionals who have clients who are caregivers, or who are helping clients use investments, annuities, long-term care insurance, life insurance, or other products or arrangements to prepare for their own long-term care needs.

Resources

The H.R. 2035 Congress.gov page is available here.

— Read 5 Things to Know About Getting Caregivers a Break, on ThinkAdvisor.

— Connect with ThinkAdvisor Life/Health on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Allison Bell

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