S. 995 would
provide 25% of the funding that a similar House bill would provide.
Members of the
Senate have voted unanimously to pass S. 995, the Senate’s version of
the “Lifespan Respite Care Reauthorization Act of 2019″ bill.
S. 995 would
provide $50 million in state respite care grant funding from 2020 through 2024.
Resources
The House passed
its own version of the bill, H.R. 2035, by a voice vote July 24. That version
would provide in state respite care grant funding.
The lead sponsor
for S. 995 is Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. Her bill has four cosponsors,
according to the bill Congress.gov page: Sens. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.; Patty
Murray, D-Wash.; Jack Reed, D-R.I.; and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz.
The House version
was sponsored by Rep. James Langevin, D-R.I.
Respite care
programs can pay for short-term home care or other short-term services for
family caregivers who need to take time off.
Federal respite
care grant funding expired in 2011.
The federal
Administration for Community Living provided $4 million in respite care
granting for 2019, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Many state and
national groups, including AARP and the Arc of the United States, are
supporting respite care funding authorization. One of the groups supporting
reauthorization is the National Alliance for Caregiving, an organization that
represents many companies with an interest in supporting caregivers. The
list of alliance members includes Centene Corp., Genworth Financial Inc.,
Humana Inc., Long Term Care Partners, Transamerica and UnitedHealthcare.
Collins said in a
comment included in a bill passage announcement that respite call is
essential for all caregivers.
“It helps to reduce
the mental stress and physical health issues they may experience,” Collins
said. “With Senate passage of our bill, we are one step closer to giving family
caregivers and their loved ones the support they need by ensuring that quality
respite care is available and accessible.”
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