Hello...I found this today while researching Care Givers' sites.  Does anyone 
know the status of this proposal?  Has it been introduced to Congress?  This 
looks like something advocates on our list might want to support.  It's not 
research but it falls under "to ease the burden."  I found it on the Family 
Care Givers Alliance site at 
http://www.caregiver.org

Also, this group offers  a listserve.
<<
N E W S
Advisory/for Immediate Release
January 4, 1999Contact: Bonnie Lawrence
(415) 434-3388, ext. 312
e-mail: [log in to unmask] 

Families Applaud President Clinton's Proposed $1000 Tax Credit for 
Long-Term Care 
Vice President Gore, in Sacramento, Recognizes California Caregiver 
Resource Centers as "Model" Programs

SAN FRANCISCO--President Clinton has proposed that family caregivers be 
eligible for a new $1000 credit on their federal tax returns as part of 
a broader package of services designed to ease the burden of long term 
caregiving at home. The move was roundly applauded by families providing 
care to loved ones with chronic health conditions.
The proposal, according to Family Caregiver Alliance Executive Director 
Kathleen Kelly, "recognizes at the national level the tremendous 
contribution family caregivers make--and the tremendous financial 
burdens they must bear. Families--not institutions--provide 80% of the 
long-term care in this country".
"The 21st Century will see a huge increase in the number of family 
caregivers. The baby boomers start reaching age 60 in 2006, and as 
people age, their need for care increases. The costs are very high," she 
said.
The proposal for the tax credit was made this morning via a 
satellite-linked conversation between Vice President Al Gore in 
Sacramento and President Clinton in Washington. Family caregivers from 
Del Oro Caregiver Resource Center, sister agency to Family Caregiver 
Alliance, participated in the meeting.

California's "Model" Caregiver Resource Centers 
California has long been in the forefront of services for caregivers. 
Its first-in-the-nation statewide network of Caregiver Resource Centers 
provides information, education and support to caregivers of adults with 
brain disorders. Services include limited financial assistance for 
"respite care"--the kind of care that was recommended in the President's 
proposed program. Vice President Gore recognized the CRCs' "model" 
services in this morning's meeting in Sacramento. Family Caregiver 
Alliance, founded in San Francisco more than 20 years ago, is the lead 
agency in the statewide system. 

Current Financing
Neither Medicare nor private health insurance covers the expenses of 
long-term custodial care at home; Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California) is 
available only after assets have been reduced to minimal levels, and 
subsidizes nursing home care, rather than care at home. 
The Kennedy-Kassebaum bill, passed in 1997, allows for some long-term 
care expenses to be included as part of a medical deduction in itemized 
returns. Some families may also be able to utilize a dependant care tax 
credit. But these allowances fall far short of accommodating the huge 
out-of-pocket expenses for such things as in-home aides and adult day 
care.
There has also been little recognition of the additional financial 
burden of caregivers who have had to reduce their hours or quit their 
jobs to provide care for a loved one. According to FCA's statistics, 42% 
of working caregivers had reduced their work hours, and 18% had quit 
their jobs to give care.
Insurance broker Yolanda Maker lives in the Bay Area and cares for her 
mother, 70, who has Alzheimer's disease. As a single parent who also 
takes care of her six-year old, she is stretched to the limit by 
caregiving expenses, even though she had the foresight to buy long-term 
care insurance for her mother. "Truly, $1000 doesn't cover it," she 
said. "It's a great first step but it only covers a fraction of the 
expenses and in-home help I need so I can work." 
Still, Family Caregiver Alliance's Kelly comments, "the financial, 
educational and informational components of the package would provide 
precisely the kinds of support caregivers need throughout the nation. We 
get e-mails from caregivers all over the country who are in need of 
help. And of course, having the California CRC program viewed as a 
prototype is very exciting!" 
###
Notes: For more information, please check the Family Caregiver Alliance 
website at: www.caregiver.org


Components of President Clinton's Proposal
This four-part, $6.2 billion (over five years) initiative takes 
important steps to address complex long-term care needs through: (1) an 
unprecedented $1,000 tax credit that compensates for formal or informal 
costs Americans of all ages with long-term care needs or the family 
caregivers who support them; (2) a new National Family Caregivers 
Support Program that provides a range of critical services for 
caregivers such as respite, home care services, and information and 
referral; (3) a national campaign to educate Medicare beneficiaries 
about the programs' limited coverage and how best to evaluate long-term 
care options; and (4) a proposal to have the Federal government serve as 
a model employer by offering quality private long-term care insurance to 
Federal employees at group rates. 
For more information, see also 
www.whitehouse.gov/WH/New/html/19990104-976.html


California's Caregiver Resource Centers


•Family Caregiver Alliance(serving Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San 
Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties) and Statewide Resources 
Consultant; (415) 434-3388; (800) 445-8106 (CA).

•Coast Caregiver Resource Center (serving San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara 
and Ventura counties); (805) 967-0220; (800) 443-1236 (regional).

•Del Mar Caregiver Resource Center (serving Monterey, San Benito and 
Santa Cruz counties); (408) 424-4359; (800) 624-8304 (regional).

•Del Oro Caregiver Resource Center (serving Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, 
Colusa, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Sierra, 
Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties); (916) 971-0893; (800) 635-0220 
(regional).

•Inland Caregiver Resource Center(serving Inyo, Mono, Riverside and San 
Bernardino counties); (909) 387-9440; (800) 675-6694 (CA).

•Los Angeles Caregiver Resource Center (serving Los Angeles county); 
(213) 740-8711; (800) 540-4442 (regional).

•Mountain Caregiver Resource Center (serving Butte, Glenn, Lassen, 
Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama and Trinity counties); (530) 
898-5925; (800) 822-0109 (regional).

•Orange Caregiver Resource Center (serving Orange county); (714) 
680-0122; (800) 543-8312 (regional).

•Redwood Caregiver Resource Center (serving Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, 
Mendocino, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties); (707) 542-0282; (800) 
834-1636 (regional).

•Southern Caregiver Resource Center (serving Imperial and San Diego 
counties); (619) 268-4432; (800) 827-1008 (regional).

•Valley Caregiver Resource Center (serving Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, 
Mariposa, Merced, Stanislaus, Tulare and Tuolumne counties); (209) 
447-2140; (800) 541-8614 (regional).
>>
Regards,
Barbara Blake-Krebs
[log in to unmask]