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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]