Caregivers and Parents

Congress should pass legislation to help address challenges faced in the recruitment and training of family caregivers and direct care workers.

Congress should pass the Autism Family Caregivers Act, which would authorize grants to nonprofits, community health centers, and hospital systems that provide caregiver skills training to family caregivers of children with autism or other developmental disabilities or delays. [1][2][3]

Congress should pass the American Family Act to restore the expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC), which was increased by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) in 2021, but expired at the end of that year.[1] In 2021, it drove child poverty to all-time lows.

Congress should pass the RESPECT Act, which would modernize the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) at the Department of Veterans Affairs, improving access to mental health services for veterans and their caregivers.[1][2]

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) should require mental health screenings when a child enters foster care and comprehensive assessments when a mental health challenge is identified; improve and invest in the availability and provision of mental health and substance use disorder (MH/SUD) services for youth in foster care; and provide technical assistance for states to cover certain specialized services for foster youth enrolled in Medicaid who have intensive MH/SUD needs with guidance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).[1][2][3]

Congress should pass the Healthy Families Act,[1] which would ensure paid sick leave, and the Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act,[2] which would ensure twelve weeks of family or medical leave for workers.[3]