Senate Democrats have introduced S. 1298, the Supporting Our Direct Care Workforce and Family Caregivers Act, which would support investments in recruitment, training, and retention of direct-care workers and family caregivers through strategies such as better pay and benefits, education and training enhancements, and better career advancement opportunities. The legislation is intended to address the long-term care workforce shortage and would:
- Direct HHS, through the Administration on Community Living (ACL), to award grants to states or other eligible entities for initiatives to build, retain, train, and otherwise promote the direct care workforce and to provide grants for states or other eligible entities for educational and training support for both paid and unpaid family caregivers.
- Direct ACL to develop a center to offer technical assistance to grant awardees and other entities interested in direct care workforce development and in supporting family caregivers. The assistance at the center includes:
- Working with states, key stakeholders, and other interested entities to establish career development and advancement strategies for direct care professionals, which may include national standards, recruitment campaigns, pre-apprenticeship and on-the-job training opportunities, apprenticeship programs, specializations or certifications, or other activities.
- Exploring the workforce shortage areas for direct care professionals.
- Developing recommendations for training and education curricula for direct care professionals and family caregivers.
- Disseminating information and best practices from lessons learned through the grants.
The legislation is led by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Bob Casey (D-PA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Jack Reed (D-RI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
