RAISE Family Caregivers Act Has Been Signed into Law
The RAISE Family Caregivers Act, (H.R.3759 - Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage Family Caregivers Act of 2017), has been signed into law.
This represents a significant step in providing better support for the estimated 18 million caregivers of older adults in the United States.
The RAISE Family Caregivers Act is a result of recommendations of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's 2016 report, "Families Caring for an Aging America."
The law requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop, maintain, and update a national family caregiving strategy that will offer resources and educational opportunities to family caregivers. This strategy will be developed over the next 18 months by the HHS in consultation with a new Family Caregiving Advisory Council.
The Act was sponsored by Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Lisa Murkowski (D-AK), and Michael Bennet (D-CO), along with Representatives Gregg Harper (R-MS), Kathy Castor (D-FL), Lujan Grisham (D-NM) and Diane Black (R-TN).
To read the RAISE Family Caregivers Act, click here.
To learn more about The John A. Hartford Foundation's Family Caregiving area of emphasis, click here.