Bill Text: IL HR0506 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Urges the passage of important policies to better support family caregivers, particularly by enacting policies that: (1) provide increased funding for Illinois' Community Care Program, Home Delivered Meals, the Illinois Family Caregiver Act, Illinois Area Agencies on Aging, Illinois Case Coordination Units, Long-Term and Home Care Ombudsman, and other older adult programs and resources for Illinois caregivers at the Illinois Department on Aging and other State agencies, and examine policy changes to improve the navigability of these resources, (2) improve the inclusion of family caregivers in their loved one's care and hospital discharge and planning, and provide them with the education, training, and support they need, including as their loved one moves from one place of care to another, in Hospital at Home programs, in Medicare more broadly, and in measures of provider engagement with and in support of family caregivers and family caregivers' experience of care and support, and support veterans and their caregivers, (3) increase access to options and eligibility for care at home, including but not limited to providing permanent financial protections for the spouses of individuals receiving Medicaid Home and Community Based Services, incentivizing Home and Community Based Services expansion, expanding caregiver and senior support options and resources in the State's Community Care Program, and more, (4) attract and retain direct care workers through increased pay and benefits, improved training, career pathways, and other job improvement initiatives, and (5) provide financial relief for family caregivers, such as through a family caregiver income tax credit, to help offset a portion of caregiving expenses paid by caregivers.

Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 13-1)

Status: (Passed) 2024-05-03 - Resolution Adopted [HR0506 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-HR0506-Introduced.html

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HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Family caregivers providing care to loved ones
help make it possible for older adults, people with
disabilities, and veterans to live independently in their
homes and communities, and they are the backbone of the care
system in Illinois and across the United States; and
WHEREAS, AARP, a national nonprofit dedicated to
empowering people to choose how they live as they age, has
released data to show the significant challenges family
caregivers experience; and
WHEREAS, There are approximately 1.3 million family
caregivers in Illinois; and
WHEREAS, Family caregivers in the State provide an
estimated 1.21 billion hours of unpaid care annually at an
economic value of $21 billion; and
WHEREAS, Providing care to a loved one can create a
financial challenge for family caregivers, with them spending
more than $7,200 per year in out-of-pocket costs on average
nationally, or a quarter of their income on caregiving
activities, with African American and Hispanic/Latino
caregivers on average spending a higher percentage of their

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income on caregiving responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, Family caregivers include all unpaid individuals
of all ages who are caring for individuals with disabilities,
chronic or other health conditions, and/or functional
limitations; and
WHEREAS, Family caregivers, who perform a wide range of
care, from providing assistance with a variety of activities
such as meal preparation, bathing, dressing, transportation,
and managing finances to handling more intensive tasks such as
nursing and wound care, medication management, and care
coordination, are vital to enabling older adults and persons
with disabilities to remain living in their homes and
communities; and
WHEREAS, Despite the fact that providing care in homes and
communities is generally less costly than providing care in
institutional settings, financial strains associated with
family caregiving arise from several factors, and these may
include needing to cut back on hours at work, taking unpaid
leave, retiring early, or even quitting a job; and
WHEREAS, In the workplace, family caregivers often face
loss of earnings, job insecurity, and a lack of promotions,
health insurance, and employer retirement contributions; and

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WHEREAS, Many family caregivers report that financial
challenges from caregiving have caused them to resort to
adverse financial strategies, such as withdrawing savings,
cutting back on their own health care spending, decreasing
contributions towards retirement, and taking loans to make
ends meet; and
WHEREAS, The emotional toll of family caregivers rises
when the responsibilities of the caregiver role increase,
including the amount and duration of care and the performance
of medical or nursing duties, in addition to the perceived
lack of choice in taking on the caregiver role; and
WHEREAS, Chronic stress caused by family caregiving may
have negative health impacts on the caregiver which may result
in depression, psychological distress, decreased self-care,
and poorer physical health; and
WHEREAS, Caregiver training, respite care, and other
supports are powerful tools that make an intensely difficult
job easier and enable family caregivers to carry on with their
responsibilities, prevent burnout and injury, and better
manage the variety of duties they take on in order to provide
the best possible care to their loved ones; and

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WHEREAS, It is important for Illinois to be committed to
enacting solutions to support family caregivers in their
efforts to provide care to loved ones, allowing residents to
safely and comfortably age in their own homes, helping to
preserve communities, and avoiding the expense of
institutional care; and
WHEREAS, Demand for these programs is high, but funding is
limited, and more needs to be done to improve the plight of
family caregivers; and
WHEREAS, It is imperative to understand, recognize, and
support the compassionate and difficult work done by family
caregivers in Illinois and throughout the U.S.; and
WHEREAS, The Illinois Family Caregiver Coalition was
created in December 2021 and now includes over 300 members who
make up a diverse representation of unpaid, informal
caregivers and organizations who serve and/or interact with
unpaid family caregivers across the State; and
WHEREAS, The Illinois Area Agencies on Aging have
developed a statewide network of caregiver resource centers to
serve unpaid family and informal caregivers; and
WHEREAS, The Illinois Family Caregiver Coalition and the

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Illinois Area Agencies on Aging were selected to represent
Illinois and were recognized at the inaugural National Family
Caregiver Conference in Washington, D.C. in late October 2023,
with Illinois being one of only 10 states invited to
participate in this national conference and advocacy day;
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
we urge the passage of important policies to better support
family caregivers, particularly by enacting policies that:
(1) Provide increased funding for Illinois' Community
Care Program, Home Delivered Meals, the Illinois Family
Caregiver Act, Illinois Area Agencies on Aging, Illinois
Case Coordination Units, Long-Term and Home Care
Ombudsman, and other older adult programs and resources
for Illinois caregivers at the Illinois Department on
Aging and other State agencies, and examine policy changes
to improve the navigability of these resources;
(2) Improve the inclusion of family caregivers in
their loved one's care and hospital discharge and
planning, and provide them with the education, training,
and support they need, including as their loved one moves
from one place of care to another, in Hospital at Home
programs, in Medicare more broadly, and in measures of
provider engagement with and in support of family

HR0506 - 6 - LRB103 35245 LAW 65244 r
caregivers and family caregivers' experience of care and
support, and support veterans and their caregivers;
(3) Increase access to options and eligibility for
care at home, including but not limited to providing
permanent financial protections for the spouses of
individuals receiving Medicaid Home and Community Based
Services, incentivizing Home and Community Based Services
expansion, expanding caregiver and senior support options
and resources in the State's Community Care Program, and
more;
(4) Attract and retain direct care workers through
increased pay and benefits, improved training, career
pathways, and other job improvement initiatives; and
(5) Provide financial relief for family caregivers,
such as through a family caregiver income tax credit, to
help offset a portion of caregiving expenses paid by
caregivers; and be it further