Caring for Seniors Act

This bill aims to make long‑term care more affordable and to grow the caregiver workforce that helps older adults and people with disabilities, especially in assisted living and home- and community-based settings . It responds to an aging population and the high cost of care, noting that assisted living can cost much less than nursing homes.

It creates new training grants to boost and train the direct care workforce through the Labor Department and the Health Resources and Services Administration. It also sets up a Senior Care Cost Reduction Program that gives eligible low‑income seniors a $1,000 monthly amount, with yearly inflation increases, to help pay for assisted living; states would run the program with federal support. To qualify, a person must be 70 or older, live in or be accepted to an approved assisted living facility, meet medical need (such as being a “chronically ill” individual or eligible for Medicaid long‑term services), and meet financial limits, including income below 60% of their state’s median and modest assets (no more than $19,000 if single or $25,000 if married) . Funding can come from money recovered from earlier COVID‑19 provider relief payments.

• Who is affected: Low‑income seniors 70+ in assisted living; caregivers and assisted living facilities; state agencies that administer benefits .
• What changes: New federal grants to train and expand caregivers; a new $1,000 monthly amount for eligible seniors to lower assisted living costs, adjusted each year for inflation .
• When: The monthly amount starts after the program is set up; the inflation update happens each year after the first year.