Sponsors (4)
The bill improves data collection and clarifies caregiver definitions to streamline administration and targeting, but narrows eligibility and may reduce access to respite supports for some caregivers (especially those caring for younger disabled persons) while creating short-term implementation confusion.
Seniors and families: establishes a clear statutory definition of 'older relative caregiver' (55+, lives with and primarily cares for a child/person with a disability), enabling more precise targeting of programs and supports.
State governments and service providers: consolidates caregiver terminology into a single 'family caregiver' definition, simplifying program administration, eligibility determinations, and reducing confusion across programs.
State governments, families, and researchers: provides $30 million annually (FY2026–2030) for research and evaluation on family caregivers to improve data, evidence, and future program design.
Caregivers of younger people with disabilities and their families: restricting certain respite and supplemental services to caregivers of older individuals who meet the new definition could leave caregivers of younger disabled persons with fewer supports and greater caregiving burden.
Seniors and some family caregivers: removing separate statutory mentions of 'older relative caregiver' and narrowing eligibility for respite/supplemental services may reduce access to supports for some older caregivers who previously qualified under the older formulation.
State governments and providers: consolidating definitions may create transitional ambiguity about eligibility, reporting, and implementation until the Department issues clarifying guidance, imposing administrative burdens and short-term confusion.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes $30M/year (FY2026–2030) for family caregiving research and consolidates/narrows caregiver definitions and certain program eligibility under the Older Americans Act.
Official title: Amend the Older Americans Act to 1965 to authorize funding for the Research, Demonstration, and Evaluation Center for the Aging Network to engage in certain research and evaluation activities with respect to family caregivers and to revise the definition of the term "family caregiver".
Introduced November 20, 2025 by Edward John Markey · Last progress November 20, 2025
Provides a new $30 million per-year funding line (FY2026–2030) to support research and evaluation on family caregiving under the Older Americans Act, and revises statutory definitions and eligibility rules for the National Family Caregiver Support Program. The bill narrows and relocates the definition of “older relative caregiver” into a consolidated “family caregiver” definition, removes separate statutory references to older relative caregivers in program eligibility language, and limits certain respite and supplemental services to caregivers of older individuals who meet the revised age/custody criteria.