Interactive Compendium of Federal Proposals to Support Family Caregivers
Family caregivers are the backbone of the nation’s long-term services and supports (LTSS) system. Today, 63 million Americans provide care to older adults and people with disabilities—often without pay and while balancing work and other responsibilities.
Developed by the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health and the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston, this interactive compendium brings together federal legislative and policy proposals designed to strengthen support for family caregivers. The searchable resource makes it easy to explore and compare policy approaches and understand how federal proposals have evolved over time.
Supporting Family Caregivers
Family caregivers play a central role in how LTSS functions in practice, yet the scale and complexity of caregiving continue to grow more rapidly than the critically needed policies and programs needed to support them.
Over the past decade, federal policymakers have introduced, but not passed, a growing number of legislative proposals to address the financial, physical, emotional, and workplace challenges associated with caregiving.
These proposals reflect increasing recognition that caregiving is not a side issue—it is a core component of the system.
Explore the Caregiving Proposals
Proposals are organized across five policy domains:
Expand and Enhance Caregiver Programs
Proposals that strengthen and expand existing federal programs—such as Medicaid, Medicare, and the Older Americans Act (OAA); to improve access to services like respite care, caregiver supports, and home- and community-based services.
Financial Supports for Family Caregivers
Policies designed to reduce the financial burden of caregiving through tax credits, stipends, direct payments, and other mechanisms that help offset out-of-pocket costs and lost income.
Training and Education
Proposals that provide caregivers with training, education, and peer support to build skills, improve care quality, and reduce isolation and burnout.
Workplace Supports
Policies that help caregivers balance employment and caregiving, including paid leave, job protections, and benefits that support long-term financial and career stability.
Other Policy Approaches
Additional proposals that address emerging or cross-cutting needs, such as caregiver assessments, inclusion in care teams, and new models or commissions to advance caregiving policy.
Each proposal includes a summary, key features, and implementation considerations.
About the Caregiving Compendium
This compendium brings together federal legislative proposals and policy recommendations introduced over the past decade to support family caregivers. Developed through collaboration between leading research institutions and partners, it organizes proposals using a structured framework that allows users to compare approaches across caregiving contexts.
Glossary
The glossary provides definitions and context for key terms used throughout the compendium, supporting consistent understanding across policy, research, and practice.
Collaborators & Funders
With support from The John A. Hartford Foundation and The SCAN Foundation; the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health and the LeadingAge LTSS Center @ UMass Boston created these interactive compendiums to bring decades of policy ideas together in one place, making it easier to explore and compare approaches to strengthening LTSS.
Collaborators
Funders
