CARE Opportunity Acts Creates Pipelines, Advances Careers

Posted on October 1, 2019 by Jodi Boyne

Citing the importance of direct care workers in all sectors of the long-term services and supports field, and the millions of workers who will be needed in the next five years, a new bill in Congress establishes grants to recruit, retain, and support direct care workers.   

Under the Direct Creation, Advancement, and Retention of Employment (CARE) Opportunity Act, funds will be available for innovations and strategies on training, career pathways, mentoring, and other ways of making long-term services and supports an attractive career option. Organizations eligible to apply for grants would include state agencies, non-profits with apprenticeship programs, and consortiums of stakeholders that could also involve colleges and universities.

In applying for a grant, project sponsors would be required to show how they would collaborate with other stakeholders, including nonprofits with demonstrated experience with regard to direct care workers; those with expertise in identifying and addressing the care needs of older individuals and individuals with disabilities and their caregivers; and a nonprofit State provider association that represents providers who employ direct care workers.

Grant recipients would report annually to the U.S. Department of Labor on the progress and outcome of their projects. The agency in turn would report to Congress on the program’s progress and outcomes, which also would be evaluated by the Government Accountability Office.

LeadingAge strongly supports this legislation and will advocate for its passage by Congress.