For the first time since AARP began publishing the Scorecard in 2011, more than half of Medicaid long-term care dollars nationwide for older adults and people with physical disabilities went to home- and community-based services instead of nursing homes and other institutions.
As lawmakers return to Madison in January, AARP Wisconsin will push for a state tax credit for family caregivers to help offset some of the out-of-pocket expenses they incur while providing care to loved ones.
AARP Wisconsin is helping lead a new coalition of government and social service agencies—the Coalition to End Social Isolation and Loneliness. The group will identify root causes of these conditions among older adults and people with disabilities and advocate for solutions.
Wisconsin family caregivers provide the equivalent of an estimated $7 billion per year in unpaid services. Will the state provide direct aid? Or is a federal tax credit the best option for financial assistance?
AARP Wisconsin is supporting two pieces of legislation that would help the state's 580,000 family caregivers. One would create a $1,000 nonrefundable income tax credit to help cover certain expenses. The other would require hospitals to communicate key information to family caregivers.