According to White House, American Rescue Plan investments in home and community-based services have exceeded $37 billion
Casey: “If we do not take action to make these temporary investments permanent, all these gains may be lost”
Casey’s Better Care, Better Jobs Act and HCBS Relief Act would ensure long-term, sustained investment in home care
Washington, D.C. - Today, following the White House announcement that American Rescue Plan Act investments in home and community-based services (HCBS) have reached $37 billion, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, released the following statement:
“After three years, it is clear that the American Rescue Plan’s investment in home and community-based services has been a success. The temporary increase in funding provided by the law has helped to provide tens of thousands of Americans with home care, reducing waitlists and increasing care options while also raising wages for direct care workers. However, if we do not take action to make these temporary investments permanent, all these gains may be lost. I have introduced several bills, from the Better Care, Better Jobs Act to the HCBS Relief Act, which would make a long-term, sustained investment in caregiving and ensure that older adults and people with disabilities can receive the care they need, in their own communities.”
In 2021, Chairman Casey successfully pushed for the American Rescue Plan Act to include increased funding for HCBS in the form of a 10-point Federal Medical Assistance Program (FMAP) increase. Today, the White House announced that the total investment in HCBS resulting from the program has exceeded $37 billion, considerably more than the $12.7 billion in federal dollars allocated by Congress, as a result of matching investments by all fifty states and the District of Columbia.
Chairman Casey has led efforts in the Senate to ensure long-term, sustained investment in HCBS. His Better Care Better Jobs Act would provide funding for increased wages and benefits for direct care workers, support family caregivers, help states create registries of workers, and increase training for those providing home and community-based care. His HCBS Relief Act would extend the American Rescue Plan HCBS funding for two years, providing states with the resources necessary to recruit, retain, and compensate direct care workers. And his HCBS Access Act would make HCBS a permanent service of Medicaid, permanently expanding access to HCBS for all Medicaid recipients.
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