WISH Act

Key Points

• Creates a new monthly long-term care cash benefit through Social Security for people at retirement age with a serious, long-lasting disability.
• Benefit size would be tied to the typical cost of 6 hours a day of paid help, and would be smaller for people with fewer work credits.
• You generally must have worked enough to earn at least 6 quarters of coverage starting in 2026, and you must have been disabled for a waiting period that can be longer for higher earners.
• Payments would not count as income or savings when applying for other federally funded help, which could keep some people from losing aid.
• People using the benefit to hire non-family caregivers must follow wage and payroll tax rules, file a yearly status form, and may lose benefits after 5 years living outside the U.S.