WISH Act
House Bill Would Add Long-Term Care Cash Benefit to Social Security for Disabled Retirees
Stalled
No legislative action in over 90 days.
Legislative Progress
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.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
How this policy affects specific groups of people
Milestones
Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
4 articles
Legislative Spotlight (September 2025)
Government relations roundup noting H.R. 2082 (WISH Act) and describing its proposed federal catastrophic long-term care insurance benefit and elimination period concept.
Suozzi Introduces One-of-a-Kind Bipartisan Bill to Address Senior Long Term Care Crisis
Announcement of the WISH Act’s introduction, framing it as a federal catastrophic long-term care insurance program paired with a revitalized private long-term care insurance market.
Suozzi Hosts WISH Conference in Washington to Confront Nation’s Long-Term Care Crisis
Recap of a WISH-focused convening with stakeholders; describes the proposal as a public-private partnership for catastrophic long-term care insurance supporting aging at home.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
WISH Act
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(5)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.