Family Caregiving Research and Innovation Act

Key Points

• This bill would set aside $30 million every year from 2026 through 2030 to study family caregivers. The goal is to find better ways to support the millions of people who take care of aging parents or relatives with health issues like Alzheimer’s disease.
• The plan changes the legal definition of a "family caregiver" to include "older relative caregivers." This means grandparents or other relatives age 55 and older who are raising children or caring for a family member with a disability would be officially recognized under the law.
• By updating these definitions, the bill makes it easier for different types of families to qualify for support services. It ensures that people raising their grandkids or caring for disabled adult children are treated the same as those caring for the elderly when it comes to federal support programs.
• The bill clarifies that a "family caregiver" must be an informal provider, like a relative or friend. It specifically excludes people who are paid professionals or have a business contract to provide care, focusing the help on those doing the work for free at home.
• The total cost for this research and data collection would be $150 million over five years. This money would go toward finding "evidence-based practices," which are methods proven by science to actually help families manage the stress and physical work of caregiving.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.