Anyone here heard of the RAISE Act just signed into law?

There's no way of telling what will or won't happen with a Council like this. Heaven knows everything moves at a glacial pace in government. But as a former advocate myself, I'm inclined to think it's better to be at the table than to throw stones from the outside, lol. Especially as this is a new initiative - there is an opportunity for real life caregivers to get in there and start shaping things.

I personally think people like those in this forum should nominate themselves, if they have the time! I know we don't have much time to spare, but if I were American, I'd probably nominate myself, to be honest.  (And start the ball rolling by requesting a subsidy to cover caregiving while I participate!) Getting the unpaid labour of women recognized for its economic value* - time as currency - has long been one of my life interests.

* Marilyn Waring inspired my entire worldview on this, if anyone else is interested in her work: http://www.marilynwaring.com/

Thank you for bringing this information to this forum. Any help is greatly appreciated. I would rather read facts than political views it clutters up the purpose of the post.

I found this too - dunno if it helps. As a Canadian, I'm not really clear on how US gov't works when it comes to advocacy, but there are some names and numbers that might be worth getting in touch with.  I've found it's often easier to get information or get things done through politicians' administrators, rather than through the politicians themselves!

I find this statement sort of points to a whole lot of not very much, though: "The primary goals ... are to develop a coordinated plan to leverage existing resources, promote innovation and promising practices, and provide our nation's family caregivers with much-needed recognition and support."

But the forthcoming Council nominations might be a leg to start gnawing on.  If there are more "experts" than family caregivers at the table, somebody needs to start yelling. 


__________________________



March 12, 2018


The Honorable Alex Azar Secretary
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Washington, D.C. 20201

Dear Secretary Azar:

On January 22, 2018, the Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage, or RAISE Family Caregivers Act (P.L. 115-119) was signed into law. This new law would formally recognize and support the millions of family caregivers who are overlooked in our health care system. As authors of this important bipartisan measure, we request that you prioritize this by beginning swift, comprehensive and thoughtful implementation of the law to ensure that our older adults and loved ones with disabilities receive the highest quality care possible in their own homes.

Now and in the future, family caregivers will continue to be the most important sources of support and an invaluable resource to our society, devoting enormous time and attention and making many personal and financial sacrifices to care for their loved ones. As Americans turn 65, as many as 90 percent of them have one or more chronic health conditions. They are most at risk for multiple and interacting health problems that can lead to disability and the need for round-the-clock care. The brunt of that care has and will continue to fall on family caregivers who are the safety net in our aging society. In addition, the economic impact of family caregivers is enormous. It is estimated that in 2013, more than 40 million family caregivers provided $470 billion in uncompensated long-term care.

The primary goals of the RAISE Family Caregivers Act are to develop a coordinated plan to leverage existing resources, promote innovation and promising practices, and provide our nation's family caregivers with much-needed recognition and support. The RAISE Family Caregivers Act has two major components:

⦁ Family Caregiving Advisory Council. The law creates a Family Caregiving Advisory Council, comprised of federal and non-federal members with experience and expertise in family caregiving issues. It will include a diverse membership of family caregivers, older adults with long-term care needs, individuals with disabilities, experts in family caregiving, advocates for family caregivers, state and local officials, and the heads of Federal departments or agencies (or their designees) that oversee labor and workforce, economic, government financial policies, community service.

⦁ Family Caregiving Strategy. The law directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to create a Family Caregiving Strategy to support family caregivers within 18 months of enactment. The Secretary will consider the recommendations and expertise from the Family Caregiving Advisory Council in developing the national Strategy.

It is essential for the Family Caregiving Advisory Council to be established immediately in order to give timely advice to the Secretary to inform the national Strategy and to publish a report within the first year of the law’s enactment. We urge you to begin the process of seeking nominations for the Council and to ensure that the members of the Council adequately represent the broad and varied set of voices of our country’s family caregiver landscape.

The value of family caregivers and the importance of supporting them will only increase in the years to come. We are committed to working with you to support meaningful implementation of the RAISE Family Caregivers Act. Please advise us on the steps you are taking to swiftly implement this law. If you have any questions, please contact Sarah Khasawinah with Senator Collins at Sarah Khasawinah@agingena_te ov or 202-224-5365, Kathleen Laird with Senator Baldwin at Kathleen Lairdfi,baldwin.senate.Nov or 202-224-5653, Scot Malvaney with Representative Harper at Scot.Malvaney@inail.house.Nov or 202-225-5031, and Elizabeth Brown at Elizabeth.Brown@mail.house.gov or 202-225-3376 with Representative Castor.

Thank you for supporting our family caregivers, and we look forward to working with you.


Sincerely,


Susan M. Collins
United States Senator

Tammy Baldwin
United States Senator

Gregg Harp
Member of Congress

Kathy Castor
Member of Congress

__________________________

source: https://www.baldwin.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/3.12.18%20RAISE%20Family%20Caregivers%20Act_Azar%20Letter.pdf#page=2&zoom=auto,-169,727

Hopefully the 18 month strategy won't go the same way as the infrastructure study did 🙄

Soooo much political commentary on various threads lately; AC is hardly worth reading.

Igloo, hilarious, absolutely hilarious!

That is it EXACTLY Countrymouse.
I am cinical Brit - sorry
I soooo feel for all carers.

Buzzy I thought you were in the UK?

In which case you must know how brilliantly effective such carers' charters are. In fact, you'll know *exactly* how brilliantly effective...

I'm not cynical. Legislation like this is virtue signalling and nothing more. But at least it does point to the virtue. It's a start.

Buzzy Bee, "pink pigs" indeed! I suspect Collins was legitimate and put together a good bill, but it was gutted in committee and eventually passed w/o funding and in a compromised state. But guess what will be the next thing POTUS brags about (as he bragged about the N. Korea summit)?

The whole issue of caregiving is still and will for some time an issue, with those who need relief the most being the most powerless as we don't really have our own organization (besides AARP) or political base or power.

“..Develop, maintain & update”..... strategy and support.... advisory councils..”
Rotflmao. Unless there is dedicated funding for it in a federal public law (a PL with a # attached) based on a designated formula for payment to the states with states required to coshare costs to have RAiSE go into effect nationwide, it’s all just photo op window dressing.

Not happening imho & experience as a old health policy planner. I’m more likely to get back into my size 8’s. There will be 5-7 yr cycle demonstration projects in some cities or states that are funded. Articles written up, meetings held, yada, yada, yada. Until there is a universal, single payor system for health care costs & meds in the US there can’t be a system that works. It’s all too piecemeal for billing & payments. The progressive states that do a good job of concern for their citizens, like MN, will make a RAISE type of program work.

As an aside on this, article this week in Nyt that US is on track to be below population replacement in 20/25 years. And this study before taking into account if immigration shuts down (1st generation and recent immigrant tend to have larger family’s). So just where are the all the workers needed for future caregiving & all that low wage support staff in NH, MC, AL coming from?? We’re going to all be older... gee whiz maybe what we can all do is to file (like MaraLago filing for 61 foreign workers) to get our own H2-B visa worker @ $ 12.68 or $ 13.31 hr for full time caregiver from Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Katkawhateverstan.

Why don't they ask the care givers what they need?

eg
1 day and night off every week - with a trained professional doing the stand in duty
2 weeks holiday a year- if with the loved one then professionals to assist.
Money for treatments and medicines
More knowledgeable accounts of what are available and all side effects.
Transport to and from appointments.
Correct equipment for home and travel
A small wage

I could just carry on and on.
But I will stop now as I see the pink pigs flying over our house.

I wish it great success. (and all who sail in her)

Here is the U.S. Senate Bill: https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/1028/text

Here is the U.S. House Bill: https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/3759/text

As a parent of adult with disability, it means nothing if the programs remain unfunded. A commission, a task force will spend money to tell us we need money.....

Just did a little bit more research; Forbes has a good synopsis (https://www.forbes.com/sites/robinseatonjefferson/2018/01/24/congress-passes-trump-signs-raise-family-caregivers-act-elevating-caregiving-to-a-priority/#55f83325331f) including comments which I'm paraphrasing:

No additional funding is authorized through RAISE for HHS.

Mandated is: strategy development within a 3-year period.

Advisory council will be created to issue a report to HHS Secretary Hargan within a year of enactment (so that should be January, 2019).

Hargan then is required to issue w/I 18 months (so that would be mid 2020) a "national strategy."

Advisory counsel will be required to provide annual progress reports to Hargan

-----------------------------------

Something seems amiss in that the Advisory Council has the obligation to issue annual reports, but it's unclear what the Council's role is after development of the first report.

Lots of issues to explore - this would be good research for another heat wave as I suspect reading the actual bill would be required.

And if no additional funding is authorized, and Hargan isn't sympathetic, the Advisory Council could be dead in the water. I couldn't help thinking that anything authorized across the board, one way or the other, or for other than the derivatives of the 1% interests or the ridiculous wall) would be compromised in some way.

Still, it's a start. The Advisory Council could serve on a volunteer basis and if stacked with pro-caregiving interests, could gain a foothold on the national level, then leverage its power in 2020, making caregiving support in some way a campaign issue.

FF, beautifully said. And hopefully in the future (sooner better than later), a qualified POTUS will recognize that fractured relations with countries is NOT the way to mismanage US affairs.

I read yesterday that costs of used and new cars are going to skyrocket (unless auto manufacturers and their supplies absorb the increased costs) because of the trade "decisions" made by POTUS.

I need to quickly get another car before I'm priced out of the market. Hopefully though the collective might of auto makers will be mobilized and notice given that any political or financial support for the POTUS and his supporters will be cut off unless the trade "decisions" are reversed.

Some day in the future, whomever is the President of Mexico will stand, like President Reagan did, and say "President____________, tear down this wall".

Well, anyhoo, I’m glad I found this legislation even if it is a pipe dream and we will never see it come to fruition in our lifetime. It would be so wonderful to qualify for help that we’d get simply because the Powers that Be would recognize we need it. To need help and not qualify because we “have to high of an income” is not only frustrating, it’s insulting. How many posts have we had here from caregivers who have no idea what they’re doing and unless they take a college course or STNA or CNA training, have no opportunity for training. Getting respite care is a joke. By the time you pay for it, you can’t afford your own vacation.

I’m going to contact Sen. Collins to see if this is truly going to become a reality.

I'm thinking that even with his great wealth, his legal fees are going to take a big chunk of his wealth. But, yes, he wants the wall; let him pay for it.

GA,
"Wouldn't hurt to rechannel funding for the horrendous Wall"......and may I say an UGLY wall at that!

We live less than a mile from it and drove by the other day. The Americans were getting rid of the old, short, rusted sheet metal wall that was there and putting up new, twice as tall, rusted vertical bars for a wall. This one is see through but, boy, is it homely. Hopefully they'll slap a coat of paint on it.

I can't speak for the areas of the border that don't have ANY fence (parts of Texas, I think) but the part here already HAS a huge, lighted, electrified, barbed wire fence with cameras and heat sensors just 10 feet behind the new one.
There is "dead space" in-between the two fences for Border Patrol to observe what's going on. We need another fence here like we need a new _______.

I wouldn't mind this dumb fence if Trump paid for it out of his own pocket, however. But he knows how the old saying goes, "A fool and his money are soon parted".

In agreement with Cwillie.
Now, type in FUND, see what you get.
Cynical here too! Prefer to be on the cynical side than be drawn in and taken by the hype.

But this sounds good Ahmijoy! Good find! I will be sure to actually read it later. Very fine work on behalf of caregivers. I am impressed!

I was unaware of this as well. And I have the same question as FF: funding. This warrants some research. I might contact Sen. Collins office to get more information as this really interests me.

Wouldn't hurt to rechannel funding for the horrendous Wall and allocate it for something that would help caregivers and their loved ones.

FF, I wonder if the same name for the two acts is a coincidence? One never knows.

baskethill1, I found the RAISE Act for immigration, too. [Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment Act]. Seems odd that Congress would give two different issues the same initials.

Ahmijoy, thanks for the heads up on this Family Caregivers Act, I didn't know anything about it. Must had been buried in the news or overlooked by the news back in January. The Bill was sponsored by Senator Susan Collins of Maine.

Since the new Secretary of Health, Alex M. Azar, will be doing the research, one important piece of the puzzle will be obtaining funds to accomplish what is on the list. I hope funds can be found,

I went on the HHS.gov website and the last update regarding the RAISE Family Caregivers Act was back in January. An article from Forbes.

So, we just sit and wait for information.

You have to type in RAISE Family Caregivers Act.
This is the most recent info (March of this year) that I could find.
From AARP website;
March 26, 2018
This January, Congress passed and the President signed the RAISE Family Caregivers Act into law.

Across America, family caregivers help parents, spouses, children and adults with disabilities and other loved ones to live independently. They prepare meals, handle finances, manage medications, drive to doctors’ appointments, help with bathing and dressing, perform complex medical tasks and more — all so loved ones can live at home.

These family caregivers have a big job, but some basic support — and commonsense solutions — can help make their big responsibilities a little bit easier.

The Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage (RAISE) Family Caregivers Act (S. 1028/H.R. 3759) requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop, maintain and update a strategy to recognize and support family caregivers. The law brings representatives from the private and public sectors, such as family caregivers; older adults and persons with disabilities; veterans; providers of health care and long-term services and supports (LTSS); employers; state and local officials; and others together to advise and make recommendations regarding this new strategy. The advisory council meetings will be open to the public, and there will be opportunities for public input. The strategy will identify recommended actions that communities, providers, government, and others are taking and may take to recognize and support family caregivers, including with respect to:
promoting greater adoption of person- and family-centered care in all health and LTSS settings, with the person and the family caregiver (as appropriate) at the center of care teams,
assessment and service planning (including care transitions and coordination) involving care recipients and family caregivers, information, education, training supports, referral, and care coordination, respite options, financial security and workplace issues.

The development of the initial strategy will take up to 18 months, followed by updates of the strategy biennially. The law will improve the collection and sharing of information, including information related to evidence-based or promising practices and innovative models regarding family caregiving; better coordinate, assess, maximize the effectiveness, and avoid unnecessary duplication of existing federal government activities to recognize and support family caregivers. The strategy and work around it could help support and inform state and local efforts to support family caregivers.
-----------------------
It's about time. The stay at home caregivers are saving the government millions by not having them apply for Medicaid and the government paying for nursing homes.

Interesting Ahmijoy. I hope it makes a difference but unless there is money attached to it I'm afraid it sounds like a bunch of busy work for bureaucrats and photo ops and press releases for politicians amounting to a whole lot of nothing but platitudes and a pat on the back for caregivers. But I'm just a little bit cynical.

I googled it and found a whole bunch of topics about this new caregivers’ legislation.

Only Raise Act i see is about limiting immigration