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Tax Relief for Eldercare
Givers Proposed by Sen. Craig
Feb. 10, 2004 - At a hearing today in
Washington, DC, on providing tax relief for eldercare, U.S. Senator
Larry Craig, Chairman of the Special Committee on Aging, said that more
must be done to support families who provide help for others.
“One extraordinary strength of our long
term care system is that families – not government – provide 80 percent
of long-term care for older people in the United States. The U.S.
Administration on Aging reports that about 22 million people serve as
informal caregivers for seniors with at least one limitation on their
activities of daily living.
“These caregivers often face extreme
stress and financial burden – especially those we call the ‘sandwich
generation,’” Craig said, referring to those “sandwiched” between caring
for their aging parents and caring for their own children.
To address their needs, Craig said that
later this week he will introduce the Senior Eldercare Relief and
Empowerment (SECURE) Act – a bill to provide tax relief for those who
pay for care for older loved ones. Craig’s legislation will provide a 50
percent tax credit rate for qualified expenses for elder care provided
to a senior citizen with long-term care needs.
Richard Teske, a former
Reagan administration official with Health and Human Services who
testified at the hearing, said about Craig’s tax relief bill, “The use
of tax credits for non-institutional Long Term Care (LTC) is an effort
headed in the right direction.”
Flora "Grandma" Green,
the national spokeswoman for The Seniors Coaltion also testified at the
hearing and encouraged passage of Craig's legislation, stating, "On
behalf of The Seniors Coalition and its four million members, I strongly
urge you, Mr. Chairman and members of this distinguished Committee, to
stand in support of the SECURE Act and urge the Senate to move forward
with the proposed law."
Trudy Elliott, a family
caregiver and home health nurse from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, brought home
the difficulties the “sandwich” generation faces. Four years ago Elliott
began providing care for her mother, and then Trudy’s sister developed
cancer. The two died just ten days apart.
“Until approximately one year ago my
Dad, who just turned 82, had been living in the home that he shared with
my mom for over fifty years ‘because this is where the memories are.’
With my mom no longer close enough for him to reach out to, he continued
to decline not only in health, but in his spirit as well. My husband and
I purchased a mobile home for him in our home town so that I would not
have to travel for over three hours each way to care for him,” Elliott
said. “Just recently he was able to return to his new mobile home and is
incredibly happy to be in his own space.”
Sen. Craig said that Trudy Elliott is
just the kind of person his legislation will seek to help – those
families who reach out to help their aging family members. |
