EWA Endorses Direct CARE Opportunity Act

Legislation Would Support Direct-Care Workers

Washington, DC – The Eldercare Workforce Alliance (EWA) has endorsed the Direct Creation, Advancement, and Retention of Employment (CARE) Opportunity Act (H.R. 4397). Earlier this year Committee on Education and Labor Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03), Representative Susie Lee (NV-03), along with Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), introduced legislation to invest in and support direct care workers. The Direct CARE Opportunity Act helps address this demand by strengthening support for workers who provide daily living assistance to millions of older Americans, people with disabilities, and others with chronic care needs.

“The Eldercare Workforce Alliance commends the Chairman Scott, Rep. Lee, Sen. Kaine and Sen. Hassan for their actions to support the health and well-being of older adults and the workers who care for them,” said EWA Executive Director Amy York. “This critical legislation will support an often-overlooked workforce that provide critical services to our nation’s older adults.”

The Direct CARE Opportunity Act addresses the need for a well-trained direct care workforce by:

Providing funding to fifteen entities to invest in strategies to recruit, retain and advance the direct care workforce pipeline;
Implementing models and strategies to make the field of direct care more attractive, such as training, providing career pathways, mentoring, and allowing for local and regional innovation to address workforce shortages in a high-demand field;
Encouraging retention and career advancement in the growing field of direct care; and
Responding to the needs of a growing aging population and allowing older Americans, people with disabilities, and others who require direct care services to remain in their communities, when possible.

About EWA: The Eldercare Workforce Alliance is a group of 35 national organizations – representing consumers, family caregivers, and health care professionals, including direct care workers – joined together to address the immediate and future workforce crisis in caring for an aging America.

EWA Endorses Direct CARE Opportunity Act

Providing funding to fifteen entities to invest in strategies to recruit, retain and advance the direct care workforce pipeline;

Implementing models and strategies to make the field of direct care more attractive, such as training, providing career pathways, mentoring, and allowing for local and regional innovation to address workforce shortages in a high-demand field;

Encouraging retention and career advancement in the growing field of direct care; and

Responding to the needs of a growing aging population and allowing older Americans, people with disabilities, and others who require direct care services to remain in their communities, when possible.