Casey

Casey

Tired of ads? Subscribers enjoy a distraction-free reading experience.
Click here to subscribe today or Login.

WILKES-BARRE — With the passing of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan imminent, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Tuesday said he is thrilled that four of his top priority issues will be funded as part of the package.

Casey’s COVID-19 Nursing Home Protection Act, his COVID HCBS Relief Act of 2021, the Continued Funding for Senior Services During COVID-19 Act, and the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Enhancement Act are all part of the package expected to be signed by President Joe Biden later this week.

The plan was approved by the U.S. Senate on Saturday on a 50-49 vote and as of press time was expected to be approved by the U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday or today.

Casey said the House plans to pass the measure in time for President Biden to sign it before key unemployment programs expire on Sunday.

Casey, D-Scranton, said he has been working on these issues for most of his time in public service. He said he has long advocated for improving programs for older Americans and for providing better nursing home care.

Casey said he has also pushed for increased funding for home and community-based services for seniors and people with disabilities.

“We have to do a much better job of helping facilities to respond when there is an outbreak,” Casey said. “And we want people to get quality care in their homes.”

Casey said the issue is nationwide, but critically important to Pennsylvania and Northeastern Pennsylvania because of the high percentage of older residents.

“Our state has a lot of great services for seniors, but there is a real need for increased dollars,” Casey said. “We’re trying to put more dollars on the table.”

COVID-19 Nursing Home Protection Act

Casey said COVID-19 has disproportionately affected residents and workers in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. He said more than 1.3 million residents and workers in long-term care facilities have been infected with COVID-19 and more than 170,000 have died, accounting for approximately 35 percent of COVID-19 deaths nationwide.

• The bill would provide $750 million in funding to States, for purposes of establishing and implementing strike teams.

• The bill would guarantee that $210 million is available to the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services to contract with quality improvement organizations to provide essential infection control assistance to nursing homes.

• The bill would also require the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services to collect and post on Nursing Home Compare demographic data on COVID-19 cases and deaths, including information on age, race, ethnicity and preferred language.

COVID HCBS Relief Act of 2021

The COVID HCBS Relief Act of 2021 is a bill to provide dedicated Medicaid funds for home- and community-based services (HCBS) for older adults and children, youth and adults with disabilities.

This bill would decrease the need to move people into congregate settings and make it possible for them to receive the services and supports they need from their homes. It also supports service provider agencies and direct care workers who provide those services.

“To ensure older adults and people with disabilities can remain in their own homes, receive the services and supports they need, and avoid going to congregate settings, we must provide dedicated funding for home and community based services,” Casey said.

• The COVID HCBS Relief Act of 2021 would provide dedicated Medicaid funds to states during the pandemic to address the needs of people eligible for home and community based services.

States would receive a 10% Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) increase to be used to enhance HCBS.

Funds can be used to increase direct care worker pay, provide benefits such as paid family leave or sick leave, pay for transportation expenses to and from the homes of those being served, purchase personal protective equipment for workers and those they are supporting and provide hazard pay.

The extra dollars also can be used to support family care givers, pay for recruitment and training of additional direct care workers and pay for technology to facilitate services.

Finally, the funds can help provide services for the over 800,000 people on state HCBS waiting lists.

Continued Funding for Senior Services During COVID-19 Act

Each year, Casey said more than 11 million older adults receive services authorized by the Older Americans Act (OAA), including home-delivered and congregate meals, support for family caregivers and other services. In response to the pandemic, the demand for these services has skyrocketed, Casey said.

“The aging network requires continued support to ensure seniors can remain safely in their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic and to facilitate access to COVID-19 vaccinations,” Casey said.

The bill would provide more than $1.5 billion in funding to the aging network to support continued services during the COVID-19 pandemic, including:

• $480 million for vaccination outreach and programming, outreach to seniors with limited English proficiency, support for senior legal hotlines, and more;

• A combined $775 million for nutrition services;

• $44 million for evidence-based disease prevention and health promotion services;

• $145 million for caregiver support services;

• $75.5 million to carry out demonstrations and evaluations under the Act, including funding to support multi-generational engagement, bringing seniors and kids together; and

• $10 million for the long-term care ombudsman program.

Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Enhancement Act

The Child Care and Dependent Credit Enhancement Act would:

• Make the full Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit available to most working families — the bill would make the full credit available to families with income under $125,000. The current phase-down of the credit begins at $15,000 of income.

• Put more money into a family’s pocket — the bill increases the maximum credit from $1,050 to $4,000 per child (age 0-13), up to $8,000.

• Ensure lower income families see a benefit — the bill would make the credit fully refundable to make sure those with the greatest need see a benefit.

• Retain the value over time — the bill would index benefits to inflation to ensure they keep up with ever-growing costs.

• The credit fully phases out for incomes above $440,000 a year.

Casey said wrap-around services, like childcare, are essential to both our national economic infrastructure and our nation’s economic recovery.

“The benefit of this legislation is obvious to families,” Casey said. “And it gets them back to work. People aren’t working because they can’t afford child care. We will push for this real hard.”

Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.