The Eldercare Workforce Alliance (EWA), of which LeadingAge is an active member, continues to advocate for initiatives to address the health care workforce needs in caring for an aging America. As Congress begins consideration of funding for programs in Fiscal Year 2024, EWA is once again requesting increased funding for programs designed to increase the number of health care professionals prepared to care for America’s growing population of older adults and to support family caregivers in the essential role they play in this regard.

EWA is urging Congress to support a total $82 million in funding, which doubles the funding over the FY 2023, for geriatrics programs in Title VII of the Public Health Service Act administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which includes:

• The Geriatric Academic Career Awards (GACAs), which support the career development of junior faculty clinician educators in geriatrics; and
• The Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Programs (GWEP), which purpose is to improve health outcomes for older adults by developing a healthcare workforce that maximizes patient and family engagement, and by integrating geriatrics and primary care.

The GACAs and GWEPs are the only federal programs dedicated to training the entire workforce in the care of older adults. For FY 2024, LeadingAge requests a sufficient increase in funding to close current geographic and demographic gaps in geriatrics workforce training. The increased funding would support 80 GWEPs and 60 GACAs (at salaries more commensurate with those of NIH academic career grantees).

Access EWA’s GWEPs and GACAs One-Pager; and EWA’s Distribution of the GWEPs and GACAs Program Awards Map, for additional information.