More than 20 members of the House of Representatives signed on to a Congressional Dear Colleague letter sent to the chair and ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services Education and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS), urging adequate funding for programs designed to increase the number of health care workers prepared to care for the growing senior population and to support family caregivers in the essential role they play. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) initiated the letter, as members of Congress champion their issues with the goal of garnering financial support in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations bill.

The Dear Colleague ask for increased funding for programs administered by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), which includes strengthening their demonstration on direct care workforce initiatives, and strategies for recruitment, retention, or advancement.  Additionally, it asks for support for the geriatric’s programs in Title VII of the Public Health Act, which includes the Geriatric Academic Career Awards and the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Programs. Several other programs are noted in the Dear Colleague, including: ACL’s Family Caregiver Support and Lifespan Respite Care for family caregivers; NIH’s National Institute on Aging and research specific to Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, and the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act of 2018.