State lawmakers on Monday advanced a priority bill that includes a tax credit of up to $2,000 for family caregivers. It’s part of a larger bill to help with affordability challenges in the state.
Under Senate Bill 1, individuals who make $50,000 or less could be reimbursed for up to half of eligible home caregiving expenses. Those range from paying for respite care, medical equipment, to home modifications to ensure accessibility and safety. Hiring extra help, such as a personal care attendant (PCA) or a skilled nurse, would also count.
“All of those things really add up,” Natalie Shurtleff, an associate state director of AARP Connecticut, told members of the Finance Revenue and Bonding Committee in a public hearing Friday.
Family caregivers are essential to the state’s long-term care system, Shurtleff said. And on average Connecticut’s caregivers spend thousands of dollars out of pocket every year.
This comes on the heels of a new national AARP report released last week, which showed if unpaid family caregivers were compensated for their work in 2024, those earnings would total an estimated $10.7 billion in Connecticut, and $1.01 trillion nationwide.
The report also said home caregiving continues to become more complex and demanding.
“Caregivers are stretching their finances, sacrificing their own well being, and too often, they are doing it alone,” said Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan, CEO of AARP.
Advocates weigh in on SB 1
The concept of financial relief for family caregivers specifically has the support of advocates and lawmakers alike.
In a unanimous vote, the legislature’s Aging Committee advanced its caregiver tax credit bill in March. S.B. 1 has the same language, and still needs a floor vote in the Senate and House before the short session ends in May.
Laura Hoch with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society wrote in testimony that people with multiple sclerosis and their caregivers pay a range of costs to make their homes safe.
“Modifications can be as simple as installing a grab bar in the shower and have minimal costs associated; involve assistive technology at moderate expense; or can require much costlier structural changes to the home, such as widening doorways or building a ramp or an accessible bathroom,” Hoch said.
Donald McMenemy’s mother has multiple sclerosis, and also wrote in testimony on the bill. He’s made modifications to her home in Vernon, such as a railing for the front steps for balance, and is looking at options to modify her bathroom to her needs.
McMenemy said unfortunately he wouldn’t be eligible because he makes over $50,000.
“I ask this committee to consider increasing the income limits so that more families like mine can continue to help support our loved ones in need of care.”
Shurtleff, with the AARP, said the tax credit would "provide modest support” to help people continue their caregiving work.
What these individuals provide is invaluable service, Shurtleff added, which AARP believes needs more support.
“They keep their loved ones at home, out of nursing homes,” Shurtleff said. “Which is not only where most people want to be, but it also saves the state money because we're not paying for nursing home care that's often paid for by Medicaid.”
