TO: NDSC Members and Affiliated Parent Groups
FROM: Susan Goodman, Director, Governmental Affairs
DATE: March 9, 2007

NDSC Action Alert!
Help Ensure Funding for Lifespan Respite Care Act!

Received from the National Respite Coalition

URGENT APPROPRIATIONS ALERT
Lifespan Respite Care Act (P.L. 109-442)
Deadline March 13, 2007

The Lifespan Respite Care Act allows states to compete for grants to Aging and Disability Resource Centers in partnership with a public or private non-profit state respite coalition or organization to make quality respite available and accessible to family caregivers regardless of age or disability. The law allows grantees to build on federal, state and local respite resources and funding streams, and would help support, expand planned and emergency respite, provider recruitment and training, and caregiver training.

STATUS: The Lifespan Respite Care Act was signed into law on December 21, 2006. The new law cannot be implemented until Congress appropriates the funding for FY08.

ACTION: Contact your U.S. House of Representative member and urge them to sign onto the Congressional letter to House Labor, HHS, Education Appropriations Committee Chair and Ranking member to fund the Lifespan Respite Care Act at $40 million in the FY08 Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations bills. The letter is being circulated in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representatives Langevin (D-RI) and Ferguson (R-NJ). Deadline is March 13, 2007.

To identify your federal legislators and their contact information, visit www.congress.org and enter your zip code. You can send an email or fax containing the message below. The most effective way is to call them directly. Call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask for the Members office and then ask for staff who handle appropriations or health issues.

MESSAGE:

Please have Congressman_____________ sign onto the letter to the House Labor, HHS, Education appropriations committee chair and ranking member requesting full funding for the Lifespan Respite Care Act at $40 million in the FY 08 Labor, HHS, Education Appropriations bill. The letter is being circulated by Representatives Langevin (D-RI) and Ferguson (R-NJ).

TALKING POINTS/FACTS:

Respite, the most frequently requested family support service, has been shown to provide family caregivers with relief necessary to maintain their health, keep marriages intact, and avoid or delay more costly nursing home, foster care placements or other out-of-home placements.

In times of serious budget constraints, the value of respite is exceptional. Delaying nursing home or institutional placement of just one individual with a chronic condition for several months can save Medicaid, private insurance, or the family thousands of dollars.

The nations estimated 50 million family caregivers provide 80% of long-term care at an uncompensated value of $306 billion/year, more than twice what is spent nationwide on nursing homes and paid home care combined and comparable to 2004 Medicare spending.

American businesses lose $17.1 to $33.6 billion annually in lost productivity costs related to caregiving responsibilities.

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If you have questions or comments about the Newsline, please contact Susan Goodman at Susang1961@aol.com.