***The following is provided for informational purposes only. United Way of the GLV and the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the Direct Care Workers Association does not endorse any particular piece of legislation or programs***
On June 4, 2009, Acting Assistant Secretary for Aging Edwin L. Walker testified before the House Committee on Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Health at a hearing on "Meeting the Needs of Family Caregivers." The hearing presented a unique opportunity for the Committee to gain a better understanding of current efforts that are underway to meet the needs of family caregivers of veterans and begin to identify the gaps in supportive services for family caregivers across the country. At the hearing, Mr. Walker discussed AoA's successful programs provided through AoA's national network of aging and community-based organizations that support older Americans and family caregivers. Among those programs is the National Family Caregiver Support Program which has provided significant support and assistance to families struggling to care for their loved ones for close to ten years. Mr. Walker also took the opportunity to announce the availability of $10 million in funding for an exciting collaboration between the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Veterans Affairs to develop a nationwide community-based long-term support program to help older Americans and Veterans of all ages with Disabilities remain in the community. This partnership builds on the similar missions of HHS and the VA with regard to caring for the populations they serve. For more information about this announcement, please visit http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2009pres/06/20090604a.html
He also announced the availability of $2.5 million in funding for the new Lifespan Respite Care Program Grants to provide family caregivers with more opportunities to receive much-needed short-term, temporary relief from providing care for their loved ones. These projects will enable states to establish, enhance or expand Lifespan Respite Care systems, including new and planned emergency respite services, training and recruitment of respite workers and volunteers and assist caregivers with gaining access to needed services in their communities. For more information about this funding availability , please visit http://www.aoa.gov/AoARoot/Press_Room/for_the_press/pr/archive/2009/June/06_04_09.doc
To review the testimony and archived webcast from the June 4 hearing, please visit
http://veterans.house.gov/hearings/hearing.aspx?newsid=412
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment