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Caregivers Get a Lift as States Expand Supports Nationwide

AARP is bringing the growing needs of America’s 63 million caregivers to the forefront of policy

Molly Snow,

Updated September 03, 2026

AARP

Updated September 03, 2026

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Key takeaways

States have expanded job-protected leave, respite care and financial assistance for family caregivers.
Demands on caregivers are rising, with more people providing complex, unpaid care while working.
AARP continues to urge federal action on tax credits and adequate nursing home staffing.

What if America’s 63 million caregivers had access to extended family leave to take care of loved ones, more respite care to give them a break and financial flexibility that could ease the strain of paying for supplies and care?

With AARP’s support, a wave of state-level policy changes has been making those resources a reality, as lawmakers acknowledge the strain on those caring for loved ones and the need to support a critical resource for an aging nation. The economic value of family caregiving exceeded $1 trillion in 2026, AARP estimates.

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This year, AARP offices around the country have urged legislators to expand eligibility for paid family leave, enact state-level tax credits for low-income caregivers and make community and home care more accessible for those who prefer to age at home.

It’s not a moment too soon: Demands on caregivers have grown dramatically in recent years. The number of adults who provide ongoing care to adults or children with a medical condition or disability increased 45 percent over the past decade, according to the 2025 “Caregiving in the U.S.” report from AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving. Put another way: One in 4 adults are family caregivers.

And more caregivers may be pushed into these roles after home care and nursing home costs rose again this year, according to the AARP Public Policy Institute’s latest data.

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“Caregiving brings real bipartisan agreement in Washington because lawmakers know 63 million Americans are doing this work every day, and many also have caregiving experiences in their own families,” says Megan O’Reilly, AARP’s vice president of health and family. “But while there’s strong recognition, more action is needed.”

Caregivers are also doing more than ever: They provide more complex care for longer periods of time with limited outside help. Nearly 70 percent of working-age caregivers also have a paying job.

“It’s physically taxing, emotionally taxing and, of course, socially taxing. It’s financially taxing,” says Mary Beth Malamatos, a caregiver for her mother in Florida. “There are stressors from all directions, and there’s no easy answer.”

Setting up financial supports

State-level tax credits for caregivers are gaining traction as a way to provide financial relief for those who typically spend about a quarter of their income on caregiving.

In 2026, Oklahoma — the first state to pass a comprehensive tax credit for caregivers — raised its benefit to $3,000, while Connecticut passed its own version. More than 1 in 4 Connecticut adults are family caregivers, and this new tax credit will provide needed financial relief to those who meet income and other eligibility criteria.

AARP Tennessee also successfully advocated for a grant program, approved in July, to provide financial assistance to family caregivers through 2029. It's another effort to support older adults’ ability to remain in their homes through family-based care.

Our work doesn’t stop there. Looking ahead to 2027, AARP is encouraging states to take additional steps toward providing caregivers with the financial relief, workplace supports and home care services needed to keep their loved ones living safely at home and in the community.

For example, in Florida, AARP led efforts to add nutrition assistance under the state’s home care program, helping mitigate the cost of groceries for families who qualify for the subsidy-based program. In May, the state also passed legislation setting up an outreach program to help refer caregivers to community services.

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Caregivers also shouldn’t have to sacrifice a paycheck to take time caring for a loved one. Several states have passed or expanded paid leave benefits for workers who also serve as caregivers.

Virginia: In April, the governor signed AARP-backed legislation that gives employees up to 12 weeks of paid caregiving leave to care for their own medical needs or for a family member.
Tennessee: A law passed last year supported by AARP grants state government employees six weeks of paid leave to care for a family member receiving hospice care. Eligible family members include a parent, spouse, child or grandchild.
Vermont, Minnesota, New Jersey and the U.S. Virgin Islands: These states and territory adopted job protections that ensure employees can take extended time off to care for a loved one and retain their jobs. Last spring, Vermont also expanded its benefit of 12 weeks of job-protected leave to include domestic and civil partners, grandparents and grandchildren and adoptive- or foster-parent relationships.

“It doesn't do any good for folks to be losing their jobs for something like this,” says Colin Hilliard, AARP Vermont’s advocacy director. AARP also helped defend family leave programs from budget cuts in Washington, D.C., where local policymakers unsuccessfully sought to reduce the benefit for District employees from eight weeks to just two.

Making care at home more accessible

Caregiving for family members is often a full-time job, but most caregivers aren’t paid for this work. Many dip into their savings and other personal accounts to help cover a loved one’s costs.

States have used their budgets as a vehicle to boost support for home services, which also support the choice to age in place. Most adults 50-plus — about 75 percent — prefer to stay in their homes as they get older, according to a 2024 AARP survey.

Tennessee has joined Maine, New Hampshire, Puerto Rico, Texas and Wisconsin in expanding access to respite programs, making it easier for families to afford part-time assistance and other services that support home care.

Thanks to strong AARP advocacy in Wyoming, the governor signed a bill March 3 that increases funding for home- and community-based services (HCBS) and addresses lengthy waitlists for families seeking care at home — often a more affordable alternative to assisted living or nursing homes.

South Dakota also approved funding increases in its 2026 state budget for HCBS and long-term care.

With support from AARP, Washington state legislators extended a program that helps older adults on Medicaid coordinate individualized care and connect with community and social support services, like transportation, food and housing. The money was set to run out by the end of 2026.

“Momentum at the state level, I think, speaks to where the country is at broadly, even as partisanship at the federal level really makes progress difficult on a lot of those [initiatives],” says Jaimie Worker, senior director of policy and research at Caring Across Generations, a national nonprofit organization advocating for caregivers.

Nursing homes, assisted living facilities and other institutional care settings make up another important piece of the caregiving support network.

That’s why AARP has backed efforts to ensure all Americans can live with respect and dignity, across all care settings.

We’ve pushed for adequate staffing in nursing homes, especially after the Trump administration rolled back federal standards that required a minimum number of nurses on the floor to provide continuous care. AARP supports a bill that would restore these rules.

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