Staying Fit
This report, based on a study of managed long-term services and supports (MLTSS) programs, examined provisions in MLTSS contracts that are important for the support of family caregivers. The study comprised the review of 31 MLTSS programs for older adults and adults with physical disabilities in 23 states in 2019. Using key search terms, we identified a considerable amount of contract language that sheds light on elements of state contracts that help ensure family caregivers’ inclusion and support in MLTSS programs.
Key findings include:
- Nearly all state MLTSS programs include family caregivers in service planning and care coordination (upon the member’s consent) and provide some services and supports (such as respite care or caregiver education and training) targeted to members’ family caregivers.
- Most state MLTSS programs include family caregivers in their quality assessment and performance improvement (QAPI) programs and on member advisory committees.
- A minority of MLTSS programs assess (or reassess) the well-being and support needs of their members’ family caregivers, or allow for family caregivers to be paid as a provider in consumer-directed models of care
AARP Membership— $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal
Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine.
States that have clearly defined requirements in their contracts to include and explicitly support family caregivers send a strong message to all MLTSS stakeholders to improve the culture of care and promote person- and family-centered care as a standard focus of practice.
State Summary Tables
Each state summary table is a user-friendly, print-ready document that provides state-specific analysis.
| Arizona | New Jersey |
| California | New Mexico |
| Delaware | New York |
| Florida | Ohio |
| Hawaii | Pennsylvania |
| Idaho | Rhode Island |
| Iowa | South Carolina |
| Illinois | Tennessee |
| Kansas | Texas |
| Massachusetts | Virginia |
| Michigan | Wisconsin |
| Minnesota |
Author-Led Webinar
On May 14, 2020, a free author-led webinar shared further insights from this report and the research it came from. During the webinar, report authors from the AARP Public Policy Institute (PPI) and IBM Watson Health examined the issue from all angles—providing an overview of family caregiving, discussing why MLTSS matters to family caregivers, reviewing the report’s methodology, and highlighting key findings and recommendations.
MORE FROM AARP
A Closer Look at Sandwich Generation Caregivers of Medicare Beneficiaries
This Insight on the Issues uses 2021 data from the nationally representative National Health and Aging Trends Study and its supplement, the National Study of Caregiving, to profile sandwich generation caregivers of Medicare beneficiaries and better understand the care they provide.
