Sec. 3. FAMILY CAREGIVING STRATEGY

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## SEC. 3 FAMILY CAREGIVING STRATEGY ###

(a)In General The Secretary, in consultation with the heads of other appropriate Federal agencies, shall develop jointly with the Advisory Council and submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and the Special Committee on Aging of the Senate, the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives, and the State agencies responsible for carrying out family caregiver programs, and make publicly available on the internet website of the Department of Health and Human Services, a Family Caregiving Strategy. ###

(b)Contents The Strategy shall identify recommended actions that Federal (under existing Federal programs), State, and local governments, communities, health care providers, long-term services and supports providers, and others are taking, or may take, to recognize and support family caregivers in a manner that reflects their diverse needs, including with respect to the following: ####

(1)Promoting greater adoption of person- and family-centered care in all health and long-term services and supports settings, with the person receiving services and supports and the family caregiver (as appropriate) at the center of care teams. ####

(2)Assessment and service planning (including care transitions and coordination) involving family caregivers and care recipients. ####

(3)Information, education and training supports, referral, and care coordination, including with respect to hospice care, palliative care, and advance planning services. ####

(4)Respite options. ####

(5)Financial security and workplace issues. ####

(6)Delivering services based on the performance, mission, and purpose of a program while eliminating redundancies. ###

(c)Duties of the Secretary The Secretary, in carrying out subsection (a), shall oversee the following: ####

(1)Collecting and making publicly available information submitted by the Advisory Council under section 4(d) to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and the Special Committee on Aging of the Senate, the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives, and the State agencies responsible for carrying out family caregiver programs, including evidence-based or promising practices and innovative models (both domestic and foreign) regarding the provision of care by family caregivers or support for family caregivers. ####

(2)Coordinating and assessing existing Federal Government programs and activities to recognize and support family caregivers while ensuring maximum effectiveness and avoiding unnecessary duplication. ####

(3)Providing technical assistance, as appropriate, such as disseminating identified best practices and information sharing based on reports provided under section 4(d), to State or local efforts to support family caregivers. ###

(d)Initial Strategy; Updates The Secretary shall— ####

(1)not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, develop, publish, and submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and the Special Committee on Aging of the Senate, the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives, and the State agencies responsible for carrying out family caregiver programs, an initial Strategy incorporating the items addressed in the Advisory Council’s initial report under section 4(d) and other relevant information, including best practices, for recognizing and supporting family caregivers; and ####

(2)biennially update, republish, and submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and the Special Committee on Aging of the Senate, the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives, and the State agencies responsible for carrying out family caregiver programs the Strategy, taking into account the most recent annual report submitted under section 4(d)(1)— #####

(A)to reflect new developments, challenges, opportunities, and solutions; and #####

(B)to review progress based on recommendations for recognizing and supporting family caregivers in the Strategy and, based on the results of such review, recommend priority actions for improving the implementation of such recommendations, as appropriate. ###

(e)Process for Public Input The Secretary shall establish a process for public input to inform the development of, and updates to, the Strategy, including a process for the public to submit recommendations to the Advisory Council and an opportunity for public comment on the proposed Strategy. ###

(f)No Preemption Nothing in this Act preempts any authority of a State or local government to recognize or support family caregivers. ###

(g)Rule of Construction Nothing in this Act shall be construed to permit the Secretary (through regulation, guidance, grant criteria, or otherwise) to— ####

(1)mandate, direct, or control the allocation of State or local resources; ####

(2)mandate the use of any of the best practices identified in the reports required under this Act; or ####

(3)otherwise expand the authority of the Secretary beyond that expressly provided to the Secretary in this Act.