Mass. lawmakers target long-term care improvement with slate of bills

BOSTON — A push is underway on Beacon Hill for a slate of elder care bills that seek to improve long-term care, including one that provides a $1,500 tax credit to family caregivers.

“Although the pandemic is behind us, it’s still so important that we continue to support our seniors and caregivers looking ahead,” said House Speaker Ron Mariano during an AARP advocacy event earlier this month.

Both Mariano and Gov. Maura Healey have indicated elder care to be an area of legislative interest and priority.

Last month, Healey put forward a $742 million tax relief package that includes a proposal for a $600 tax credit for family members who care for children under the age of 13 as well as disabled adults and seniors.

Her proposal would also double the senior circuit breaker credit — a credit given to qualifying seniors who own or rent residential property in Massachusetts as their principal residence — which would give low-income seniors a maximum credit of $2,400.

State Sen. Jason Lewis, D-Winchester, told the State House News Service that the governor’s plan was a great “first step,” but that he has proposed a bill that would go further.

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Lewis’ bill would create a $1,500 tax credit covering costs associated with caring for elderly or disabled family members. Those costs could include those associated with changes to the caregiver’s residence to improve accessibility, hiring a home care aide, purchasing assistive medical equipment, as well as for legal and financial services.

“We can and should do more and this tax credit is exactly the right idea. … This is a real timely opportunity to make our case,” the senator said.

Guidance for dementia care

Other elder care bills being discussed at the State House include two from state Rep. Danielle Gregoire, D-Marlborough.

The first would require all MassHealth Senior Care Options to include dementia care coordination to those who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and other related dementias. The proposal defines dementia care coordination as a “proactive care consultation service” that would provide guidance for dementia caregiving, including symptom management strategies, safety management suggestions and more.

The second would enable Aging Service Access Points (ASAPs) — private, nonprofit agencies under contract with the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs — to provide intensive case management to individuals with complex care needs such as mental illness, substance use, dementia and other disorders.

“I filed these bills as a continuation of the work we have accomplished in previous sessions,” Gregoire said. “Helping patients with Alzheimer’s and other related dementias, their families and caretakers, has been an issue of longstanding importance for me. These bills, crafted with the assistance of experts in the field, would provide the services and supports they need.”

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This slate of bills comes at a time when Massachusetts’ population of seniors is experiencing major growth. In 2020, people aged 60 and older comprised 24% of the commonwealth’s population, according to AARP.

“Adults 60 and over in Massachusetts will soon eclipse the under 20 cohort for the first time in recorded history,” said Sandra Harris, AARP’s state president for Massachusetts, during the organization’s advocacy event.

“And as our aging population continues to grow, so does concern over unique issues related to financial, health and long-term care needs," she said. "Both planning and action by the commonwealth are required to make our society work well on behalf of all of our residents."

State Sen. Patricia Jehlen, D-Somerville, Senate chair of the Legislature’s Committee on Elder Affairs, said there was “so much urgent work we need to do to strengthen the whole continuum of care” for the state’s senior population.

“Those of us who advocate for older people’s needs have never felt in the recent past, at least, that those issues have been enough a priority in our state, despite the fact that the older population is growing really fast and despite the escalating crisis in all levels of care from home care to nursing homes,” she said.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Tax relief for seniors, caregivers proposed by Mass. lawmakers