From WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com …
— GOP lawmakers are seeking to get rid of an income cap for a program that helps cover the cost of caring for those with Alzheimer’s disease.
Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevara, R-Appleton, and Rep. Dean Kaufert, R-Neenah, are circulating a co-sponsorship memo on the legislation. It’s focused on the Alzheimer’s Family and Caregiver Support Program, which provides up to $4,000 per recipient to help pay for in-home help, chair lifts, nutrition supplements, adult daycare and other services.
The bill authors say counties that administer the program are “struggling to spend the funds” provided by the state, pointing to “outdated” eligibility criteria.
Plus, they note changes to the National Family Caregiver Support Program will require state or local matching funds that don’t limit eligibility based on financial situation, meaning the state could lose access to this national program if the law isn’t changed.
The AFCSP, which is managed by the Wisconsin Bureau of Aging and Disability Resources, provides funding to counties and tribes. But recipients can only get these county resources if the joint income of the person with Alzheimer’s disease and that person’s spouse is $48,000 per year or less, the memo shows.
Last year, 10% of the funds allocated by the state through the program weren’t spent by counties due to the “limited number” of people that fall under the income cap. The bill authors note the original income eligibility was capped at $40,000 when the program was created in 1987. If adjusted for inflation, that would be about $114,000 today, the memo shows.
“Given the new federal code and the flexibility for counties to utilize these resources for individuals with the greatest need, the common-sense solution is to eliminate the cap in state statute,” the lawmakers wrote.
The legislation is backed by the Wisconsin chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, the Greater Wisconsin Agency on Aging Resources, the Wisconsin Family and Caregiver Support Alliance, and the Wisconsin Aging Advocacy Network.
The co-sponsorship deadline is Thursday at noon.
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