The SENIOR Act of 2024 addresses the growing crisis in long-term care for aging Americans by establishing two main programs. First, it directs the Department of Labor and Department of Health and Human Services to expand workforce training and education programs to prepare more direct care workers for assisted living facilities and home-based services, addressing a projected need for over 20 million care jobs by 2040. Second, it creates a Senior Care Cost Reduction Program that provides monthly assistance of $1,000 (adjusted annually for inflation) to low-income seniors aged 70 and older to help them afford assisted living instead of more expensive nursing home care, with eligibility based on income limits and asset thresholds. The bill targets seniors with chronic illnesses or Medicaid eligibility who earn no more than 60 percent of their state's median income and have limited savings. Funding for these programs comes from recovered COVID-19 relief money previously distributed to healthcare providers, avoiding the need for new appropriations.
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