119th (2025–2027)
H.R. 9475
This bill establishes a National Task Force on Caregiving Youth to address the needs of young people under age 26 who provide unpaid care to veterans and active-duty service members with disabilities, illnesses, or injuries. The task force, led by the Department of Veterans Affairs and including representatives from the Departments of Health and Human Services, Education, and Defense plus three nonprofit organizations, must be created within 180 days and will operate for five years. The task force is required to commission a national study on caregiving youth (completed within two years), consult with stakeholders, develop policy recommendations for expanded support including school-based resources and mental health services, and create an advisory council with nonprofit caregiving advocates. Congress will receive an initial report within one year and annual progress reports thereafter documenting the task force's findings on the prevalence, demographics, impacts, and service gaps affecting these young caregivers, along with recommendations for federal, state, and local support improvements.