,,ii  #aacth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #bhdb  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,september #ag 
7legislative day1 ,september #af71 #bjad
 ,mr4 ,casey introduced the following   
bill2 which was read twice and referred 
to the ,committee on ,health1           
,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions  ,a   
,,bill  ,to amend the ,public ,health   
,service ,act to establish a ,caregiver 
,corps program4  #a4 ,short title  ,this
 ,act may be cited as the ,caregiver    
,corps ,act of #bjad4  #b4 ,findings and
 purpose  7a7 ,findings ,congress makes 
the following findings3 7#a7 ,as of     
#bjac1 more than #dc1jjj1jjj ,americans 
are age #fe or older4 ,more than #ge    
percent of such individuals live with   
chronic conditions which require        
assistance that helps them to live in a 
home- or community-based setting4 ,in   
#bjab1 almost #ch1jjj1jjj ,americans of 
all ages reported having one or more    
disabilities4  7#b7 ,as of #bjab1 there 
were over #hjj1jjj home health aides    

assisting older adults in their homes   
with activities of daily living and some
 light housekeeping tasks such as       
changing linens and preparing food4     
,direct care workers are critical as    
families and friends strive to provide  
quality care for individuals in the     
community4  7#c7 ,estimates suggest that
 there are #eb1jjj1jjj to #fe1jjj1jjj   
informal caregivers helping to provide  
care to adults with disabilities and    
illnesses4 ,these caregivers help with a
 range of tasks but more time is spent  
on tasks such as shopping1 food         
preparation1 housekeeping1 and laundry1 
and less time is spent on activities of 
daily living such as feeding1 dressing1 
grooming1 walking1 bathing1 and         
assistance toileting4  7#d7 ,over #fj   
percent of all informal caregivers work 
either full- or part-time4 ,even with   
the growing number of direct care       
workers available1 there is a shortage  
in the number of people available to    
help support individuals who need extra 

assistance to remain in the community4  
7#e7 ,only #ab percent of informal      
caregivers report having used a respite 
service4 ,respite is a means of giving  
the caregiver a break from their        
caregiving duties4 ,respite comes in    
many forms and may include having the   
individual attend an adult day program  
outside the home or having a friendly   
visitor serve as a companion and provide
 light assistance while the caregiver   
takes a break4  7#f7 ,respite volunteer 
programs exist in many communities4     
,there is a range of ways that these    
programs offer incentives to the        
volunteers4 ,some programs use a        
time-banking or service-exchange        
approach as an incentive to engage      
volunteers1 while other programs access 
funds from private and public sources to
 offer modest stipends to volunteers4   
7b7 ,purpose ,it is the purpose of this 
,act to establish a ,caregiver ,corps   
program to foster the creation of       
community-based ,corps programs that    

provide for volunteer community service 
opportunities to address the shortage of
 assistance available for older adults  
and individuals with disabilities4  #c4 
,establishment of ,caregiver ,corps     
program ,part ,p of title ,,iii of the  
,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db      
,u4,s4,c4 #bhj;g et seq47 is amended by 
adding at the end the following3        
#cii,v-#f4 ,caregiver ,corps  7a7       
,contract for establishment of          
,caregiver ,corps program  7#a7 ,in     
general ,the ,secretary shall enter into
 a contract with a nonprofit entity for 
the development of an online toolkit and
 guidance providing for the             
establishment and implementation of     
,caregiver ,corps 7referred to in this  
section as ,corps7 volunteer programs in
 local communities4  7#b7 ,requirements 
,the toolkit and guidance developed     
under paragraph 7#a7 shall be based on  
best practice methods from existing     
private and public sector volunteer     
programs and include-- 7,a7 guidance on 

the recruitment1 screening1 and training
 of ,corps volunteers2  7,b7 guidance on
 recommended processes for administering
 and evaluating the performance of local
 ,corps programs2  7,c7 guidance on     
options for securing start-up and       
operational funding for local ,corps    
programs2  7,d7 sources for obtaining   
ongoing technical assistance2 and  7,e7 
guidance on how communities can promote 
larger community involvement and        
cultivate partnerships and connections  
between local ,corps programs4  7#c7    
,grants ,the ,secretary may award grants
 to public and private nonprofit        
entities for the operation of local     
,corps programs under subsection 7b7 in 
accordance with this section4  7b7      
,requirements of ,caregiver ,corps      
programs  7#a7 ,local ,caregiver ,corps 
programs  7,a7 ,eligibility ,to be      
eligible to be a local ,corps program   
for purposes of this section1 an entity 
shall be-- 7i7 an area agency on aging2 
7ii7 a time-banking or volunteer        

organizing agency2  7iii7 a college or  
university2  7iv7 a ,state1 county1 or  
local government2 or  7v7 any other     
entity determined to be appropriate by  
the ,secretary4  7,b7 ,duties and       
activities ,a local ,corps program      
shall-- 7i7 conduct screening and       
criminal history background checks of   
,corps volunteers2  7ii7 provide        
in-person orientation and training for  
,corps volunteers2  7iii7 develop and   
monitor volunteer assignments1 which    
shall include selecting the adults to be
 served by ,corps volunteers1 matching  
volunteers to assignments1 and          
supervising the volunteers2  7iv7 assist
 in the provision of appropriate        
volunteer recognition2  7v7 maintain    
records and prepare reports as required 
by the ,secretary2 and  7vi7 carry out  
any other activities determined         
appropriate by the ,secretary4  7#b7    
,caregiver ,corps volunteers  7,a7      
,eligibility  7i7 ,in general ,to be    
eligible to serve as a volunteer for a  

local ,corps program1 an individual     
shall-- 7,i7 be at least #ah years of   
age and willing to accept supervision as
 required by the local ,corps program2  
7,,ii7 consent to a criminal background 
check2 and  7,,iii7 meet such other     
requirements as the local ,corps program
 shall require4  7ii7 ,limitation       
,eligibility to be a volunteer for a    
local ,corps program shall not be       
restricted on the basis of education1   
employment experience1 citizenship1     
race1 color1 creed1 belief1 gender1     
sexual orientation1 national origin1    
disability1 or political affiliation4   
7,b7 ,terms of service  7i7 ,in general 
,an individual may serve as a full- or  
part-time volunteer for an initial      
period of not to exceed #b years4  7ii7 
,limitation ,an individual who serves as
 a volunteer for a local ,corps program 
shall not be considered to be an        
employee of the local ,corps program for
 purposes of the application of any     
,federal or ,state employment-related   

law4  7,c7 ,functions  7i7 ,in general  
,a ,corps volunteer shall-- 7,i7 provide
 assistance to an older individual or an
 individual with disabilities who needs 
additional services to remain in the    
community2  7,,ii7 provide assistance to
 give an informal caregiver respite from
 his or her caregiving duties2  7,,iii7 
serve as a companion to older           
individuals and individuals with        
disabilities2  7,,iv7 provide assistance
 for which such volunteer is qualified1 
as determined by the local ,corps       
program2 and  7,v7 not provide personal 
care or administer prescription         
medications4  7ii7 ,individuals to be   
served ,to be eligible to obtain ,corps 
volunteer services1 an individual shall 
be an adult aged #fe or older1 or an    
individual eligible for ,social         
,security ,disability ,insurance1 who is
 in need of assistance to achieve and   
maintain their highest level of         
independent living4  7iii7 ,required    
service to individuals ,the activities  

of a ,corps volunteer shall involve     
person-to-person relationships with the 
individuals being served and shall not  
include the provision of any service to 
the local ,corps program involved4  7#c7
 ,direct benefits ,a local ,corps       
program-- 7,a7 shall provide for        
appropriate recognition of ,corps       
volunteers2 and  7,b7 may1 at the       
discretion of the local ,corps program1 
provide compensation to a ,corps        
volunteer1 in the manner determined     
appropriate by the local ,corps program1
 which may include stipends1 tuition    
incentives or academic credit1 or the   
banking of volunteer hours for use      
against future needs for assistance4    
7#d7 ,reporting ,not less than annually1
 a local ,corps program shall submit to 
the ,secretary a report that contains1  
with respect to the year for which the  
report is prepared-- 7,a7 aggregate data
 on the number of ,corps volunteers     
trained1 the number of ,corps volunteers
 providing service1 the number of hours 

of service provided1 and the number of  
individuals being served2 and  7,b7 data
 to inform the ,secretary and local     
communities of any system and consumer  
outcome impacts of the local ,corps     
program4  7c7 ,authorization of         
appropriations ,there is authorized to  
be appropriated to carry out this       
section1 such sums as may be necessary4 
4