S 4889: Supporting Our Direct Care Workforce and Family Caregivers Act

S 4889 in plain English: This bill would establish a technical assistance center and a grant program to support direct care workers and family caregivers. It authorizes $2,000,000 per year from 2027 through 2031 for the technical assistance center, and $1,000,000,000 for grants in fiscal year 2027.

Stated purpose

This bill aims to award federal grants to create, recruit, train, retain, and advance workers who provide direct care to older adults and people with disabilities, and to provide additional grants supporting family caregivers.

Key points

• Authorizes $2,000,000 per year for fiscal years 2027–2031 to fund a direct care workforce technical assistance center
• Provides $1,000,000,000 in grants for fiscal year 2027 to support direct care workers and family caregivers
• Bill referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

Arguments supporters make

• The direct care workforce faces serious shortages and high turnover, and targeted federal investment in training and retention could help ensure older adults and people with disabilities can get the care they need.
• Including direct care workers, family caregivers, and the people they serve as advisors in grant activities helps ensure programs are designed by those with real experience, not just government officials.
• Supporting family caregivers — many of whom provide unpaid labor — recognizes and reduces a burden that falls heavily on individuals, particularly women, who often sacrifice income and career advancement to care for loved ones.

Arguments opponents make

• Creating new federal grant programs adds government spending without guaranteeing the grants will reach the workers or caregivers who need them most, or that the money will be spent efficiently.
• Grants are temporary and project-based, so they may not produce lasting improvements in wages or working conditions — the root causes of high turnover in the direct care workforce.
• The bill does not directly address pay levels for direct care workers, meaning workforce shortages driven by low compensation may persist regardless of how much is invested in training and recruitment programs.

Tradeoffs

Federal spending on grants could expand access to care and strengthen a workforce in high demand, but grant funding is limited and temporary, and may not substitute for the structural wage and benefit changes many argue are needed for long-term workforce stability.

Current status in Congress: In committee.

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