State Map of Family Caregiver Task Forces from National Academy for State Health Policy

Alabama Caregiver Task Force

The California Task Force on Family Caregiving was established to examine issues relative to the challenges faced by family caregivers and opportunities to improve caregiver support, review the current network and the services and supports available to caregivers, and make policy recommendations to the Legislature. A website is maintained by the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology at the University of Southern California, the non-state organization that is providing administrative support to the task force.

In June 2017, a report was prepared on Legislative Recommendations from Other Caregiving Task Forces across the U.S. The final report of the Task Force, Picking Up the Pace of Change in California: A Report From the California Task Force on Family Caregiving, was published in July 2018. See report for specific recommendations about increasing access to respite in California. 

Colorado Respite Care Task Force

The Respite Care Task Force was established by HB 15-1233 to study respite care services in Colorado and report its findings to the General Assembly. Respite provides caregivers temporary relief from caring for children or adults of any age with special needs who are unable or need assistance to care for themselves. The Colorado Respite Care Task Force report published in January 2016 presents the Task Force’s findings and recommendations.

Maryland Task Force on Family Caregiving and Long-term Supports and the MD Commission on Caregiving

Maryland’s Task Force on Family Caregiving and Long-Term Supports was formed by SB 297, Ch 155 to “identify those policies, programs, and resources currently available to [caregivers], and also look for innovative and creative means to support [caregivers] as they provide in-home care and assistance ..." A final report was issued and authorization for the Task Force ended October 30, 2016. 

Several respite recommendations were made including:

Given that respondents to the 2015 Maryland Respite Caregiver Survey conducted by the Maryland Caregiver Support Coordinating Council (MCSCC) advised that 48% of these family caregivers currently have no access to respite care (a situation which likely increases stress and morbidity among a significant proportion of caregivers and care recipients), Maryland should develop a state plan for building needed capacity in this area.

Also at the recommendation of the Task Force on Family Caregiving and Long-Term Supports, legislation was enacted and signed by the Governor in April that renames the Maryland Caregivers Support Coordinating Council to be the Maryland Commission on Caregiving; alters the membership of the Commission to include certain members of the General Assembly; and requires the Commission to provide ongoing analysis of best practices in family caregiver support programs and to monitor implementation of the Commission’s recommendations. Their focus is lifespan. The MD Respite Care Coalition has representation on the Commission.

Mississippi Caregiver Task Force

A Caregiver Task force functioning under direction from the Mississippi Legislature through Senate Concurrent Resolution 561 developed recommendations to legislators on the direction that Mississippi should be taking in identifying and meeting the needs of the thousands of caregivers across the state. A report titled Caregiver Support Blueprint for Mississippi was presented to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and legislators on December 1, 2014.

Nebraska Respite Task Force

The Munroe-Meyer Institute, through the Respite Across the Lifespan UCEDD program, was awarded a one-year opportunity grant from the Nebraska Planning Council on Developmental Disabilities. Funding for this project ran from Oct. 1, 2017, to Sept. 30, 2018. The main objective of this grant was to form a Respite Task Force made up of a broad array of stakeholders to actively collaborate to ensure that the respite needs of family caregivers across Nebraska are addressed. The Respite Task Force proposed systems-level, programmatic-level and consumer-level strategies to strengthen and improve the use of respite services, including respite to families with loved ones that have more challenging behaviors. Read the Respite Task Force Report.

New Jersey Caregiver Task Force

Legislation (formerly bill A-3514) creating the “New Jersey Caregiver Task Force” was signed into law Dec. 28, 2018. The 11-member task force will be comprised of a broad range of organizations and community representatives, including one person who is a caregiver for a person with a disability, one person who is a caregiver for a person with mental illness, and one person who is a caregiver for an elderly person.

The task force will be required to:

• identify existing caregiver support services available in the state;

• identify and survey caregivers in the state

• solicit testimony from caregivers on the nature and type of tasks they perform; the feasibility of task delegation; the availability and sufficiency of caregiver training programs, financial support services, and respite care services; the costs associated with caregiving; the practical experiences of caregivers in relation to their requests for, or receipt of, support services; their experiences interacting with various entities in relation to caregiving matters; and the use of medical leave for caregiving purposes.

The panel will submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature within 12 months of its organization detailing its findings and providing recommendations for legislation, or for regulatory or programmatic changes. The task force will be temporary and will disband after the submission of the report.

New Mexico’s Family Caregiver Task Force

The Task Force was established by HJM 4 in 2014 to “create a state plan for addressing the challenges faced by family caregivers.” One of the seven main goals recommended by the task for in it s final report, New Mexico State Plan for Family Caregivers, was to ensure that family caregivers access respite. 

North Dakota Family Caregiver Supports and Services Study, 2016

This study was solicited and funded by the North Dakota Legislative Management. As provided in Section 1 of 2015 House Bill No. 1279, the study was to develop a resource directory of services available to support family caregivers, to identify unmet needs, and prepare recommendations for legislative or administrative consideration. The study required input from stakeholders, including representatives of hospitals, social and clinical providers, advocacy organizations, veterans’ organizations, tribal governments, state and local agencies and institutions, and caregivers in the state.

Rhode Island

The Family Caregiver Alliance of Rhode Island (FCARI) and the Rhode Island Office of Healthy Aging developed the Rhode Island State Plan for Family Caregivers. The development of this plan was proposed under the Lifespan Respite Program operated by the State Office of Healthy Aging. This plan focuses on the needs of caregivers caring for Rhode Islanders of any age and covers the period from July 2021 through September 2023, coinciding with the State Plan on Aging. Included in this plan is information about Rhode Island’s caregivers, the state’s current efforts to support and serve them and goals and objectives to move forward. One specific aim of the state plan is to expand and implement various programs and partnerships to strengthen FCARI leadership.

Virginia 

The Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) convened the Virginia Family Caregiver Stakeholder Workgroup beginning in July 2017 in response to requests from legislators and advocates to study and develop ways for the Commonwealth to encourage and support families and communities in assisting aging adults and individuals with disabilities. The purpose of this work plan is to address the recommendations developed by the workgroup and to lay out a plan for DARS’ collaborative engagement with sister state agencies.

Read the final report from the Virginia Family Caregiver Stakeholder Workgroup: Recommendations for Improving Family Caregiver Support in Virginia 2018, including recommendations to support annually state funded Lifespan Respite vouchers and to promote volunteer respite care programs through university and community college academic programs and faith-based and nonprofit organizations.

Wisconsin

In February 2019, Governor Evers of Wisconsin signed an executive order to establish the Governor's Task Force on Caregiving in Wisconsin. The Respite Care Association of Wisconsin that helped champion the establishment of the Task Force attended the signing of the Executive Order.

The Task Force on Caregiving is charged with analyzing strategies to attract and retain a strong direct care workforce; supporting families providing care for their loved ones through respite services and other supports; establishing one or more registries of home care providers and developing a plan to provide referral or matching services for individuals in need of home care. Read the 2020 report, Wisconsin Caregivers in Crisis: Investing in our Future.