Members from a coalition of diverse organizations, including consumer advocates, health care providers, age-friendly communities, faith-based and social justice organizations, gathered today at the State House to urge Governor Murphy and the NJ Legislature to include the Caregiver’s Assistance Act (A1802/S2021) in the FY’24 state budget to provide eligible family caregivers with a modest income tax credit.
The coalition delivered hundreds of handwritten stories collected from family caregivers across the state to Governor Phil Murphy, Senate President Nicholas Scutari and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin.
Family caregivers, on average, spend 26% of their income on caregiving activities to keep their loved ones at home. The economic value of unpaid care provided by family caregivers in New Jersey is approximately $17 billion. To put this in perspective, the state’s entire Medicaid budget is about $20 billion.