The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan that President Joe Biden signed into law in 2021 has provided $37 billion to home and community-based care services for seniors and those with disabilities, the White House announced Tuesday.

That’s more than double what the administration estimated when it first proposed the $1.9 trillion economic stimulus plan that included funds to expand Medicaid.

What You Need To Know

  • The American Rescue Plan has provided $37 billion to home and community-based services for seniors and people with disabilities

  • Passed in 2021, the $1.9 trillion economic stimulus program provided billions in funding to states to expand Medicaid programs

  • The money has helped train, recruit and retain workers in all 50 states

  • The Biden Administration is caliing on states to set up care worker registries so people who work in care can more easily connect with the people who need them

“Care work is some of the most important and noble work a person can do,” Vice President Kamala Harris said during a briefing about the announcement. “The work is physically demanding and emotionally taxing and it could not be more essential to our nation.”

More than 7 million Americans rely on such services, including nursing care, community programs and transportation. Yet many of them are not able to access it because it costs too much or isn’t adequately staffed.

About 1.4 million people worked in home care in 2019, according to data from the American Community Survey and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. The demand for their services, however, is outpacing the growth of the workforce.

Harris said the ARP funding helped train 10,000 new home healthcare workers in Ohio and provide $10,000 scholarships to students studying behavioral health. It is also providing $5,000 bonuses to students who graduate and take jobs in community behavioral health centers.

In Colorado, the ARP helped increase care workers’ minimum wage by more than 25%, benefiting about 60,000 workers.

All 50 states have received funding to help train and recruit care workers and retain them with higher pay and bonuses. In return, the White House said Tuesday that it is asking states to set up care work registries that can more easily connect care workers with the people who need them.

Harris said the registries need to be easy to use and accessible, and should also be able to indicate a caregiver’s credentials, experience, language and contact information.

A senior administration official added that the registries will help care workers learn about new training and advancement opportunities and to access health coverage and other benefits for themselves.

In 2021, the Congressional Budget Office initially estimated that $12.7 billion from the American Rescue Plan would go to home and community-based care, but that number in reality is more than double.

“One of the reasons has been the excellent work by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the states to get the most out of every dollar,” a senior administration official said during Monday’s briefing.

He said the political leadership of many states had originally opposed and criticized the American Rescue Plan but had subsequently applied for the funds.

The ARP was announced within the first few days of the Biden administration when the COVID pandemic was still a major concern, and passed by Congress in March 2021. It provided $1.9 trillion in economic stimulus to individuals, state and local governments, schools, small businesses and restaurants and Medicaid programs.

Of the $37 billion in ARP funding that has gone toward home and community-based care services, $25 billion went directly to health care workers through pay increases, bonuses and training, the senior administration official said.