NEW TAX CREDIT: Harder Announces Legislation to Deliver Immediate Relief for Struggling Sandwich Generation Parents

WASHINGTON – Today, during National Family Caregivers Month, Rep. Josh Harder (CA-09) introduced new legislation to deliver immediate relief to sandwich generation parents – people taking care of their children as well as their aging parents. Like millions of Californians, this is personal for Harder – he is raising two young daughters while also supporting his mother-in-law who has a complex medical condition. The Double Dependents Relief Act gives parents some desperately-needed breathing room by creating a tax credit to cover caregiving costs up to $10,000 a year for families with multiple dependents.

Sandwich generation parents are being squeezed by immense financial and mental costs:

• One-third of caregivers spend at least 40 hours a week taking care of their dependents, and two-thirds work a full-time job on the side.
• Nearly half experience severe stress while caregiving, and a quarter have difficulty taking care of their own health.
• Half have struggled financially, ranging from early retirement, lost job benefits, more debt, or given up working entirely because of caregiving-related work disruptions.

“My family understands what it’s like to raise kids at the same time as caring for aging parents. It’s incredibly difficult and millions of people in our country are struggling financially with how to make it all work,” said Rep. Harder. “This bill is well overdue – parents in the sandwich generation have been struggling for years now, and it’s time we get them some financial relief for the caregiving they’re providing.”

What the Double Dependents Relief Act means for our families:

• Financial Relief – Up to $10,000 tax credit for qualified expenses like medical care, equipment, and care-related services.
• Better Health Outcomes – Reducing immediate financial burdens will mean less emergency room visits and greater access to critical care that is often currently deferred.
• Better Careers – Providing support to parents will allow them to spend more time staying in their job, pursuing additional training, and building lifelong stability.

Parents with multiple dependents are among the most at-risk and vulnerable households facing devastating Medicaid cuts and expiring Affordable Care Act (ACA) health care tax credits. In addition to working to re-invest in the families that Washington is trying to pull away from, Harder is fighting to reverse cuts that will rip health care away from 50,000 people in San Joaquin County alone, as well as cause premiums to double or triple.

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