Press Alert – Boca Raton, FL – May 14, 2025 – The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released its report, Caregiving: HHS Should Clarify When Youth May Qualify for Support Services (GAO-25-106947), Published: May 14, 2025. Publicly Released: May 14, 2025. This essential report focuses on Caregiving Youth, minors providing unpaid care to family members with functional limitations, health conditions, or disabilities and highlights the need for improved federal support.
Report Overview: Commissioned by congressional addressees, the report examines data on the estimated 3 to 5 million Caregiving Youth in the U.S., evaluates federal caregiver support programs, and draws lessons from England’s leading policies. It incorporates school-based surveys from Rhode Island, Colorado, and Florida; a survey of 43 former Caregiving Youth; and perspectives from 16 organizations, alongside interviews with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Department of Veterans Affairs, and Department of Education.
Read the report: https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-25-106947?utm_campaign=usgao_email&utm_content=daybook&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
AACY’s Contribution: The American Association of Caregiving Youth (AACY) played a key role in bringing national attention to the need for this report, advocating for its development to highlight the experiences of Caregiving Youth. Drawing from decades of experience, AACY collaborated with GAO, policymakers, and stakeholders by sharing expertise, promoting the study, and assisting with participant outreach. AACY also authored the Caregiving Youth Resource Guide through the National Academy for State Health Policy’s RAISE Act Family Caregiver Resource and Dissemination Center, funded by The John A. Hartford Foundation, to help raise awareness. Its Caregiving Youth Project, which provides respite care, tutoring, and counseling, is recognized as a model for federal policy.
AACY remains committed to advocating for Caregiving Youth by advancing comprehensive policies that recognize their needs, expanding access to resources, and ensuring their voices are represented in national discussions.
Acknowledgment and Call to Action: AACY expresses gratitude to GAO’s Kathryn A. Larin, Sarah Kaczmarek, and their team for the diligent research, as well as to federal agencies, England-based stakeholders, and contributing organizations for their valuable input. We urge policymakers, educators, and communities to engage with the report and advocate for policies that ensure Caregiving Youth receive essential support.
Acknowledgment: AACY recognizes Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), Representatives Barbara Lee (CA-13) and Lois Frankel (FL-21), and others for their leadership in requesting the GAO study on Caregiving Youth on April 13, 2022, which laid the groundwork for this report.
https://bobbyscott.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/scott-lee-frankel-call-upon-gao-conduct-study-caregiving-youth