LINCOLN- AARP Nebraska is celebrating the newly passed LB937, which included Sen. Eliot Bostar's Caregiver Tax Credit Act, for helping to cover family caregivers' costs as they care for and support eligible family members. The nonrefundable credits, which would begin January 1st, would be equal to 50% of eligible expenditures related to a family member's care or support of their loved ones.

"Caregiving is a critically important public health issue that affects the quality of life more millions of individuals nationally and thousands across Nebraska," Bostar said in a statement. To qualify, a caregiver must have an adjusted gross income of less than $50,000, and must care for a relative who requires assistance with at least two activities of daily living, as certified by a health care provider.

AARP Nebraska said the state has approximately 179,000 family caregivers, an experience they say is "stressful, isolating, and has a real financial cost." The cost, they said, averages roughly $7,200 per household per year. "When lawmakers agree on an issue regardless of political affiliation, the message is clear," said Todd Stubbendieck, state director of AARP Nebraska, "AARP is proud of the Nebraska Legislature for recognizing this critical need to help our state's unsung heroes."

For the full article click HERE