President's Budget Released

The President released his FY2011 budget today. Every year the President prepares a budget and sends it to Congress for consideration. Congress will work to pass a budget by October 1st 2010, though it often takes additional time to complete the budget process. Below are a few highlights of the budget changes the President announced for some key programs affecting children, families, and older adults.

Older Americans Act (OAA), National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP), Lifespan Respite Care, and other supportive services
The budget proposes $103 million for the Administration on Aging Caregiver Initiative (further details found here):
• $52.5 million toward the National Family Caregiver Support Program to fund caregiver services and the Lifespan Respite program.
• $50 million increase in supportive services for senior services (under Title III-B), including transportation services and adult day care services.

Health Care (further details found here):
• $2.5 billion for health centers to provide affordable high quality primary and preventive care to underserved populations, including the uninsured. This will allow health centers to continue to provide care to the 2 million additional patients they served under Recovery Act and support approximately 25 new health center sites. In 2008, health centers provided direct health care services to 17 million people.
• New Medicare demonstration projects that evaluate reforms to provide higher quality care at lower costs, improve beneficiary education and understanding of benefits offered, and better align provider payments with costs and outcomes.
• $25.5 billion for additional Federal Medicaid assistance to help states maintain their Medicaid programs and ensure access to health care for millions of Americans.

Corporation for National and Community Service
The budget proposes $1.416 billion for the Corporation for National and Community Service - an increase of $266 million from 2010 (further details found here):
• $914 million for AmeriCorps programs
• $60 million for the Social Innovation Fund in order to test promising new approaches to major challenges
• $63 million for RSVP (no change from FY10)
• $111 million for the Foster Grandparent Program ($104,000 above FY10)
• $47 million for the Senior Companion Program ($96,000 above FY10)

Child Nutrition (further details found here):
• $7.6 billion for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to fully serve all eligible individuals.
• $10 billion over 10 years for a strong Child Nutrition and WIC reauthorization.

Child Care, Head Start, and Early Head Start
• Will nearly double the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit for middle-class families making under $85,000 a year by increasing their credit rate from 20 percent to 35 percent of child care expenses.
• Provides an additional $989 million for Head Start and Early Head Start to continue to serve 64,000 additional children and families funded in ARRA.
• Provides an addi­tional $1.6 billion for the Child Care and Devel­opment Block Grant (CCDBG) in preparation for reauthorization to expand child care opportunities, and improve health, safety, and outcomes for children.