The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 was passed by Congress on January 1, 2013, and signed into law by President Obama on January 2. The legislation, often referred to as the deal to prevent the United States from going over a "fiscal cliff," includes several provisions that will have a significant impact on direct care workers.

The new law extends tax cuts for more than 100 million families who earn less than $250,000 a year. This presumably includes virtually all direct care workers, since the median annual wage for a direct care worker is $17,000. It also ends a temporary Social Security tax cut and extends the Child Tax Credit, the Earned Income Tax Credit and the American Opportunity Tax Credit (for college expenses) for five years each. Read more from DCA's Jessica Brill Ortiz.

Leonila Vega honored in House of Representatives: On December 20, 2012, U.S. Representative Linda S. Sanchez (D-CA) gave a floor speech in front of the House of Representatives in honor of former DCA Executive Director Leonila Vega, who passed away on November 19. Rep. Sanchez is a champion for direct care worker rights and sponsor of the Direct Care Job Quality Improvement Act. In her speech, she recognized Leonila's advocacy with and for direct care workers, seniors, and individuals with disabilities and said "the battle she waged for quality care and dignity for workers continues."

Rep. Sanchez also submitted a longer statement to the Congressional Record about Leonila and her work, in which she wrote: "The values that Ms. Vega fought to advance--respect and dignity for all people--are ones that everyone, regardless of political affiliation, shares, and we must work together to move those efforts forward."

Nancy Folbre

Labor economist Nancy Folbre is a recipient of a MacArthur "genius" grant for her groundbreaking explorations of care work. In her latest multi-author book, For Love and Money, Professor Folbre and her colleagues discuss paid and unpaid care of children, older adults, and both children and adults with disabilities. All of these types of care work, they argue, are severely underpaid and undervalued, although they make up a vital and enormous part of our economy. DCA's Elise Nakhnikian interviewed Professor Folbre about the book via email.

Do you think the fact that caregiving has traditionally been thought of as "women's work" is a large part of the reason why the wages and benefits are generally so poor? Or are other factors more to blame?
Is care underpaid because women do most of it, or are women less economically powerful than men because they specialize in care? This is not an either/or question, but a chicken and egg question. Read more.

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The Direct Care Alliance is the national advocacy voice of direct care workers in long-term care. We empower workers to speak out for better wages, benefits, respect, and working conditions, so more people can commit to direct care as a career. We also convene powerful allies nationwide to build consensus for change. 

If you have comments on this issue of The Direct Care News or ideas for future issues, please contact Elise Nakhnikian at 646-823-7434, enakhnikian@directcarealliance.org.