CARES Hotline Act

The Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 15001 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

The Secretary shall maintain, directly or by awarding a grant or entering into a contract with an eligible entity, a national hotline to provide emotional support, information, brief intervention, and mental health and resources to caregivers of individuals with developmental disabilities.

The hotline under subsection (a) shall—

(1) be toll-free;

(2) be a 24/7 real-time hotline;

(3) provide voice and text support;

(4) be staffed by trained personnel who receive standardized training in caregiver support, crisis response, and culturally and linguistically appropriate services;

(5) include peer-to-peer staff who will work alongside the professionals specified in paragraph (4);

(6) provide referral services to local, State, and Federal resources, including crisis support, adult services, transition programs, and in-home supports to meet the needs of caregivers, including family and household members, of individuals with developmental disabilities.

In maintaining the hotline under subsection (a), the Secretary (or eligible entity) shall—

(1) consult with the Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, & Engage (RAISE) Family Caregivers Act Advisory Council to ensure that caregivers of individuals with developmental disabilities are connected in real-time to the appropriate specialized hotline service;

(2) develop, maintain, and regularly update a national database of services, supports, and resources for caregivers of individuals with developmental disabilities.

An eligible entity that receives a grant or enters into a contract to maintain the hotline under this section shall design, implement, and maintain training programs for the personnel described in subsection (b)(4).

In making a grant or entering into a contract under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to entities that have in effect a partnership with a community-based organization.

The Secretary (or eligible entity) shall conduct national outreach and public awareness activities to raise awareness of the hotline through—

(1) maintaining a public-facing website; and

(2) developing and distributing educational and promotional materials.

Beginning not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit a report to Congress on the hotline under subsection (a) and implementation of this section, including—

(1) an evaluation of the effectiveness of activities conducted or supported under subsection (a); and

(2) a directory of entities or organizations to which staff maintaining the hotline funded under this section may make referrals.

In this section, the term eligible entity means a nonprofit organization that has—

(1) demonstrated national reach or capacity to serve all States and territories; and

(2) experience navigating State-by-State service systems.

To carry out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2032.

The table of contents for such Act is amended by adding at the end the following: