That's an interesting question. I don't have specific data on that, but I think the statistics on what caregivers are paying out of pocket are very notable. When you have 80% of caregivers saying that they are responsible for paying the expenses of the person they are caring for, that gives cause for pause. Financial support for those expenses is really critical, and that includes more than just caregiving expenses. That may be living expenses, such as rent, groceries, etc., so the financial burden there is significant. If there was a method for accounting for and supporting those kinds of expenses, that would make a very significant difference for caregivers.
The other thing I noted in my statements and that I think is related to this question is that caregivers are dipping into their own savings—their retirement savings or savings for some other milestone in their life, such as saving for a home. If a caregiver is dipping into their personal savings, is there a way to offset that if they are putting themselves under a greater financial burden as a result of caregiving?
In terms of your question about refunds, I'd like to gain more insight on that. Generally, what we hear from caregivers around tax credits is that, if they have had to give up work in order to provide care or if they are doing less work, the tax credits may not be of significant benefit to them. It only benefits a certain portion of caregivers, so that's an area we'd like to look into more.
The financial impact on caregivers persists, and ways to assist them would be most welcome.