Market scope note: This article covers materials from both Korea and the United States. Each piece of information is labeled 🇰🇷 Korea or 🇺🇸 U.S. in the body to indicate which country it applies to.
The people who stand closest to your parents' daily lives are nursing care workers (요양보호사) and home care aides. Yet many family caregivers are not well aware of how conditions for these workers are changing, or how those changes connect to the quality of care their parents receive. In 2026, both Korea and the United States are implementing new policies aimed at addressing care workforce shortages and raising service quality. This article takes a calm, family-caregiver's look at those changes.
🇰🇷 Korea One of the most notable changes on the Korean nursing care floor in 2026 is the introduction of the Senior Care Worker (선임 요양보호사) system. Starting July 1, 2026, care workers who have worked for 60 months or more and have completed the National Health Insurance Service's (공단) promotion training can be designated as senior care workers at a ratio of one per 25 residents, and those designated workers will receive an additional monthly allowance of 150,000 won. This is the first institutional step toward formally recognizing experienced, skilled workers.
🇰🇷 Korea Care workers, social workers, nurses, and others employed in underserved areas — specifically 52 cities, counties, and districts (시·군·구) nationwide where staffing is difficult, such as rural and fishing communities — will now receive a newly created monthly underserved-area support payment of 50,000 won per person, paid directly to them. In addition, eligibility for the long-service incentive (장기근속장려금) has been expanded: the sanitation aide (위생원) job category, which had previously been excluded, is now included, and the recognized reinstatement period after leave or resignation has been extended from 3 months to 6 months. These changes are intended to create an environment where people can stay in the care field for the long term.
🇰🇷 Korea Changes are also coming on the service-use side. The monthly benefit cap for long-term care home-visit benefits (장기요양 재가급여) will be raised from 2,310,000 won to 2,510,000 won for Grade 1, and from 2,080,000 won to 2,330,000 won for Grade 2. The target population for the Customized Care Services for Older Adults (노인맞춤돌봄서비스) will grow from 550,000 to 576,000 people, and the number of Home Medical Care Centers (재택의료센터) will expand from 192 to 250 locations nationwide. The foundation for more older adults to receive professional care in their own homes is being broadened.
🇺🇸 U.S. In the United States, federal and state policy directions are moving in different currents, and family caregivers need to pay especially close attention. At the state level, wages are rising. For California's In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program, wages are being increased with a statewide target of around $20 per hour as of 2026, and in Los Angeles County the base hourly wage has been raised to $19.64. Higher wages lead to a more stable care workforce, which in turn has a positive effect on continuity of care for older adults.
🇺🇸 U.S. At the federal level, however, uncertainty also exists. The Department of Labor under the Trump administration has proposed rolling back overtime wage protections that applied to more than 3 million home care workers. While the government has described the move as a measure to reduce care costs, concern is being raised among experts that lowering worker compensation at a time when workforce shortages are already worsening could make the care supply problem worse, not better. Because some states, such as New York, protect workers through their own labor laws, it is important to separately check the policies of the state where you live.
🇺🇸 U.S. Legislative proposals supporting family caregivers themselves are also worth watching. In the federal Congress, the Direct Care Workforce and Family Caregiver Support Act — which would provide federal grants to state governments for training, developing, and retaining the direct care workforce — has been introduced with bipartisan support. A bill that would protect family caregivers from retirement savings penalties when they reduce their working hours due to caregiving responsibilities has also been introduced in both chambers. Neither bill has been confirmed as passed, so it is worth continuing to follow their progress.
When conditions for care workers improve, the benefits flow directly to older adults and their family caregivers. The more an environment is created where skilled nursing care workers can stay in their jobs for the long term, the more trust builds between those workers and your parents, and the fewer gaps in care result from sudden staff changes. Understanding and making good use of these policies is one of the important roles a family caregiver can play.
Sources: Republic of Korea Policy Briefing (보건복지부 / Ministry of Health and Welfare, December 2025), 요양소식 and 한국노인복지중앙회 (Korean Central Council for Senior Welfare) (January 2026), 요양뉴스 (February 2026), KDI 한국개발연구원 (Korea Development Institute) research report, NPR (January 2026), California Caregiver Resource Centers (February 2026), Paid.Care policy guide (November 2025), press releases from U.S. Senate offices (Kaine, Gillibrand) (June–July 2026), official information from the U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL).
This article was compiled by AI from the published materials and articles cited in the sources above. We strive for accuracy, but for decisions about your specific situation, please confirm the latest guidance from a professional or the relevant agency.
Note: This article was compiled by AI from the sources cited above. We strive for accuracy, but for decisions about your specific situation, please confirm the latest guidance from a professional or the relevant agency.