Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed federal elder care program assistance, focusing on: (1) planned changes for federal elder care assistance; and (2) the potential for further caregiver support.

GAO found that: (1) most disabled elderly people receive informal care from family members and friends, primarily women; (2) 12 percent of the federal work force have some elder care responsibilities; (3) the federal, state, and city governments studied offer flexible schedule options which include leave without pay, flex-time, compressed work schedules, and part-time employment with benefits; (4) the Office of Personnel Management, in collaboration with the Administration on Aging, is promoting a publicly available toll-free number to assist federal employees in locating home and community-based services for the elderly; (5) some state and city governments plan to expand the availability of existing elder care programs and promote flexible schedule options to help caregivers balance their work and family responsibilities; and (6) the effectiveness of federal elder care programs will depend on how well these initiatives are implemented and the extent that federal employees use them.