A new study from the University of Iowa and Syracuse University suggests that a more inclusive paid family leave (PFL) policy could be effective in reducing nursing home use among older adults.

Kanika Arora, assistant professor of health management and policy at the University of Iowa College of Public Health, and Douglas Wolf, professor of public administration and international affairs at Syracuse University, analyzed data collected in all 50 states between 1999 and 2008.

The authors estimate that across alternative state comparison groups, the passage of PFL consistently reduced nursing home occupancy in California by .5 to .7 percentage points among those aged 65 and older. This represents an 11 percent relative decline in nursing home utilization.

According to Arora, this study is the first study to examine long-term care outcomes associated with a state-level policy on paid family leave and has demonstrated that the provision of this leave reduces nursing home use among older adults.

“While the current administration has proposed a federal paid family leave program, it is only focused on providing paid leave to families after the birth or adoption of a child,” Arora says. “The results of this study suggest that they should consider expanding the benefits of such a program to individuals with a seriously ill family member.”

The study will be published in the Winter 2018 edition of the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management.