BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                  AB 663
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   May 15, 2013

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                  Mike Gatto, Chair

                    AB 663 (Gomez) - As Amended:  April 29, 2013 

          Policy Committee:                              Human  
          ServicesVote:5 - 2
                        Aging and Long-Term Care              5 - 2 

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:              

           SUMMARY  

          This bill requires administrators of Adult Residential  
          Facilities (ARFs), Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly  
          (RCFE), and the Long-Term Care Ombudsman, to undergo training in  
          cultural competency and sensitivity in aging lesbian, gay,  
          bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) minority issues.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Because the bill does not require an increase in the overall  
          number of hours of training, costs associated with this  
          legislation should be minor and absorbable within existing  
          resources. 

           COMMENTS  

           1)Rationale  . According to the author, LGBT elders are more  
            likely to be single, childless, estranged from their  
            biological family, and reliant on families of choice, such as  
            friends and other loved ones. Without traditional support  
            systems in place, many LGBT elders end up relying on nursing  
            homes or other institutions providing long-term care. The  
            underlying results of studies have been consistent in pointing  
            out that such institutions are either not aware of the LGBT  
            nature of their residents, or are not prepared to address the  
            needs of this population. 

            The author hopes that by requiring additional training for  
            facility administrators and the Long-Term Care Ombudsman  
            specific to LGBT elders, that care facilities will be able to  








                                                                  AB 663
                                                                  Page  2

            better address their specific and unique needs.  

           2)Support  includes the American Association of Retired Persons  
            (AARP), Equality California, California Advocates for Nursing  
            Home Reform, and the California Assisted Living Association.  

           3)There is no registered opposition  . 


           Analysis Prepared by  :    Julie Salley-Gray / APPR. / (916)  
          319-2081