BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 753
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Date of Hearing: May 8, 2013
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Mike Gatto, Chair
AB 753 (Lowenthal) - As Amended: April 18, 2013
Policy Committee: HealthVote:19-0
Aging and Long Term Care 7-0
Urgency: Yes State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY
This bill repeals and recasts statutes related to the system of
caregiver resource centers (CRCs) and the recent transfer of the
program from the former Department of Mental Health (DMH) to the
Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) pursuant to recent
legislation (AB 1467, Statutes of 2012).
FISCAL EFFECT
Negligible state costs.
COMMENTS
1)Rationale . The Association of California CRCs has sponsored
AB 753 to update CRC statutes for the first time in 30 years.
By doing, AB 753 recasts obsolete code sections reflecting the
program's transition from the former Department of Mental
Health to the Department of Health Care Services.
2)Background . CRCs were first authorized in 1984. The
"Comprehensive Act for Family Caregivers of Brain-Impaired
Adults" established 11 regional agencies known as Caregiver
Resource Centers under the Department of Mental Health. CRCs
were legislatively mandated to assist families providing care
for loved ones with Alzheimer's Disease, stroke, Parkinson's,
Huntington's Disease, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Multiple
Sclerosis and other brain disorders acquired after the age of
18. The CRC system was the first of its kind in the nation and
was looked to as a model for the development of similar
services now available in all 50 states.
AB 753
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3)Funding . CRC funding has been reduced by 74% since 2009. As a
result of these budget reductions, all CRCs maintain waiting
lists for various services; the CRC serving the Los Angeles
area has a waiting list of over 900 people for respite
services alone. The Governor's 2012-13 Budget proposed to
eliminate all funding for CRCs. In rejecting this proposal,
the Legislature noted CRCs are a valuable component of the
state's overall safety net that allows caregivers to continue
providing long-term care in homes, thereby enabling many
disabled Californians to continue living in the community
rather than in nursing facilities, hospitals, or
institutionalized settings.
Analysis Prepared by : Debra Roth / APPR. / (916) 319-2081