Amended in Assembly April 27, 2015

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 38

Introduced by Assembly Member Brown

(Coauthors: Assembly Members begin insert Baker, end insert Calderon, Dodd, begin insert Cristina Garcia, end insert Lackey, begin insert McCarty, end insert Steinorth, and Waldron)

begin delete

(Coauthor: Senator Liu)

end delete begin insert

(Coauthors: Senators Allen, Bates, Huff, and Liu)

end insert

February 27, 2015

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 38—Relative to unpaid family caregivers.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

ACR 38, as amended, Brown. California Task Force on Family Caregiving.

This measure would establish the California Task Force on Family Caregiving, to begin delete collaborate with a broad range of stakeholders to examine resources available to caregivers and make legislative recommendations regarding the development of an Internet Web site containing resources for caregivers, the enhancement of outreach and education efforts, and the development of a caregiver screening and assessment tool. end delete begin insert meet monthly to examine issues relative to the challenges faced by family caregivers and opportunities to improve caregiver support, review the current network and the services and supports available to caregivers, and make policy recommendations to the Legislature. end insert The task force would be required to submit an interim report to the Legislature no later than January 1, 2017, and a final report no later than July 1, 2018.

Fiscal committee: no.

WHEREAS, A caregiver can be any relative, spouse, partner,
friend, or neighbor who has a significant relationship with, and
who provides a broad range of assistance to, an older person or an
adult with a chronic or disabling condition; and

WHEREAS, Almost three-fourths of older people living in a
typical community who receive personal assistance rely exclusively
on unpaid caregivers for help; and

WHEREAS, At present, there is no complete inventory of
caregiving programs available to Californians performing unpaid
caregiving services for an aging or disabled family member, friend,
or neighbor; and

WHEREAS, An estimated 5.8 million adults in the state provide
care to adult relatives or friends, which equates to an estimated
3.9 billion hours a year at an estimated value of $47 billion each
year; and

WHEREAS, The economic value of caregivers’ unpaid
contributions is equivalent to 1.25 times the total Medi-Cal
spending, and 4.1 times the funding allotted to Medi-Cal long-term
services and supports; and

WHEREAS, If family caregivers were no longer available, the
economic cost to California’s health care and long-term services
and supports systems would increase astronomically; and

WHEREAS, Family support is a key driver in remaining in
one’s home and community, but it comes at substantial physical,
emotional, and financial cost to the caregivers, their families, and
to society; and

WHEREAS, Fifty-nine percent of all family caregivers are
employed full or part time and family caregivers typically spend
20 hours a week caring for a family member who needs help with
bathing, dressing, and other kinds of personal care, as well as
household tasks such as shopping and managing finances; and

WHEREAS, Seventy percent of people with Alzheimer’s disease
or a related disorder live at home and need assistance with activities
of daily living; and

WHEREAS, Testimony and data acquired during an Assembly
“Faces of Aging” hearing series in 2014, conducted by the
Assembly Committee on Aging and Long-Term Care, documented
variations in the way different populations respond to caregiving
needs and responsibilities, thus informing policymakers of specific
cultural competencies necessary to meet a diverse population’s
needs, as well as specific untapped resources and strategies that
could relieve caregiver stress; and

begin insert

WHEREAS, It is critical to family caregivers for there to be a
state-led effort to compile an inventory of the resources available
to family caregivers, determine where access barriers in the current
system exist, and consider the cultural and linguistic factors that
impact caregivers and care recipients who are from diverse
populations; and

end insert begin insert

WHEREAS, Consistency of access across the counties is critical
for caregivers and the vulnerable population they serve, so the
best practices in California and in other states should be identified
and considered as means to improve caregiving programs; and

end insert begin insert

WHEREAS, Technology is a critical tool for family caregivers,
and the development of an internet Web site or portal that contains
information about California’s current resources and supports
available in the state’s family caregivers’ community will help
family caregivers better navigate current support services; and

end insert

WHEREAS, To successfully address the surging population of
older adults who have significant needs for long-term services and
supports, the state must develop methods to both encourage and
support families to assist their aging loved ones and develop ways
to recruit and retain a qualified, culturally competent, responsive
in-home care workforce; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the California Task Force on Family
Caregiving is hereby begin delete established to examine and investigate issues
relative to the challenges faced by family caregivers and
opportunities to improve caregiver support, and to make specific
policy recommendations along with legislative strategies to
advance them; and be it further end delete begin insert established, which shall consist of
20 members as follows: end insert

begin insert

(a) The Speaker of the Assembly and the Senate Committee on
Rules shall each appoint 10 members of the task force.

end insert begin insert

(b) These 20 members shall include some who have
demonstrated knowledge and expertise in any of the following:

end insert begin insert

(1) Family caregiving.

end insert begin insert

(2) Geriatric research.

end insert begin insert

(3) Alzheimer’s disease research.

end insert begin insert

(4) Senior advocacy; and be it further

end insert

begin delete

Resolved, That the task force shall do all of the following:

(1) Review the current network and how the system, which
provides information about community-based services and
programs to support family caregivers of adults with chronic or
disabling conditions, is set up and to consider improving how
family caregivers access information about the services and
supports available to them so that they can continue in their
caregiving role without being overburdened.

(2) Consider the recommendations of other state plans,
including, but not limited to, the Olmstead Plan, the Strategic Plan
for an Aging California Population, the State Plan for Alzheimer’s
Disease, and the State Plan on Aging.

(3) Determine gaps in services to family caregivers and identify
barriers to participation in current programs.

(4) Consult with a broad range of stakeholders, including, but
not limited to, people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, adults
with disabling or chronic conditions, family caregivers,
community-based and institutional providers, caregiving
researchers and academicians, formal caregivers, caregiver resource
centers, the California Commission on Aging, and other state
entities.

(5) Solicit testimony on the needs of family caregivers, including
the designation of caregivers during care transitions, caregiver
training, assessment of caregiver needs, respite services, medical
leave policies, delegation of tasks to nonmedical aides, and other
policies.

(6) Assess information referral and resource sharing systems
used by family caregivers by doing all of the following:

(A) Compiling an inventory of the resources available to family
caregivers.

(B) Determining access barriers in the current system.

(C) Considering the cultural and linguistic factors that impact
caregivers and care recipients who are from diverse populations.

(D) Comparing consistency of access across the counties.

(7) Identify best practices in California and in other states and
explore expanding those best practices in caregiving programs to
adult populations that are not currently receiving these services
because they do not qualify based on income, diagnosis, or
disability.

(8) Make specific legislative recommendations that address, at
a minimum, each of the following:

(A) The development of an Internet Web site or portal that
contains a list of current resources and supports available in a
family caregiver’s community, including the cultural competencies
available, and the contact information of a person or organization
that can help a family caregiver navigate these support services.

(B) The enhancement of outreach and education efforts by area
agencies on aging and family resource centers.

(C) The development of a caregiver screening and assessment
tool that will help identify which services and supports a family
caregiver needs, including assessing caregivers of Medi-Cal
recipients and beneficiaries.

(9) Prepare and provide to the Legislature a report of its findings
and recommendations on or before July 1, 2018; and be it further

Resolved, That the task force shall consist of no more than 20
members, one of whom shall be appointed by the President pro
Tempore of the Senate and one of whom shall be appointed by the
Speaker of the Assembly; and be it further

Resolved, That the two members selected by the President pro
Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the Assembly shall
appoint the remaining members of the task force; and be it further

Resolved, That the task force shall be under the direction of a
chair, selected from among its members and appointed by the
members of the task force; and be it further

end delete begin insert

Resolved, That the task force shall perform the following
duties:

(a) Meet monthly to examine issues relative to the challenges
faced by family caregivers and opportunities to improve caregiver
support, review the current network and the services and supports
available to caregivers, and make policy recommendations to the
Legislature.

(b) Consult, as necessary, with a broad range of stakeholders,
including, but not limited to, family caregivers, community-based
and institutional providers, caregiving researchers and academics,
caregiver resource centers, and other state entities; and be it
further

end insert begin insert

Resolved, That the task force is encouraged to partner,
whenever possible, with the California Commission on Aging in
order to link the efforts of the Legislature and the administration;
and be it further

end insert begin insert

Resolved, That state funds shall not be used to support task
force activities, but the task force may solicit and accept private
funds and in-kind donations from public and private foundations
to pay expenses incurred in conducting its business. These expenses
include, but are not limited to, staff, administrative, meeting, and
other expenses incurred by task force members in the performance
of their official duties; and be it further

end insert begin insert

Resolved, That the task force shall be subject to the
Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Article 9 (commencing with
Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of
the Government Code); and be it further

end insert

Resolved, That the task force shall submit one or more reports
to the Legislature and to the Governor, including an interim report
no later than January 1, 2017, and a final report no later than July
1, 2018; and be it further

Resolved, That the task force is authorized to act until July 31,
2018; and be it further

begin delete

Resolved, That the task force shall seek funding, technical
assistance, and other resources from foundations and other
organizations as long as that support would not pose any conflict
of interest and would be deemed as consistent with the goals and
objectives of the task force; and be it further

end delete begin delete

Resolved, That the task force may seek staffing support from
the University of Southern California Leonard Davis School of
Gerontology upon receipt of private foundation funding; and be
it further

end delete

Resolved, That members of the task force shall serve without
compensation, but shall receive reimbursement for travel and other
necessary expenses actually incurred in the performance of their
official duties; and be it further

begin delete

Resolved, That the task force shall meet every other month; and
be it further

end delete

Resolved, That members of the task force shall be appointed to
serve for the duration of the task force; and be it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.