BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES
Senator McGuire, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: ACR 38
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|Author: |Brown |
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|Version: |June 2, 2015 |Hearing |June 9, 2015 |
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|Urgency: | |Fiscal: |Yes |
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|Consultant|Sara Rogers |
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Subject: California Task Force on Family Caregiving
SUMMARY
Establishes, through resolution of the Assembly and Senate, the
California Task Force on Family Caregiving to examine issues
relative to family care giving and to make policy
recommendations to the Legislature. Prohibits the use of state
funds to support task force activities, but permits the
solicitation and acceptance of private funds and in-kind
donations from public and private foundations. Requires the task
force to submit interim and final reports to the Legislature, as
specified. Makes related findings pertaining to family
caregivers.
ABSTRACT
Existing law:
1) Through federal law, enacts the Older Americans Act of
1965, administered at the state level by CDA which
contracts with a network of 33 Area Agencies on Aging
intended to coordinate and directly manage various state
and federal services for older Californians, including the
Family Caregiver Support Program, for family and other
unpaid caregivers supporting older individuals. (42 U.S.
Code, Chapter 35)
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2) Enacts the Mello-Granlund Older Californians Act
establishing the California Department of Aging, appointing
it with various duties, including the development of the
federally mandated State Plan on Aging. (WIC 9000 et seq.)
3) Establishes the California Commission on Aging
consisting of 25 volunteer commissioners appointed to
three-year terms by the Governor (19 positions), the
Speaker of the Assembly (3 positions), and the Senate Rules
Committee (3 positions). Further establishes legislative
intent that the CCoA be the coordinating agency of all
programs for the aging in this state, except those programs
designated elsewhere by the Governor or Legislature. (WIC
9200 et seq.)
4) Establishes the Olmstead Advisory Committee in response
to the U.S. Supreme Court's Olmstead v. L.C. decision. A
responsibility of the Committee is to develop a state
Olmstead Plan prescribing actions the state may take in
order to comply with the Olmstead decision. (WIC 14181 and
Executive Order S-18-04)
5) Requires the California Health and Human Services Agency
(CHHS) to prepare a Long Range Strategic Plan on Aging by
July of 2003, and consult or seek the advice of CCoA in the
development of this strategic plan. Existing statute
provided an appropriation to the University of California
to undertake a survey of existing resources and gaps in
California's long-term care system and to establish a
longitudinal database to inform the report. As mandated,
CHHS prepared a 258-page report in 2003 entitled "Strategic
Plan for An Aging California Population." (WIC 9101.5)
6) Establishes Caregiver Resource Centers (CRCs) for the
purpose of delivering services to and advocating for
caregivers of cognitively impaired adults, including
providing specialized information, family consultation and
professional support, respite care, short-term counseling,
support groups, legal and financial consultation, and
education and training. (WIC 4364.5)
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This bill:
1) Makes numerous findings regarding the contributions and
significance of unpaid family caregivers, challenges faced
by those caregivers, and the importance of establishing
tools and supports to encourage and support family
caregivers.
2) Resolves by the Assembly and Senate to establish the
California Task Force on Family Caregiving consisting of 20
members, with the Speaker of the Assembly and the Senate
Committee on Rules each appointing 10 members.
3) Provides that members shall have demonstrated knowledge
and expertise in any of the following:
a. Family caregiving.
b. Geriatric research.
c. Alzheimer's disease research.
d. Senior advocacy.
4) Requires the task force to meet monthly to examine
issues relative family caregivers, as specified, make
policy recommendations to the Legislature and consult, as
necessary, with a broad range of stakeholders, as
specified.
5) Encourages the task force to partner, whenever possible,
with the California Commission on Aging in order to link
the efforts of the Legislature and the administration.
6) Provides that state funds shall not be used to support
task force activities, and permits the task force to
solicit and accept private funds and in-kind donations from
public and private foundations to pay expenses incurred,
including staff, administrative meeting and other expenses
incurred by task force members.
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7) Provides that the task force shall be subject to the
Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (GC 11120 et seq.)
8) Requires the task force to 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.
9) Provides 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.
10) Provides that appointed members shall serve for the
duration of the task force.
FISCAL IMPACT
This bill has not been analyzed by a fiscal committee, and has
been tagged non-fiscal; however this bill has been referred to
the Senate Appropriations Committee.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
Purpose of the bill:
The author cites research from the American Association of
Retired Persons (AARP) showing that there are 4 million family
caregivers currently in California, with over 5.8 million
providing care at some point in time during the year. The author
also cites research finding that the role of the family
caregiver has expanded to include the performance of medical and
nursing tasks and that support for caregivers in the performance
of these tasks is lacking.
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According to the author, by 2026, as baby boomers age into their
80's, the ratio of caregivers to those needing care is projected
to drop significantly. In 2010, the caregiver support ratio in
California was 7.7 potential caregivers for every person in the
high-risk years of 80-plus. By 2030, the ratio is projected to
decline sharply to 3.9 caregivers available to every 1 person
who requires assistance with daily activities and is expected to
decline to a ratio of 2.7 to 1 by 2050.
Aging population
Nationally, according to the U.S. Administration on Aging (AoA),
40 million adults were aged 65 or older in 2009, the latest year
for which data is available, or about one in every eight
Americans. By 2030, the AoA calculated, there will be about 72.1
million older persons, more than twice their number in 2000.
People aged 65 or older represented 12.4 percent of the
population in the year 2000 but are expected to grow to be 19%
of the population by 2030.<1>
According to data on the Department of Aging website,
California's aging population has one of the nation's fastest
growth rates among the elderly. In California, the elderly
population is expected to grow more than twice as fast as the
total population and this growth will vary by region.
Family caregivers
A 2011 report issued by the AARP Public Policy Institute noted
that about 42 million family caregivers in the United States
provided care to an adult with limitations in daily activities
in 2009, and nearly 62 million provided care at some point
during the year. The estimated economic value of their unpaid
contributions was approximately $450 billion in 2009, according
to the report, based on an average of 18.4 hours of care per
week at an average value of $11.16 per hour.
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<1> http://www.aoa.gov/Aging_Statistics/
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According to data from the Centers for Disease Control, unpaid
caregivers provided an estimated 90 percent of the long-term
care in 2008. The typical caregiver is a 46 year old woman with
some college experience who provides more than 20 hours of care
each week to her mother. Just over half of caregivers who said
their health had gotten worse due to caregiving also said the
decline in their health has affected their ability to provide
care.
According to the AARP survey, "Valuing the Invaluable," one in
five women reported that caregiving strains their household
finances and that 42 percent of caregivers spend more than
$5,000 a year on caregiving expenses. However, one of the more
significant impacts on caregiving is the emotional and physical
toll on caregivers.
"An extensive body of research finds that providing
care to a chronically ill family member or close
friend can have profound negative effects on the
caregiver's own physical and psychological health,
increase social isolation and adversely impact quality
of life and well-being. More than two-thirds of family
caregivers responding to an online survey said that
caring for a loved one was their number one source of
stress, ahead of the economic downturn and other
family health problems."
Caregiver resource centers
Every year, California's nonprofit Caregiver Resource Centers
serve more than 14,000 families and caregivers of adults
affected by chronic and debilitating health conditions including
dementia, Alzheimer's disease, cerebrovascular diseases (such as
stroke or aneurysms), degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's,
Huntington's and multiple sclerosis, or traumatic brain injury
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among many others.<2>
A 2012 report issued by the California Commission on Aging noted
that the state faces serious caregiver challenges in today's
economic climate. As budgets are cut at the state level, state
policies are moving rapidly toward providing more services to
frail elders in the home, according to the report, entitled
"Celebrating Caregiving in California." The Commission cautioned
that policymakers must weigh the value of protecting the
interest of family caregivers against the cost of
institutionalization. A recent report of the Senate Select
Committee on Aging and Long Term Care "A Shattered System,
Reforming Long Term Care in California," states that:
"Unpaid family caregivers are the forgotten workforce of
the LTC system. Nearly six million unpaid caregivers -
typically family and friends - provide LTC in California,
valued at $47 billion annually. While a number of programs
and policies exist to support family caregivers, most
family caregivers are unaware of or unable to access these
services. Many have had to sacrifice their jobs and family
income to provide care for a loved one. The needs of the
family caregivers must be addressed in order to support the
population's LTC workforce needs; this is particularly true
for women, as they disproportionately bear the burden of
caregiving."
Related legislation:
AB 1744 (Brown) would have required the California Department of
Aging, upon securing $200,000 in non-state funds from private
sources, to convene a blue-ribbon panel, comprised of at least
13 members, to make legislative recommendations to improve
services for unpaid and family caregivers in California, as
provided. The bill would have required the committee to prepare
a report of its findings and recommendations and provide it to
the Legislature on or before July 1, 2016. This bill was vetoed
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<2> https://caregiver.org/californias-caregiver-resource-centers
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by the Governor with the following veto message:
To the Members of the California State Assembly:
I am returning Assembly Bill 1744 without my signature.
The bill would require the California Department of Aging
to establish and support a 13-member blue ribbon task force
on unpaid family caregiving, using only non-state funds
from private sources.
The California State Plan on Aging, the California Plan for
Alzheimer's Disease, the significant reports and action
plans developed by the 33 Area Agencies on Aging, the
Alzheimer's Association, the AARP and so many others have
produced ample evidence for knowledgeable and caring people
to recommend ways to improve support for family caregivers.
Establishing another task force in state law simply isn't
necessary.
Sincerely,
Edmund G. Brown Jr.
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AB 753 (Lowenthal, Chapter 708, Statutes of 2013) requires the
Department of Health Care Services to contract directly with
nonprofit caregiver resource centers (CRCs) to provide direct
services to caregivers of cognitively impaired adults, including
specialized information, family consultation, respite care,
short-term counseling, and support groups.
AB 491 (Alquist, Chapter 339, Statutes of 2008) requires the
California Department of Public Health to establish an
Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Advisory Committee,
appoint members, and develop recommendations about various
policy issues related to Alzheimer's disease.
COMMENTS
Staff recommends be amended to include a conflict of interest
provision related to the acceptance of private funds and to
clarify that members shall receive reimbursement for travel and
other necessary expenses, to the extent that private funds are
available.
Page 4, lines 19-25:
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,
as long as that support would not pose any conflict of interest .
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
Page 4, lines 36-39:
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, to the extent that private funds are
available.
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PRIOR VOTES
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|Assembly Floor: |Voice|
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|Assembly Appropriations Committee: | |
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|Assembly Aging and Long Term Care Committee: |7 - |
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POSITIONS
Support:
AARP (Sponsor)
Association of California Caregiver Resource Centers
(Co-sponsor)
Alzheimer's Association
California Association for Adult Day Services
California Commission on Aging
California Senior Legislature
National Association of Social Workers, California Chapter
SEIU California
United Domestic Workers of America
Oppose:
None received.
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