BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  SB 950
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   August 4, 2010

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

                    SB 950 (Wiggins) - As Amended:  June 29, 2010 

          Policy Committee:                              Veterans  
          AffairsVote:   9-0 (Consent)
                        Judiciary                             10-0  
          (Consent)

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable: No

           SUMMARY  

          This bill expands and clarifies the information that the  
          administrator of a California veterans home must provide to a  
          veteran upon his or her admission to a home regarding costs of  
          care that may be incurred in excess of the member's contribution  
          fee. Specifically, this bill: 

          1)Requires the admission information to include the terms and  
            conditions under which member fees and costs can be changed.

          2)Requires the notification provided to veterans to be written  
            in plain language and to require a signature of the veteran  
            acknowledging the he or she has read and understands the  
            information.

          3)Requires a copy of the notification to be conspicuously posted  
            in each veterans' home

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Any costs to the California Department of Veterans Affairs  
          (CDVA) will be minor and absorbable.

           COMMENTS  

           Purpose  . According to the author, this bill is intended to  
          address the problem of insufficient notice of key terms and  
          conditions of residence in veterans' homes, particularly those  
          that could result in increased fees being charged to a member  








                                                                  SB 950
                                                                  Page  2

          veteran unbeknownst to the veteran, or after the veteran dies,  
          charged to the veteran's family. The author's office reports  
          receiving many complaints from the Yountville Veterans Home  
          after the 2009-10 Budget Act included a change in fees and  
          charges to current residents, and the lack of information  
          relevant to such changes in their original contracts.

           Analysis Prepared by  :    Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081