BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 138
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CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB 138 (Beall)
As Amended August 15, 2011
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |51-27|(May 31, 2011) |SENATE: |23-14|(August 31, |
| | | | | |2011) |
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Original Committee Reference: AGING & L.T.C.
SUMMARY : Requires the California Department of Aging (CDA) and
Area Agencies on
Aging (AAA's) to utilize the Elder Economic Security Standard
Index (Elder Index), as defined, to specify the costs in the
private market of meeting the basic needs of elders in each
planning and service area, and identifies the number, or
percentage, of elders who are living at or below the Elder
Index.
The Senate amendments
1)Remove the requirement that directs the CDA use the Elder
Index to track the progress of participants in the
state-administered Senior and Community Service Employment
Program (SCSEP).
2)Remove the requirement that CDA and AAA's report the number of
elders living below the Elder Index security threshold.
3)Add intent language that CDA and AAA's utilize the Elder Index
as a planning tool in the development of local area plans, and
as a guide in allocating existing resources that support
senior services in communities.
4)Require the CDA and AAA's to utilize the Elder Index as a
reference when making decisions about allocating existing
resources, as long as the Elder Index is updated using county
specific information, and made available to AAA's in a format
that shows each county's data.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Establishes the federal Older Americans Act (OAA) which
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provides a national network of state units on aging and AAA's
to deliver home and community-based programs for older adults.
Programs include nutrition, transportation, information and
assistance, elder abuse prevention and caregiver support.
2)Establishes the Older Californians Act which provides
state-funded programs and services for older adults and people
living with disabilities.
3)Requires AAA's to conduct regular needs assessments in their
planning and service area to document the service needs of
older adults and adults with disabilities.
AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY , in addition to current language, this
bill required the CDA to use the Elder Index to track the
progress of participants in the state-administered Senior and
Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), as well as report
the number of seniors living below the index threshold.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Appropriations
Committee, although this bill states that the Elder Index should
be used by CDA and AAAs to guide decisions related to services
within existing resources, the Index currently available online
shows that the federal poverty level (FPL), as of 2007, covers
less than half of the basic costs experienced by older
California adults and that that gap is roughly $10,000 per
elder. Some believe that by referencing the Elder Index and
identifying the number of elders living at or below the Index,
this bill would imply that elder Californians are in need of
additional resources and programs. Thus, there could be unknown,
but significant, cost pressure. There are over 4.4 million
Californians aged 60 and up, of which about 10% live below the
poverty line.
COMMENTS : California has 33 AAA's that contract and support a
wide range of services designed to keep older adults and adults
with disabilities independent and in their own homes and
communities for as long as possible. To ensure that programs
and services funded by the AAA adequately serve the older adults
within each community, AAA's are required to conduct a needs
assessment every four years to document the service needs of
community residents and any gaps in the service network,
focusing on seniors in the "greatest social and economic need."
The needs assessment process typically includes a community-wide
survey, community meetings, and information received from
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stakeholders and key informants.
Federal poverty guidelines (FPG) and the Elder Index . Since
1965, there have been two slightly different versions of the
federal poverty measure - the FPG and the federal poverty
thresholds. The poverty thresholds are the original version of
the federal poverty measure and are updated by the Census Bureau
each year. The thresholds are used primarily for statistical
purposes. The FPG is issued each year in the Federal Register
and are a simplification of the poverty thresholds. They are
used for administrative purposes, including determining
financial eligibility for certain federal programs. The FPG is
sometimes loosely referred to as the federal poverty level. For
2011, an individual with an income below $10,890 is considered
impoverished using the FPG.
Analysis Prepared by : Robert MacLaughlin / AGING & L.T.C. /
(916) 319-3990
FN:
0002291