BILL NUMBER: ACR 38INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Brown (Coauthors: Assembly Members Calderon, Dodd, Lackey, Steinorth, and Waldron) (Coauthor: Senator Liu) FEBRUARY 27, 2015 Relative to unpaid family caregivers. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST ACR 38, as introduced, Brown. California Task Force on Family Caregiving. This measure would establish the California Task Force on Family Caregiving, to 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. 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 Resolved, That the task force shall meet every other month; and be it further 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.