By Will require mandated reporters to follow a single, simplified reporting process, and also require reports of abuse or neglect to be reported sooner than under the current system (e.g., 24 hours vs. 2 working days). Would ensure that criminal acts are reported to law enforcement first. This bill will ensure that residents of long-term care facilities have the same protections against elder abuse as persons who reside in their own homes.
AB 1387 (Ting & Weiner): In-Home Supportive Services: Provider Shortage
Would require the Department of Health Care Services to establish a grant-based program to support outreach and education to encourage immigrants to become in-home supportive services (IHSS) providers, contingent upon an appropriation by the Legislature for that purpose. Status: Referred to Committee on Human Services. Will be heard 4/18/23.
AB 1085 (Maienschein): Medi-Cal: Housing Support Services
This bill would require the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to seek federal approval to make housing support services a Medi-Cal benefit. Status: Re-referred to Committee on Appropriations Read CANHR’s Support Letter.
AB 751 (Schiavo): Elder Abuse
The bill would codify existing law requiring most local law enforcement agencies to adopt a detailed, specific policy providing much better protection to the 8.5 million older adult Californians and to the 9 million California children and adults with disabilities. Status: Ordered to Consent Calendar. May be heard 4/19/23. Read CANHR’s Support Letter.
AB 486 (Kalra): Long-Term Health Facilities: Citation Appeals
This bill would provide a more consistent framework for the appeals process across regulatory citations for long-term care facilities in California. This would reduce the burden on our superior court system and save judicial resources and taxpayer money. Furthermore, it would streamline and improve a process that is designed to hold negligent facilities (i.e., nursing homes) accountable.
SB 278 (Dodd): Elder Abuse
SB 278 will strengthen California’s elder financial abuse protections by clarifying current language in statutes governing elder financial abuse under Welfare & Institutions Code §15610.30. Status: Will be heard 4/19/23. Read CANHR’s Support Letter
SB 311 (Eggman): Medi-Cal Part A Buy-In
SB 311 would require the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to submit a State Plan Amendment for California to become a Part A Buy-In State. SB 311 would benefit low-income older Californians and persons with disabilities, who rely on Medicare and Medi-Cal but struggle to pay costly Medicare Part A premiums, by simplifying the enrollment process for financial assistance.
AB 488 (Nguyen): Medi-Cal: skilled nursing facilities: vision loss
Using the Workforce and Quality Incentive Program, under which a skilled nursing facility provides services to a Medi-Cal managed care enrollee, AB 488 would require that the program includes staff training and general facility improvements aimed at addressing the needs of skilled nursing facility residents with vision loss. This would include modifying facility registration documents, menus, activities, announcements, schedules and a variety of other materials that are seldom found in large print.
Oppose SB-43: Chair, Senate Health Committee
The organizations submitting this letter advance and protect the rights of Californians living with mental health disabilities. We advocate for voluntary, community-based treatment and services and the expansion of choices, rights, and liberties for people living with mental health disabilities.
Support SB-311: Chairperson, Senate Health Committee
SB 311 would require the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to submit a State Plan Amendment for California to become a Part A Buy-In State. SB 311 would benefit low-income older Californians and persons with disabilities, who rely on Medicare and Medi-Cal but struggle to pay costly Medicare Part A premiums, by simplifying the enrollment process for financial assistance.
Support AB-1309: Chairperson, Assembly Committee on Aging & Long-Term Care
California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (CANHR) is proud to sponsor and support AB 1309, a bill that would curtail the epidemic of unsafe evictions from California nursing homes.
Support AB-48: Chairperson, Assembly Health Committee
Despite dangerous side effects, condemnation by care providers, and a decade-long national and state campaign to reduce the inappropriate use of psychotropic drugs in nursing homes, the U.S. Office of Inspector General recently found that 80% of long-stay nursing home residents are receiving psychotropic drugs. A big reason why so many residents are drugged is that they are never given information about the risks, benefits, and alternatives to psychotropic drugs and the choice to refuse them.
Support AB-1085: Chair, Assembly Committee on Health
As a next step toward offering meaningful, person-centered health care to people experiencinghomelessness, AB 1085 (Maienschein) would require DHCS to seek federal approval for a Medi-Cal housing support services benefit in 2024. Setting a deadline will drive plans to develop theircapacity and providers to participate, improve health outcomes among Californians experiencinghomelessness, reduce homelessness, standardize eligibility, and draw down millions of federaldollars that we are currently not accessing.
Support AB-751: Author
Due to inadequate training and policy guidance, police all too often don’t know how best toprevent, report and respond to major crimes against seniors and people with disabilities.AB 751 will finally change that, by requiring every local police and sheriff’s department to adopta specific, detailed senior and disability victimization policy guiding officers and spelling out anofficer training schedule.
Support SB-525: Chair, Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee
Quality patient care requires strong staffing levels. SB 525 (Durazo) will bolster efforts to fill the hugeshortage of healthcare workers our state is facing by ensuring that health care workers are fairlycompensated. By setting a $25/hour minimum wage we can attract the workers we need to ensure we do not see a decline in quality of care for communities across California.
Support AB-979: Chair, Assembly Committee on Aging & Long-Term Care
AB 979 modernizes existing family council laws, so that members can meet and communicateelectronically and continue to operate during a public health emergency. The bill also ensures thatfacilities will be more responsive to concerns raised by family councils, discourages operatorsfrom undermining family council activities, and clarifies that control of the family councilmembership and participation in meetings lies with the family council itself.
AB-488 Fact Sheet
Using the Workforce and Quality Incentive Program, under which a skilled nursing facility provides services to a Medi-Cal managed care enrollee, AB 488 would require that the program includes staff training and general facility improvements aimed at addressing the needs of skilled nursing facility residents with vision loss.
Support SB-278: Chairperson, Senate Banking and Financial Institutions
SB 278 will strengthen California’s elder financial abuse protections by clarifying current language in statutes governing elder financial abuse under Welfare & Institutions Code §15610.30.
AB-1309 Fact Sheet
Nursing home evictions are typically haphazard, inappropriate, and dangerous. When residents’ lucrative Medicare coverage ends, often days or weeks after their admission, facilities have enormous financial incentives to evict them in favor of new residents with fresh Medicare coverage. Evictions are closely tied to profitability which is why residents are often sent home with inadequate care or to motels or homeless shelters.
AB-979 Fact Sheet
Family councils are organized groups of family members and friends of long term care facility residents who meet regularly to share information and discuss concerns about quality of care in the facility. Family councils are critically important to supporting family members and residents and to maintaining high quality of care in long term care facilities.