State Legislation, Policy & Reports

New York: Paid Family Leave Legislation Passes Assembly

A New York paid family leave bill (A. 9245) passed the Assembly on June 22, 2007, five days after it was introduced. The legislation, first proposed by Governor Eliot Spitzer and similar to S. 5821 in the Senate, would expand the state's workers' compensation program to allow employees to take time off to care for an ill family member, including a child, spouse, domestic partner, parent, parent-in-law or grandchild, or to bond with a new child. This paid family leave policy would be funded by employees, who would pay an additional 45 cents a week from their paycheck, and it would allow them to take up to twelve weeks off with up to $170 a week in wages. The bill was not debated in the Senate, which has adjourned for the year, leaving it unclear if the bill will move forward. For more information, visit:

New York Legislature

Oregon: House Passes, Senate Rejects Paid Family Leave Legislation

While the Oregon House passed paid family leave legislation (H.B. 2575) on June 25, 2007, the Senate voted down the measure two days later with a vote of 13-16. The bill would have created a Family Leave Benefits Insurance program for workers taking leave to care for an ill family member, including a child, spouse, parent, or parent-in-law, to bond with a new child, or because they have a serious health condition. Full-time workers on leave would receive $250 a week for up to six weeks. The new insurance program would be funded by a one cent per hour deduction from employees' paychecks. The bill would have allowed the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries to require certification from a health care provider showing proof of illness. For more information, visit:

Oregon Legislature
Oregonian

Federal Legislation, Policy & Reports

Family Leave Insurance Act Introduced

On June 21, 2007, Senators Christopher Dodd (D-CT) and Ted Stevens (R-AK) introduced the Family Leave Insurance Act of 2007 (S. 1681), which would establish a Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program. The program would provide up to eight weeks of paid leave to workers needing time off due to the birth or adoption of a child, to care for a child, spouse or parent with a serious illness or to care for their own serious illness. Employers would pay their employees on leave and then be reimbursed from an insurance fund established within the Department of Labor. It would be funded by employers and employees, who would pay a premium equivalent to 0.2% of each employee's earnings, as well as by the federal government. Employees who make less than $20,000 a year would get paid 100% of their pay during their leave period; those earning between $20,000 and $30,000 a year would receive at least 75% of their pay; those earning between $30,000 and $60,000 a year would receive at least 55% of their pay; those earning between $60,000 and $97,000 a year would receive at least 40% of their pay; and those earning more would receive the same as someone who earns $97,000. Businesses with 50 or more employees would be required to participate in the program, while small businesses could choose to opt in. For more information, visit:

Thomas

Senate Committee Approves $58.6 Million Increase for Administration on Aging, Level Funding for National Family Caregiver Support Program

On June 21, 2007, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations legislation for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 (S. 1710), which includes funding for the National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP) and all other Older Americans Act (OAA) programs. The legislation would increase 2008 funding for the Administration on Aging (AoA), which administers the OAA, by $58.6 million, or about 4.2% over the current year, bringing AoA's budget to a total of $1.44 billion. The House Appropriations Subcommittee has proposed total funding of $1.41 billion, a 2.3% increase over the current year, while the Bush Administration has proposed cutting funding for OAA programs by $47.9 million. Both the House and Senate versions of the bill would provide level funding of $156 million for the NFCSP. Like the House proposal, there was no funding provided in the appropriations bill for programs created by the Lifespan Respite Care Act, signed into law in December 2006. For more information, visit:

Thomas

New Online Resource Features Older Americans Act Provisions

The U.S. Administration on Aging (AoA) has created an online AoA Gateway that includes information about new provisions of the Older Americans Act (OAA), created by amendments to the Act in 2006. The Gateway includes a summary of new provisions in the Act, the statutory text for each new provision, frequently asked questions, and links to technical assistance resources. For more information, visit:

AoA Gateway

International News

Australia: Carers Receive One-Time Payments of $1000 ($844 US)

The Australian Associated Press reported that the federal government kept a promise made during the May budget process and provided one-time payments to two million seniors and carers in June 2007. Family carers who receive Australia's carers' payment or the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) carer service pension each received an extra $1000 ($844 US), costing the government about $1.7 billion ($1.46 billion US). For more information, visit:

Australian Associated Press

Italy: Older Adults Increasingly Rely on Hired Help over Family Caregivers

Associated Press reporter Frances D'emilio wrote a story on Italy's trend toward fewer children and increased reliance on direct care workers to provide care to the country's aging population. The article, "As families shrink, Italy's elderly turn to foreigners and nuns for caregiving, companionship," explains that in a country with fewer adult children than ever before to care for the growing number of aging adults, many of Italy's older adults are hiring immigrants or turning to nuns for personal care. Despite long-held cultural values of caring for one's parents as they age, demographic changes have made it unrealistic to assume that older adults can rely solely on family caregivers for their care. Italy also has few assisted living or other residential facilities for the elderly. For more information, visit:

San Diego Union-Tribune

Research Reports & Journal Articles

AARP Releases Reports on Economic Value of Caregiving

In June 2007, the AARP Public Policy Institute released an issue brief and a data digest with new state-by-state data on caregiving prevalence and its economic value. The two papers, called "Valuing the Invaluable" by Mary Jo Gibson and Ari Houser, report that there are between 30 and 38 million family or other informal caregivers in the U.S., based on a compilation of different studies, and that this care was valued about $350 billion in 2006. That economic value is more than the total expenditure for Medicare in 2005 ($342 billion) or the total spending for Medicaid, including federal and state contributions, in 2005 ($300 billion). At the state level, the economic value of caregiving ranges from 1.4 to 10 times Medicaid spending for long-term care (LTC). For more information, visit:

AARP

Issue Brief Examines Real Choice Systems Change Grants

On May 30, 2007, the National Health Policy Forum released an issue brief called "Trading Places: Real Choice Systems Change Grants and the Movement to Community-Based Long-Term Care Supports." It provides information about Real Choice Systems Change Grants, including what state Medicaid agencies have done to transform their institutionally-based systems to long-term care systems more focused on integrated community settings. The paper also reports on some of the qualitative and quantitative responses to the policy changes and raises critical policy questions related to public spending for long-term care in different settings. The issue brief highlights many of the Systems Change Grants' focus areas, such as consumer direction and recruitment and training of direct services workers, which have implications for family caregivers. For more information, visit:

National Health Policy Forum

Conferences & Trainings

Webcast Summit on Chronic Care Management July 17

Intel is hosting a webcast summit to explore solutions for the management of chronic conditions and aging. The summit, "Chronic Care at the Crossroads," will feature three panels of health care experts and business leaders discussing the impact of aging and chronic disease on the next generation, current trends and challenges, and innovations for the future. The webcast will be held on July 17, 2007 from 9:30 a.m - 12:00 p.m (ET) and registration is required. For more information, visit:

Chronic Care at the Crossroads

Annual Alzheimer's Association Dementia Care Conference August 26-29

The 15th Annual Alzheimer's Association Dementia Care Conference will be held August 26-29, 2007 in Chicago, Illinois. The conference will provide direct care workers, nurses, activity specialists, supervisors and other care professionals with tools and information that can be incorporated into their everyday work, as well as an opportunity to connect with other care professionals from around the country. For more information, visit:

Alzheimer's Association

Funding, Media & Miscellaneous

USA Today, ABC News Cover a Host of Family Caregiver Issues

Between June 25 - 29, 2007, USA Today ran twenty articles that featured family caregivers' personal stories and highlighted a range of issues related to caregiving, including financial matters, caregiver burden and stress, balancing work and caregiving, legal issues and the various types of community and residential care. Family Cargiver Alliance's Program Director, Donna Schempp, and Communications Manager, Bonnie Lawrence, were quoted in various articles discussing the challenges caregivers face and the types of support they need. ABC News also broadcast stories related to employers helping working caregivers, devices that help seniors stay independent and one family's struggle with Alzheimer's disease. For more information, visit:

USA Today
ABC News

New York Times Article Highlights Problems with HIPPA

On July 3, 2007, reporter Jane Gross wrote a story for the New York Times, "Keeping Patients' Details Private, Even from Kin," which highlighted the challenges many family caregivers face when trying to get health information about an ill family member from medical professionals. Many nurses, hospital staff, doctor's office receptionists and other health care providers are afraid to break the federal health privacy law, known as HIPPA, and so they often withhold important health information from family members, claiming the law prevents them from sharing anything. Yet, the article points out that, in most cases, HIPPA does not prohibit health care providers from sharing this information, and it articulates the need for more guidance and greater clarity in the law. For more information, visit:

New York Times

AoA to Announce Funding Opportunity: Alzheimer's Disease Demonstration Grants

The Administration on Aging (AoA) will announce an opportunity for 6-8 grant awards intended to demonstrate how existing evidence-based service delivery research programs that specifically target persons with dementia or their caregivers can be translated into useful programs administered at the community level. These grants will run for 18 months. Applications will be sought from state agencies that will be expected to partner with key community organizations in the design, implementation, and evaluation of their project. Maximum federal funding will be $250,000 with a 25% non-federal match required. This Program Announcement should be available no later than July 15, 2007, and applications will be due within 30 days of the announcement date. For more information, visit:

Administration on Aging