Advocacy

Family Caregiver Alliance advocates to improve the quality of life for family caregivers and the people who receive their care by:

Arranging educational meetings with elected officials
Submitting public comments and expert testimony
Sharing policy information and advocacy action opportunities with caregivers
Circulating petitions
Writing letters of support

FCA’s advocacy is informed by caregiver experience and data, including our yearly evaluation of caregiver services and supports from CareNav, our secure, online, record system.

2023 Policy Positions

FCA supports the following proposed bills this legislative cycle:

AB 524 (Wicks) Discrimination Family Caregiver Status this bill adds family caregiver status as a protected class under the existing CA Fair Employment and Housing Act, meaning a caregiver could not be discriminated against or treated worse at work because of their status as a family caregiver.
AB 518 (Wicks)- Paid Family Leave for a Designated Person 
AB 518 expands who caregivers can take paid family leave to care for to include extended and chosen family. Right now, qualifying family members only include a child, parent, parent-in-law, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, spouse, or registered domestic partner, but this is not representative of all California families and caregiving relationships.
SB 616 (Gonzalez)- Sick Days: paid accrual and use– SB 616 would increase the minimum number of paid sick and safe days that California workers can use for their own, or a designated person’s, illness from 3 days to 7 days. These days would allow a caregiver to stay home with an ill care recipient without having to make the impossible choice between providing care and getting paid. Paid sick days also offer flexibility in case of an emergency, such as if a care recipient wanders or a paid caregiver doesn’t show up.
AB 575 (Papan) Paid Family Leave– AB 575 would delete the requirement that a care provider certify that no other family member could provide care at the same time in order to qualify for Paid Family Leave (PFL) benefits, and remove the provision of PFL that allows employers to require employees to use 2 weeks of accrued vacation before they can receive PFL benefits.
SB 311 (Eggman) Medi-Cal Part A Buy-In– This bill would require California to become a Medicare Part A buy-in state and streamline payment of Part A premiums under the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) program. As a Part A buy-in state, California could directly enroll qualifying individuals into Medicare Part A and the QMB program anytime of the year. The Part A late enrollment penalties would also be waived for QMB enrollees.
AB 1417 (Wood) Elder and dependent adult abuse: mandated reporting – this bill simplifies the process of reporting abuse of elders and dependent adults residing in long-term care facilities.
AB 1387 (Ting) In Home Supportive Services Program: Provider Shortage Grant Based Outreach Program– AB 1387 would develop a policy permitting undocumented IHSS recipients to select their undocumented relative as their IHSS provider of choice to help address the IHSS provider shortage. This bill would also establish a grant-based program administered by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) to facilitate outreach and education for immigrants to become IHSS providers.
Status: no longer active

FCA Advocacy Efforts

Family Caregiver Alliance is a co-convener of the California Coalition on Family Caregiving (CaCFC). The California Coalition on Family Caregiving advocates for California policies and services that support diverse unpaid family caregivers and their care recipient(s). Visit the California Coalition on Family Caregiving website to learn more and become a coalition member.

2022 Budget Augmentation
Outcome: California Governor Signs $308 billion 22-23 State Budget

2019 Budget Augmentation:
Outcome: California Governor Gavin Newsom has APPROVED our ask to expand and improve services for family caregivers across the state of California!