A Wrap on the 2026 Legislative Cycle

In a budget and legislative cycle that was often more focused on defense (preventing program cuts), than expansion and innovation, there are still plenty of wins to celebrate for caregivers in California.

Another type of leave, bereavement leave, will soon be available after the loss of a close friend or extended family members, as part of our multi-year campaign to ensure that all types of caregiving relationships are acknowledged in state work-leave policies. The passing of SB 1149 means that starting January 1, 2027, employees will be able to take 5 job-protected days off. Read the read the press release featuring quotes from cosponsors, including the California Coalition on Family Caregiving, which is co-led by Family Caregiver Alliance.

Youth Caregivers will receive more acknowledgement and support for their role in caregiving through California high schools, including career-training credit, thanks to the passing of AB 2324 (Jeff Gonzalez): Vocational education: Youth Caregivers Career Pathway program.

Thanks to SB 950 Health Care Coverage: Dementia (Weber Pierson), state regulated health insurance plans will be required to cover FDA-approved treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and other conditions affecting memory, without needing to try older treatment options first. This prevents a practice known as step therapy, which wasted precious time.

SB 1261 Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC) program (Laird) goes into effect immediately to preserve the operation of existing ADRC programs, when one of the two required co-operators, Area Agencies on Aging and Centers for Independent Living, is undergoing a transition. This prevents the closure of the Santa Barbara ADRC, as well as any other ADRCs that are in this situation in the future.

SB 991 Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly: Categorization of Citations (Menjivar) passing means that the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) will post more specific and public facing categorizations of substantiated citations for abuse and neglect in Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly. This will improve transparency and accountability, and empower families to make more informed care decisions.

The passing of AB 280 Health Care Coverage: Provider Directories (Aguiar-Curry) will help address inaccuracies in insurance plan directions that list which providers are covered, which will save caregivers time and money!

The one bill that we supported that was not successful this year was AB 2081 Medi-Cal Home and Community-Based Alternative Waiver (Stefani), which was intended to expand the number of waivers and who gets them in a heavily wait-listed system. The bill was vetoed by the Governor, citing cost.

We look forward to seeing what additional progress we can make as a state and community in 2027!