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.
Contact Your Representative about CA State Caregiving Bills
2024 Policy Positions
FCA supports the following proposed bills this legislative cycle:
California
- AB-2428 Medi-Cal: Community Based-Adult Services (Calderon) This bill would create a Medi-Cal rate floor for adult day programs. Many Adult Day programs are struggling financially. Between May 2022 and April 2023, five centers closed, resulting in two additional counties (Marin, San Joaquin) that now have no centers. Adult day programs provide critical health and social support for older adults, respite to family caregivers, and are less expensive than home health aides and residential care options.
Sponsor: California Association of Adult Day Services (CAADs) - AB 518- Paid Family Leave for Chosen and Extended Family (Wicks) This bill would expand Paid Family Leave to cover care for a “designated person,” who can be a chosen or extended family member.
- AB-3079 In-Home Supportive Services program: undocumented related provider (Ting) To help address the provider crisis, this bill would develop a policy permitting undocumented IHSS recipients to select their undocumented relative as their IHSS provider of choice. These providers would give their Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), in lieu of a Social Security Number, in completing employment documentation.
Sponsor: City and County of San Francisco - AB-2541 Peace officer training: wandering (Bains) Directs the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) to develop guidelines for law enforcement addressing wandering associated with Alzheimer’s disease, autism, and dementia. POST will bring subject matter experts representing law enforcement agencies, the Department of Justice, Missing and Unidentified Persons Section, organizations with expertise in autism and wandering, organizations with expertise in Alzheimer’s disease and dementia and wandering, emergency management services agencies, regional centers, and public transit agencies in the development of the guidelines.
Sponsors: Alzheimer’s LA, Alzheimer’s Orange County, Alzheimer’s San Diego - SB 1090 Early Application for Paid Family Leave and Disability Insurance Benefits (Durazo) Currently, California workers must wait until they are already on unpaid leave before they can begin the process of applying for Paid Family Leave or State Disability Insurance benefits. SB 1090 (Durazo) would allow California workers to apply for Paid Family Leave and State Disability Insurance benefits up to 30 days before they are on leave. As a result, workers will be able to get confirmation of their eligibility and benefit amount before starting their leave, and receive benefits sooner.
Sponsor: Legal Aid at Work - AB 2123 Allow Workers to Access Paid Family Leave Without Having to Use Accrued Vacation Time First (Papan) Currently, employers are allowed to require employees to use up to two weeks of accrued vacation before receiving Paid Family Leave benefits. AB 2123 would remove that provision of the law, so employees can access the Paid Family Leave benefits they pay for when they need them.
Sponsor: Legal Aid at Work - AB 2075 Resident-Designated Support Persons Act (Alvarez) Codifies recommendations of the Long Term Care Visitation Access Workgroup. AB 2075 would provide a resident of a long-term care facility with the right to in-person, onsite access to a designated support person or a health care and social services provider during a public health emergency in which visitation rights of residents are curtailed by a state or local order.
Sponsor: California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (CANHR)
Federal Bills
- Credit for Caring Act
- Connecting Caregivers to Medicare Act
- PACE Part D Choice Act
- Family Caregiver Demonstration Center in Older Americans Act
- Support for the creation of an Office of Caregiver Health
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!