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AB-2685 Older individuals: case management services.(2023-2024)

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Date Published: 04/08/2024 09:00 PM
AB2685:v98#DOCUMENT

Amended  IN  Assembly  April 08, 2024

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 2685

Introduced by Assembly Member Ortega

February 14, 2024

An act to add and repeal Chapter 8.5 (commencing with Section 9580) of Division 8.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to aging.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 2685, as amended, Ortega. Older individuals: case management services.
Existing law requires the California Department of Aging to administer the Mello-Granlund Older Californians Act, which establishes various programs that serve older individuals, defined as persons 60 years of age or older except as specified. The act requires the department to designate various private nonprofit or public agencies as area agencies on aging to work within a planning and service area and provide a broad array of social and nutritional services. Under the act, the department’s mission is to provide leadership to those agencies in developing systems of home- and community-based services that maintain individuals in their own homes or least restrictive homelike environments.
This bill would, until January 1, 2031, and subject to an appropriation, require the department to establish a case management services pilot program. Under the bill, the purpose of the program demonstration project in up to 4 counties located in varying regions of the state, based on a process of selection by the department and voluntary participation by the selected counties. Under the bill, the purpose of the project would be to expand statewide the local capacity of supportive services programs by providing case management services to older individuals who need assistance to maintain health and economic stability. The bill would require the Counties of Alameda, Marin, and Sonoma to participate in the pilot program.
The bill would require an area agency on aging corresponding to a participating county to assume the lead role in coordination with county agencies and local partner organizations within the county, as appropriate, and would authorize the area agency on aging to deliver the services directly or through coordination, as specified.
The bill would require the 3 counties to coordinate with their respective area agencies on aging or other county- or community-based entities to deliver the services. The bill would also require those participating counties to measure performance outcomes during the course of implementing the program. project. The bill would require those counties, the participating area agencies on aging, on an annual basis, for the first 5 years during which an appropriation is made, to submit reports to the department containing data on the performance outcomes, in order to determine program project efficacy and to inform and shape solutions under a master plan for aging that has been established pursuant to a specified executive order. By creating new duties for the 3 counties relating to participation in the pilot program, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Counties of Alameda, Marin, and Sonoma.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: YESNO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 Chapter 8.5 (commencing with Section 9580) is added to Division 8.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read:
CHAPTER  8.5. Case Management Services Demonstration Project

9580.
 The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) Case management services help older individuals with complex issues to navigate financial, housing, and care issues and to implement solutions.
(b) Together, these These services are powerfully effective at improving health outcomes and preventing crises.
(c) Case management services focus on the social determinants of health and help older individuals to set a plan for stability.
(d) Demonstrating the effectiveness of providing dedicated state funding for case management services for older individuals is a worthy pursuit that can inform and shape solutions under the master plan for aging described in Section 9850 and future funding decisions in the annual Budget Act of this state.

9581.
 (a) (1) Subject to an appropriation made for the express purpose of implementing this section, the department shall establish a case management services pilot program. The purpose of the program shall demonstration project in up to four counties located in varying regions of the state, based on a process of selection by the department and voluntary participation by the selected counties.
(2)  The area agency on aging corresponding to a participating county shall assume the lead role in coordination with county agencies and local partner organizations within the county, as appropriate.
(3) The purpose of the demonstration project shall be to expand statewide the local capacity of supportive services programs under this division by providing case management services to older individuals, as defined in Section 9018, who need assistance to maintain health and economic stability.

(b)The Counties of Alameda, Marin, and Sonoma shall participate in the pilot program described in subdivision (a).

(c)The three counties participating in the pilot program shall coordinate with their respective area agencies on aging or other county- or community-based entities to deliver the case management services.

(b) Only counties with area agencies on aging that have an existing case management program may participate in the demonstration project described in subdivision (a).
(c) The area agencies on aging in each participating county may deliver case management services directly, or coordinate with other county- or community-based entities to deliver those services, pursuant to the demonstration project.
(d) (1) The three participating counties shall measure performance outcomes during the course of implementing this section.
(2) On an annual basis, for the first five years during which an appropriation is made for implementing this section, the participating counties area agencies on aging shall submit reports to the department containing data on the performance outcomes, in order to determine the efficacy of the pilot program demonstration project and to inform and shape solutions under the master plan for aging described in Section 9850.

9582.
 This chapter shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2031, and as of that date is repealed.

SEC. 2.

The Legislature finds and declares that a special statute is necessary and that a general statute cannot be made applicable within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California Constitution because of the unique circumstances of the Counties of Alameda, Marin, and Sonoma with regard to those counties’ readiness to participate in the pilot program described in this act based on the counties’ programmatic and administrative infrastructure of case management services for older individuals.

SEC. 3.

If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.