2018 -- S 2553 AS AMENDED

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2018

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES - FAMILY CAREGIVERS SUPPORT ACT OF 2013

     

     Introduced By: Senator Maryellen Goodwin

     Date Introduced: March 01, 2018

     Referred To: Senate Health & Human Services

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Sections 40-8.11-1 and 40-8.11-3 of the General Laws in Chapter 40-8.11

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entitled "Family Caregivers Support Act of 2013" are hereby amended to read as follows:

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     40-8.11-1. Findings.

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     (a) Family members, partners and close friends provide the vast majority of long-term

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services and supports.

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     (b) An estimated one hundred and forty-eight thousand (148,000) persons in Rhode

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Island are providing care at any one time to persons living in the community. The estimated value

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of their unpaid contributions in 2009 was one billion eight hundred eighty million dollars

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($1,880,000,000).

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     (c) Family or other caregivers who provide the majority of care in the home are

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frequently under substantial physical, psychological, and financial stress. The stress, if unrelieved

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by support for the caregiver, may lead to premature or unnecessary nursing home and institutional

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placement and health and financial burdens for the caregiver.

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     (d) Respite care and other community-based supportive services for the family caregiver

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can relive some of the stresses faced by caregivers, maintain and strengthen the family structure,

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postpone or prevent institutionalization and lead to better outcomes for both the caregiver and

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care recipient.

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     (e) The percent of Rhode Islanders age sixty-five (65) years of age and older is projected

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to grow from fourteen percent (14%) of the state population in 2010 to twenty-one percent (21%)

 

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by 2030. As persons age, they have greater dependency needs and an increased need for long-

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term care services and support. Younger people with disabilities also require continued

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supportive long-term care services as they age.

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     (f) As informal caregivers and families are a vital part of the long-term care services and

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support system, it is an important public purpose to recognize and respect their contributions, and

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to assess and support their needs, and to provide them with counseling, education, and support

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services.

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     40-8.11-3. Caregiver assessment requirement.

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     (a) The comprehensive assessment required in subsection 40-8.10-4(b) as part of

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Medicaid long-term service reform shall also include a caregiver assessment whenever the plan of

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care depends on a family caregiver for providing assistance with activities of daily living or

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instrumental activities of daily living needs. The assessment shall be used to develop a plan of

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care that recognizes both needs of the care recipient and the caregiver. The assessment shall also

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serve as the basis for development and provision of an appropriate plan for caregiver information,

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education and training, referral and support services. Information about available respite

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programs, caregiver training and education programs, support groups and community support

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services shall be included as part of the caregiver support plan. To implement the caregiver

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assessment, the executive office of health and human services shall adopt evidenced-based

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caregiver assessments and referral tools appropriate to the departments within the office that

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provide long-term care services and support.

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     (b) The executive office of health and human services shall develop annual reports to

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track data on the number of caregiver assessments conducted, the identified needs of caregivers to

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include both met and unmet needs, and referrals made for education, respite and other support

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services. The reports shall be provided to the chairs of the house and senate finance committees

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as part of annual budget hearings and the chair of the long-term care coordinating council and

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posted on the executive office of human services website.

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     SECTION 2. Chapter 40-8.11 of the General Laws entitled "Family Caregivers Support

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Act of 2013" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:

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     40-8.11-4. Caregiver support services.

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     To promote the state’s rebalancing goals for long-term supports and services, to promote

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consumer choice of care settings, and to enhance support for unpaid family caregivers, the

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executive office of health and human services is authorized to seek Medicaid section 1115 waiver

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for state-plan amendments to provide family caregiver support services to include respite,

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evidenced-based caregiver support programs, and caregiver education and training for family

 

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caregivers of persons enrolled in Medicaid long-term supports and services, and the division of

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elderly affairs home care program.

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     SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES - FAMILY CAREGIVERS SUPPORT ACT OF 2013

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     This act would require the department of health and human services to seek Medicaid

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section 1115 waivers to provide caregiver support services for family caregivers, and would

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provide for the creation by the department of annual reports to track the number of caregiver

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assessments given by the department.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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