CALA News & Views | Issue 54 | Impact

Defending Senior Care

Several bills were introduced this year that specifically dealt with RCFEs. Unfortunately, these bills would not have benefited residents. CALA worked to educate the authors on the outcomes their bills would actually have on Assisted Living residents and the negative impact they could have on capacity of Assisted Living statewide.

AB 508 (Aguiar-Curry) would have required RCFEs to advertise a daily average staffing ratio. This would be misleading to prospective residents because it does not reflect the services they will receive but is instead an average of all care provided to all residents in the community at that time. CALA had the opportunity to take Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry on a tour of an Assisted Living community in her district where she saw firsthand the interactive care each resident is given. The bill was defeated.

SB 433 (Wahab) would have initially implemented price caps on Assisted Living services for providers who participate in the Medi-Cal Assisted Living programs. CALA opposed this and worked closely with the author and sponsors to secure amendments that removed rent control language, thus removing our opposition. The bill did not end up moving forward, but CALA will continue to advocate for a sustainable and accessible program for providers who participate in the Medi-Cal Assisted Living programs and for individuals who benefit from these services. SB 434 (Wahab) would have further delayed the process of moving a resident out of an RCFE when the community is no longer the appropriate place for the resident’s needs to be met. CALA worked closely with committee members and staff to show the negative impacts this bill would have on the other residents of a community who would be negatively affected by new rules around extended evictions. The bill was stopped. SB 435 (Wahab) would have required RCFEs to have permanently installed generators or another source of onsite backup power that lasts 72 hours. CALA has been a leader in promoting strong emergency preparedness, including planning, training, drills, sharing successful practices and collaborating on workable solutions for emergency situations. Unfortunately, this bill would have created an impossible standard for RCFEs to meet, ultimately threatening the growth of capacity in Assisted Living that California needs as part of a continuum of care to address the needs of a quickly growing aging population. This bill would have also put major financial pressure on residents, as the cost to install backup power would have inevitably resulted in higher costs.