BILL NUMBER: S603

SPONSOR: CLEARE
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the elder law, in relation to requiring an annual report
on individuals who are the primary caregiver for an older adult

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

To require the State Office for the Aging (SOFA) to include in their
annual report to the Governor and Legislature a report on individuals
who are the primary caregiver for an older adult

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section one amends subdivision 3 of section 213 of the elder law by
requiring SOFA to report on: the number of individuals who are primary
caregivers, the average age of a primary caregiver, the estimated cost
to provide care and the savings to the state for such services.

Section two provides the effective date.
              

 
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ORIGINAL AND AMENDED VERSION ( IF APPLICABLE):

Not applicable.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

According to AARP, in 2017, about 2.5 million family caregivers provided
an estimated 2.1 billion hours of unpaid care - worth a staggering $31
billion - to their parents, spouses, partners, and friends. Family care-
givers spend, on average, nearly 20% of their income on caregiving
activities - this number is closer to 34% for families of color. The
Challenges of older adult family caregiving continue to arise with the
pandemic as cost of services increase.  This bill would require the
state to review and obtain data on caregivers in an effort to combat the
older adult caregiving crisis in the state.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.