Requires a multi-agency study of the issues impacting the continuum of caregiving in the state; requires the submission of a report of the findings, conclusions and recommendations from such study to the governor and the legislature.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A4275
SPONSOR: Barrett (MS) TITLE OF BILL:
An act requiring a multi-agency study on the issues impacting the
continuum of caregiving in the state of New York
TITLE OF BILL:
An act requiring a multi-agency study on the issues impacting the
continuum of caregiving in the state of New York
PURPOSE OF THE BILL:
This bill will direct a multi-agency study to be conducted by the
commissioners of the Department of Health, the Office for the Aging, the
Office of Children and Family Services, the Office for People with
Developmental Disabilities, the Office of Mental Health, and the Depart-
ment of Labor to identify the various issues impacting formal and
informal caregivers to ultimately determine the best approach to address
the ever-increasing statewide continuum of caregiving workforce short-
age.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
§ 1- Directs the commissioners of the Department of Health, the Office
for the Aging, the Office of Children and Family Services, the Office
for People with Developmental Disabilities, the Office of Mental Health,
and the Department of Labor to conduct a study regarding the issues
impacting the continuum of caregiving workforce across the State of New
York.
§ 2- Within one year of the effective date of this act, the Commission-
ers shall submit a report of their findings, conclusions and recommenda-
tions to the Governor, the Temporary President of the Senate and the
Speaker of the Assembly.
JUSTIFICATION:
New York State continues to face an ever-increasing continuum of care-
giving workforce shortage. Caregiving - paid and unpaid -- is the
infrastructure that supports our families. The need runs across the
life-cycle from childcare (which has come to include school age children
learning remotely) to long term care for children and adults with
special needs to military spouses suddenly tasked with caring for an
injured veteran to attending to aging parents and eldercare.
Thus far, much of the actions taken to address the critical issues
surrounding the caregiving infrastructure, including the workforce shor-
tage, have been piecemeal. These individual and specifically targeted
"band aids" can no longer be relied on to respond to the needs of this
vital industry and the individuals, children and families that need
trained, qualified and appropriately paid people to provide their care.
While the need from childcare to eldercare has made headlines throughout
the COVED-19 pandemic, it has become especially acute in more rural
areas where greater distances, smaller workforce and poor transportation
options make the challenges even greater. Without a thoughtful multi-
pronged plan that breaks down the funding and programmatic silos of the
many state agencies that are involved in order to meet the caregiving
crisis head-on, the workforce shortage will worsen and further inflame
the existing battles over small pools of state money that pit childcare
against long term care against the development disabilities communities,
while still not addressing the needs of huge numbers of New York fami-
lies.
This study will require the review of the current workforce of paid
caregivers, an estimate of the numbers of informal caregivers, an
assessment of the need for caregivers to meet the needs of residents of
the various regions of the state at the present time and over the next
ten years, a review of the adequacy of compensation for paid caregivers,
a review of the current state programs available to support training,
recruitment and retention of paid caregivers, programs to support unpaid
caregivers, workforce issues related to the availability and cost of
caregiver services, and issues related to licensing, worker protections,
protections for persons in need of caregiving services, and opportu-
nities for the consolidation of duplicative programs, coordination of
programs administered by various government agencies, and development or
expansion of programs to support formal and informal caregivers. The
results and recommendations of the study will allow New York State to
move forward with a holistic approach to meet the continuum of caregiv-
ing needs and address workforce shortages statewide.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2021-2022: A.6202-A/S.5734-A.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
None
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
4275
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 14, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. BARRETT, HEVESI, WALLACE, MAGNARELLI, BURDICK,
SILLITTI, BUTTENSCHON, JONES, KELLES, BICHOTTE HERMELYN, JACOBSON,
COLTON, OTIS -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. LUPARDO -- read once
and referred to the Committee on Governmental Operations
AN ACT requiring a multi-agency study on the issues impacting the
continuum of caregiving in the state of New York
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The commissioners of health, the office for the aging, the
2 office of children and family services, the office for people with
3 developmental disabilities, the office of mental health and the depart-
4 ment of labor, shall study issues impacting formal and informal caregiv-
5 ers in the state of New York. Such study shall include, but not be
6 limited to, the current workforce of paid caregivers, an estimate of the
7 number of informal caregivers, an assessment of the number of caregivers
8 needed to meet the needs of residents of the various regions of the
9 state at the present time and over the next ten years, a review of the
10 adequacy of compensation for paid caregivers, a review of the current
11 state programs available to support training, recruitment and retention
12 of paid caregivers, programs to support unpaid caregivers, workforce
13 issues related to the availability and cost of caregiver services,
14 issues related to licensing, registering, certifying or enrolling of
15 such caregivers, worker protections, protections for persons in need of
16 care giving services, and opportunities for the consolidation of dupli-
17 cative programs, coordination of programs administered by various
18 government agencies, and development or expansion of programs to support
19 formal and informal caregivers.
20 § 2. Within one year of the effective date of this act, such commis-
21 sioners shall submit a report of their findings, conclusions and recom-
22 mendations to the governor, the temporary president of the senate, and
23 the speaker of the assembly and shall post such report on such commis-
24 sioners' websites.
25 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01402-01-3
