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San Francisco Adult Day Services Network
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ADVOCACY - LOCAL        STATE        FEDERAL

 

 

LOCAL

PARATRANSIT: The MOU between the Paratransit broker, providers, and adult day services agencies was approved and sent out in May.

A waiver form, which would allow agencies to receive information on clients' Paratransit eligibility status, was also sent out in May. This form would enable the Paratransit broker to send a letter to the agency at the time that a client needs to reapply for Paratransit services.

Currently, the Network is working on acceptance of ADHC eligibility requirements for Paratransit Group Van Services eligibility requirements. Acceptance of ADHC eligibility requirements would streamline the application process for Paratransit Group Van Services. If you have questions about this issue, please call Abby Lamb at (415) 750-5330 x.362 or email her at: alamb@ioaging.org

TRANSITIONAL CARE: Coordinated Services for Seniors - In the coming months, the San Francisco Senior Center will take on the role of a broker of social services for elder patients leaving hospitals. The San Francisco Senior Center will work with other agencies in a transitional care "network." The primary function of the transitional care network will be to set up an array of coordinated services for aging adults leaving hospitals. The transitional care network also aims to build capacity for transitional care in all hospitals in the city; in the past, the San Francisco Senior Center's Homecoming Services program worked with only two hospitals. Hospitals will refer patients to the Network Coordinator, who will then refer the patient to a member agency's service based on the patient's neighborhood or cultural background.

Currently, the following agencies with adult day services are already part of the San Francisco Senior Center's transitional care network: Kimochi, Catholic Charities, and Self-Help for the Elderly. The requirements for being part of this project are: (1) Dedicate some staff time (could be 10% of a staff person's time) and (2) signing an MOU with the San Francisco Senior Center. If you would like to become part of the San Francisco Senior Center's network, please contact Kathleen Mayeda at: (415) 923-4490.

DAAS Intake and Referral Services: The Network is also working on ensuring that the DAAS Information and Referral (I&R) Department is aware of screening requirements for the different kinds of adult day services. DAAS' I&R Department currently takes phone calls from the community and conducts screenings for various services, then refers the callers to these services in the community. The Network will be training DAAS I&R staff in October.

City Budget: On Monday, June 2, Mayor Newsom released his proposed budget for San Francisco. The following proposed cuts, increases, "no changes," and additions related to services for aging adults and people with disabilities are included in the Mayor's budget.

Cuts:
· The Health-at-Home program, in which Public Health Nurses visit aging
  adults and connect them to social and health services, would be cut $3.6   million from last year's proposal.
· Health promotion and prevention through the Department of Public Health   would be cut $1.4 million from last year's proposal.
· Openhouse would be cut $20,000 for a program in which LGBT senior and   persons with disabilities receive support services.
· Bayview Hunters Point MSSC would lose $15,000, the whole program, for   money management for 30 consumers.
· 30th Street congregate meals would $30,000, which would mean that the   meal program would not happen on Saturdays.

Increases:
· Community care mental health services would increase by $7.4 million.
· In-Home Support Services, wages and benefits would increase by $9   million.

No changes:
The Community Living Fund would receive $3 million, the same as last year. The performance measure of the CLF is for 70 percent of clients to successfully continue to live in the community for a period of six months after beginning to receive support from the CLF.

Additions:

· $100,000 for Alzheimer's and Dementia Planning
· $30.8 million for Senior Affordable Housing Development, expected to   develop 410 rental units
· $385,000 for a Diversion and Community Integration Program (DCIP) to   support Laguna Honda Hospital clients in community settings (a result of   the Chambers lawsuit).

For more information on the Chambers settlement, see: http://www.bazelon.org/newsroom/2007/Chambers12-07.htm

For more details, on the budget proposal for aging adults, please see: http://208.75.85.105/ebudget/seniors.html (if link does not work, cut and paste into browser).

STATE

IS THERE A CHANCE TO RESTORE THE FULL 10% RATE? There is always a chance. It now appears more likely that the full legislature may agree to restore some portion of the rate cut, but at what level and for which providers? The final result will not be known for several months. Thanks for everyone's help You can still contact your local legislator with the following key points:

  • You want the full 10% provider rate cut to be reversed for Adult Day Health!
  • You and your family value and rely upon Adult Day Health Care so you/your loved one can remain living at home.
  • The cut is going to cost more than it saves because ADHC costs less than other services. Seniors without adult day health care will go to nursing homes or emergency rooms costing 4-5 times more.
  • Thank them for their time and re-consideration of the 10% provider rate cut.

Read the Top Ten Reasons Not To Cut Medi-Cal 2008

Click Here to Find your local legislators!

WE SUPPORT:

AB 317 - San Francisco Adult Day Services Network supports AB 317. The California Association for Adult Day Services (CAADS, http://www.caads.org) sponsored this bill. Assembly Member Berg (D-Eureka) introduced this bill on February 13, 2007. Most recently, in legislative committee, it was referred to the Assembly Committee on Appropriations on August 30, 2007. Originally emphasizing training and technical assistance for ADCRCs, amendments in progress would provide ADHCs with emergency flexibility due to the cuts and delays in Medi-Cal reimbursements. Specifically, this legislative amendments propose the following two changes to ADHC requirements:

(1) ADHCs can reduce the number of hours or days in operation without the      California's Department of Aging approving this change beforehand.
(2) The minimum average number of therapy hours per month would be a      regulation that is suspended; the individual participant's needs would be      provided through required core services.

To read the text of this bill, please see: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/07-08/bill/asm/ab_0301-0350/ab_317_bill_20070703_amended_sen_v95.pdf


AB 572 - San Francisco Adult Day Services Network supports AB 572. The California Association for Adult Day Services (CAADS, http://www.caads.org) sponsored this bill. Assembly Member Berg (D-Eureka) introduced this bill on February 21, 2007. It was passed by the Assembly on January 29, 2008 with 79 ayes and 0 noes. Most recent action to this bill occurred on May 19, 2008, when it was amended and re-referred to the Senate Committee on Health. The purpose of this bill is to clarify and update existing ADHC practices, terms, and requirements specified in SB 1755 (Chesbro - Chapter No. 691 statutes 2006). It is a "clean-up" bill for SB 1755. The modifications that would be made to the Health and Safety Code and Welfare and Institutions Code include:

(1) The definition of core staff in the legal codes would be congruent with the       mandated core services that went into effect on February 1, 2008.
(2) The "core" daily meal requirement would be modified to allow a participant to      decline a meal when medical contraindications exist.
(3) The most common flexibility requests would be allowed by the law without       being approved by the Department of Public Health Licensing Division.
(4) ADHCs would be able to transport participants for more than one hour except       when there are medical contraindications.

To read the text of this bill, please see: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/07-08/bill/asm/ab_0551-0600/ab_572_bill_20080519_amended_sen_v96.pdf


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FEDERAL

COMING SOON!