S959 —

2018, c.166c.0166 (S959 1R) T&ECHAPTER 166   P.L.An Act concerning caregiver support services.

2018, CHAPTER 166, approved December 28, 2018 Senate, No.

959 (First Reprint)     An Act concerning caregiver support services 1[, and supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes]1.

     a.   a.     An estimated 1.75 million people in New Jersey provide varying degrees of unreimbursed care to persons who are elderly or disabled and limited in their daily activities.

     c.   c.     Although caregivers may assist an individual with the basic activities associated with daily living, including walking, eating, and dressing, they may also be expected to perform more complex daily tasks, such as administering multiple medications, providing wound care, and operating medical equipment.

     e.   e.     The act of caregiving can take a serious emotional and physical toll on the caregiver, and caregivers generally experience more physical and mental health complications, higher mortality risks, and suffer from an increased risk of depression, anxiety disorders, diminished immune response, slower wound healing, and a greater incidence of hospitalization than non-caregivers.

     i.     In order to successfully address the challenges associated with the rising number of persons with significant needs for long-term services and care, and in order to ensure the provision of sufficient institutional and financial supports to the caregiver community that is engaged in the provision of essential home-based care to such persons, it is both reasonable and necessary for the Legislature to establish a caregiver task force to identify, and determine the support service needs of, caregivers in the State, and to develop recommendations for the improvement and expansion of caregiver support service programs and systems. systems.        2.    a.

       2.

 a.

     b.    The Caregiver Task Force shall consist of 11 members as follows:  the Commissioner of Human Services, the 1[President] State Director1Director of the New Jersey chapter of the AARP 1oror the State Director’s designee1,designee, the Executive Director of Caregivers of New Jersey, the Executive Director of the Arc of New Jersey, the Executive Director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness New Jersey, the President of the Home Care and Hospice Association of New Jersey, the President of Leading Age New Jersey, and the President of the Alzheimer’s Association Greater New Jersey Chapter, or their designees;

     c.   c.     The task force shall organize as soon as practicable, but not later than the 30th day following the appointment of its members, and upon its organization, the task force shall elect a chairperson from among its members.  The task force may meet and hold hearings at the times and places it may designate, but shall hold at least one hearing in each of the northern, central, and southern regions of the State.  The task force may conduct business without a quorum, but may only vote on a recommendation when a quorum is present.  The members of the task force shall serve without compensation, but may be reimbursed for travel and other miscellaneous expenses incurred in the necessary performance of their duties, within the limits of funds made available to the task force for its purposes.

     d.    The task force is entitled to receive assistance and services from any State, county, or municipal department, board, commission, or agency, as it may require, and as may be available to it for its purposes.  The task force is further authorized to consult with any association, organization, or individual having knowledge of, or experience with, caregiver issues.  The Department of Human Services shall provide professional and clerical staff to the task force, as may be necessary to effectuate the purposes of this act.       e.   e.     The task force may solicit, receive, and expend any grant moneys or other funds that may be made available, for the task force’s purposes, by any government agency or any private for-profit or not-for-profit organization or entity.

       3.   3. a.

The a. New Jersey Caregiver Task Force, established pursuant to section 2 of this act, shall:       (1)  Identify, and compile an inventory of, existing State policies, resources, and programs that are available to support or assist caregivers;

     The (2) New IdentifyJersey andCaregiver surveyTask caregiversForce, inestablished pursuant to section 2 of this State,act, inshall:  order     to(1)   developIdentify, and compile an aggregateinventory summaryof, ofexisting caregiverState characteristics,policies, whichresources, indicatesand 1;programs that are available to support or assist caregivers;

     (a)1(2)   theIdentify totaland numbersurvey of caregivers in thethis State;State, in order to develop an aggregate summary of caregiver characteristics, which indicates ;

     1(b)1(a)   the total number of caregivers in each of the northern, central, and southern regions of the State;

     1(c)1(b)   the averagenumber ageof caregivers in each of caregivers;the northern, central, and southern regions of the State;

     1(d)1(c)   the average timeage spentof percaregivers; week engaged in caregiving activities;

     1(e)1(d)   the average totaltime periodspent ofper timeweek spentengaged in thecaregiving caregiveractivities; role;

     1(f)1(e)   the average amounttotal period of paid and unpaid leave time takenspent off work to engage in caregivingthe activities;caregiver role;

     1(g)1(f)   the natureaverage andamount severity of illnessespaid orand conditionsunpaid sufferedleave bytime thetaken personsoff beingwork caredto for;engage in caregiving activities;

and      1(h)1(g)   the existingnature supportand servicesseverity thatof areillnesses mostor commonlyconditions usedsuffered by caregivers;the persons being cared for;

and      (3) (h)   Solicitthe andexisting receivesupport testimonyservices fromthat caregiversare onmost thecommonly followingused topics:by caregivers;

and      (3)   Solicit and receive testimony from caregivers on the following topics:

     (b) (b)   the feasibility of delegating certain tasks to other caregivers or to medical or non-medical personnel;

     (d) (d)   the costs associated with caregiving, including, but not limited to, the loss or expenditure of caregiver income;

     (g) (g)   the practical experiences of caregivers in relation to:

and      (h) (h)   any other topic that is relevant to the determination of caregiver support service needs.

     (1) (1)   an abstract of caregiver characteristics, which summarizes information that has been obtained by the task force under paragraph (2) of subsection a.

of 1this1this section 1[3; of this act]1;

     (2) (2)   a list of the caregiver support services that are currently made available from all sources, including the federal government, federal and State agencies, and public and private employers;

     (3) (3)   a description of caregiver concerns elucidated in testimony received under paragraph (3) of subsection a.

of 1this1 section 1[3 of this act]1;section;

and      (4) (4)   recommendations for legislation, or for regulatory or programmatic changes, that would be necessary to supplement, expand, or improve the existing caregiver support services available in the State, in response to the concerns of caregivers.       1c.1Thec.     The task force shall dissolve 1[on30 the 30th day following its submission of] days after the date it submits1submits the report 1[in accordance with] required pursuant to subsection b.

of1of this section.

       4.    This act shall take effect immediately, and shall expire on the 30th day following the submission of a task force report to the Governor and the Legislature, as provided by section 3 of this act.

                                            EstablishesApproved NewDecember Jersey28, Caregiver2018. Task Force to evaluate and provide recommendations on caregiver support services.