What's happening
This bill expands and updates New York's informal caregiver training law to cover a broader range of caregivers and care recipients.
Why it matters
Broadens who qualifies as an “informal caregiver” and “person in need of assistance,”. meaning more New Yorkers—such as older adults caring for children or those providing care for anyone needing help with daily activities—can now access training and support resources.
Expands the scope of training curricula and support services,. ensuring that programs are sensitive to a wider range of personal needs, disabilities, and cultural backgrounds, which can improve the quality and relevance of caregiver education.
Updates language to reflect current terminology and inclusivity,. replacing outdated references (e.g., “mental retardation”) and clarifying that care recipients can be any age, promoting respect and accuracy in service delivery.
Strengthens coordination among state agencies. (health, mental health, developmental disabilities, children and family services), which could lead to more comprehensive and integrated caregiver support across New York.
Albany, before your first meeting.
Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.
Who cares
Family members and other informal caregivers
The bill would broaden the program’s scope to caregivers of people who need help with daily living activities, replacing the existing frailty-or-disability definition.
Adults age 60 and older caring for minor relatives
The bill would explicitly include older adults caring for relatives age 17 or younger in their homes in the definition of informal caregiver.
Caregiver resource centers and caregiver networks
The bill would broaden the population covered by the training and technical assistance programs they help deliver, subject to available appropriations.
Caregivers supporting people with mental illness
The bill would explicitly include knowledge of mental illness among the subjects covered by caregiver training and technical assistance.
Headline styles
Train Informal Caregivers
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to ways and means
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 59–0
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.226
- Referred to aging
- Returned to senate
- Died in assembly
- Referred to ways and means
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 62–0
Show 6 earlier actions
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.1101
- Print number 5209a
- Amend and recommit to aging
- Referred to aging
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Train Informal Caregivers Statewide
In Assembly Committee · Ways And Means · Sponsor Harry B. Bronson
Full text
3 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
5209--A
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
April 16, 2019
Introduced by Sen. SANDERS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Aging -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the elder law, in relation to informal caregiver training
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 206 of the elder law, subparagraph 4 of paragraph (a) of subdivision 3 as added by chapter 269 of the laws of 2014, is amended to read as follows:
§ 206. Informal caregiver training. 1. The director is hereby authorized and directed, to the extent appropriations are available therefor, to develop, establish and operate training and technical assistance programs, including caregiver resource centers, caregiver networks, and other support activities, for informal caregivers throughout the state for the purposes of assisting such caregivers and improving the quality of care provided [to frail and disabled persons]. The director shall also make available and encourage the utilization of such training programs in consultation with the commissioner of the department of health, the commissioner of the office of children and family services, the commissioner of the office of mental health, and the commissioner of [mental retardation and developmental disabilities] the office for people with developmental disabilities.
2. Definitions. For the purposes of this section: (a) "Informal caregiver" shall mean the family member or other natural person who normally provides [the] daily care or supervision [of a frail or disabled person] of a person in need of assistance, or any family member or other natural person who contributes to and is involved in [the] caretaking responsibilities [for such frail or disabled person] for a person in need of assistance. Such informal caregiver may provide care for a person in
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04310-04-9
S. 5209--A 2
need of assistance, but need not[,] reside in the same household as the [frail or disabled] person, or may be an older adult providing care to a minor relative in their home.
(b) ["Frail or disabled person" shall mean any person who is unable to attend to his or her daily needs without the assistance or regular supervision of an informal caregiver due to mental or physical impairment. Such definition shall not exclude persons under eighteen years of age who suffer from mental or physical impairment.] "Person in need of assistance" shall mean any person who requires assistance with one or more activities of daily living or instrumental activities of daily living.
(c) "Program" shall mean the program of informal caregiver training and technical assistance established by this section.
(d) "Caregiver resource center" shall mean a project funded pursuant to this section which provides services and activities which are responsive to the needs and contracts of informal caregivers in regard to their caregiving responsibilities.
(e) "Caregiver networks" shall mean local coalitions which develop, coordinate, and implement action plans to identify and mobilize resources to address the unmet needs of [frail and disabled] persons in need of assistance and [their] informal caregivers.
(f) "Older adult" shall mean any person aged sixty years of age or older.
(g) "Minor" shall mean a person seventeen years of age or younger.
3. (a) The duties of the director pursuant to this section shall include, but not be limited to:
(1) developing and [make] making available or [approve] approving a curriculum for informal caregiver training which considers and is easily adapted to an array of personal needs and disabilities, and which is sensitive to ethnic and community characteristics;
(2) providing technical assistance and training to appropriate organizations and groups, including caregiver resource centers and caregiver networks, which, in turn, shall provide training and assistance to informal caregivers; [and]
(3) providing grants to appropriate organizations and groups, including caregiver resource centers and caregiver networks, to develop and make available approved curricula for informal caregiver training as well as disseminate information regarding the curriculum[.]; and
(4) [develop] developing guidelines for local area agencies on aging in order to provide the following:
(i) information and assistance regarding gaining access to available services to assist informal caregivers;
(ii) resource referrals for informal caregivers regarding decisionmaking on behalf of the individual receiving care; and
(iii) counseling referrals for informal caregivers.
(b) Training and technical assistance shall include, but not be limited to:
(1) knowledge of major health problems and diseases, mental [and] illness, physical disabilities, and the aging process;
(2) practical skills required in providing personal care and support;
(3) stress awareness and methods of dealing with stress caused by providing care;
(4) financial management; and
(5) identification and utilization of available resources, including benefits, entitlements, and other programs and assistance.
4. The director shall:
S. 5209--A 3
(a) Promulgate any rules and regulations necessary to carry out the provisions of this section.
(b) On or before the first day of January every other year, submit a report to the governor, the temporary president of the senate and the speaker of the assembly, which shall include, but not be limited to:
(1) a financial report of the program's operation;
(2) a profile of persons or groups receiving training and technical assistance pursuant to this section; and
(3) an analysis of the program's success in assisting informal caregivers and improving the quality of care provided by such persons.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the elder law, in relation to informal caregiver training
Purpose or general idea of bill
To encourage the development of training and supports for older adults who are caregivers for minors.
Summary of specific provisions
This bill would broaden the informal caregiver training program to include training and resources for older adults who are caregivers for minors. The term "frail or disabled person" has been replaced with "person in need of assistance".
Justification
Training for informal caregivers is crucial to ensuring their success. Often family members, these caregivers provide assistance worth billions of dollars every year. We want to support the ability of family members to care for family. There is a growing number of older adults who are caregivers themselves for children in their family due to a variety of circumstances. These individuals may themselves be in need of care, but also want to provide care and a loving home to the child in their charge.
Prior legislative history
2018: A.7876 (Lupardo) - Reported to Ways and Means 2017: A.7876 (Lupardo) - Referred to Aging
Fiscal implications
To be determined.
Effective date
This Act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.