Int. No. 1081-A

By Council Members Chin, Rose, the Speaker (Council Member Mark-Viverito), Palma, Rodriguez, Rosenthal, Lander, Deutsch, Dromm, Cohen, Koslowitz, Reynoso, Levin, Treyger, Vallone, Kallos and Ulrich

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to a comprehensive plan to address the needs of unpaid caregivers

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

Section 1. Chapter 2 of title 21 of the administrative code of the city of New York is

amended to add a new section 21-206 to read as follows:

§ 21-206 Unpaid caregiver plan. a. Definitions. For purposes of this section:

Adult. The term “adult” means an individual 18 years of age or older.

Unpaid caregiver. The term “unpaid caregiver” means 1) an adult family member or other adult providing unpaid care to a person 60 years of age or older; 2) an adult family member or other adult providing unpaid care to a person with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia; 3) a grandparent or other non-parent relative 55 years of age or older providing unpaid care to a child under the age of 18; and 4) an adult providing unpaid care to an individual with a disability between the age of 18 and 59.

b.    No later than February 15, 2017, the department shall develop and conduct a survey of unpaid caregivers and providers offering services to unpaid caregivers within the city to identify the needs of unpaid caregivers, as well as to assess existing caregiver services. Such survey shall be developed in consultation with academic experts in caregiving issues, service providers, and other appropriate stakeholders, and shall contain questions designed to collect information from a sample of unpaid caregivers and caregiver service providers on the following issues:

1.    Availability of information about programs, services, and other resources designed to provide support to unpaid caregivers;

2.   Accessibility of programs and services, including, but not limited to, hours of operation, location, transportation options for accessing such programs and services, cost, payment methods, eligibility restrictions, cultural competency, and language capacity;

3.    Utilization of programs and services, including, but not limited to, the number of individuals requesting and receiving services, the types of services requested, and the number of individuals placed on waitlists for services where applicable; and

4.      Recipient outcomes as a result of utilizing existing programs and services, including, but not limited to, the unpaid caregiver’s health and employment circumstances, access to benefits, knowledge about the care recipient’s illness or condition, and awareness and use of appropriate services for the care recipient’s illness or condition.

c.    No later than August 30, 2017, the department shall deliver to the mayor and speaker of the council, and shall post on its website, a comprehensive plan to address the needs of unpaid caregivers within the city, in consultation with the department of social services, the mayor’s office for people with disabilities, the department of health and mental hygiene, and such other appropriate agencies as the mayor shall determine. The department also shall consult with unpaid caregivers, academic experts in caregiving issues, service providers, advocates for senior citizens and individuals with disabilities, and any other stakeholders that the department may deem appropriate in developing such plan.

d. The plan required by subdivision c of this section shall include, but not be limited to:

1.  The results of the survey required by subdivision b of this section;

2. Data on:

(a) the estimated total number of unpaid caregivers providing care in the city, disaggregated by age, gender, race, ethnicity, language, income level, borough of residence, and employment status;

(b) the estimated average number of hours of care per week provided by unpaid caregivers, disaggregated by age, gender, race, ethnicity, language, income level, borough of residence, and employment status;

(c) care recipients, including but not limited to, age, gender, borough of residence, number of individuals providing care to recipients, daily activities necessitating assistance from a caregiver, health condition, and living situation; and

3.  Recommendations about:

 (a) how to increase information and outreach to unpaid caregivers;

 (b) how to expand education and training for unpaid caregivers;

 (c) how to educate and involve businesses in addressing workplace issues impacting unpaid caregivers;

(d) how to address issues and concerns with existing programs and services identified through the survey conducted pursuant to subdivision b of this section;

(e) additional programs and services that may be established to provide support to unpaid caregivers;

(f) how to increase civic engagement and volunteer opportunities to support unpaid caregivers; and

(g) Any other issues that the department deems appropriate.

e.  Beginning two years following the submission of the plan required by subdivision c of this section and every five years thereafter, the department shall submit to the mayor and the speaker a report detailing progress made on the recommendations, initiatives, and priorities that result from such plan, as well as updated data for the information described in paragraph 2 of subdivision d.

f.   The unpaid caregiver plan shall be revisited and revised as appropriate every four years after the submission of the initial plan.

§ 2.  This local law takes effect immediately.

ENB

LS #6554

5/26/16 5:30 PM