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Advocacy

Family Caregiver Alliance advocates to improve the quality of life for family caregivers and the people who receive their care by:

  • Arranging educational meetings with elected officials
  • Submitting public comments and expert testimony
  • Sharing policy information and advocacy action opportunities with caregivers
  • Circulating petitions
  • Writing letters of support

FCA’s advocacy is informed by caregiver experience and data, including our yearly evaluation of caregiver services and supports from CareNav, our secure, online, record system.

Contact Your Representative about CA State Caregiving Bills

2025 Policy Positions

California

 SB 590 Paid Family Leave for Chosen and Extended Family (Durazo) 

This bill would allow qualifying workers who pay into the State Disability Insurance to use their Paid Family Leave (PFL) benefits to care for a designated person who is a member of their chosen or extended family. PFL is entirely paid for by employee contributions but can only be used to care for a list of specified family members and is NOT inclusive of all care relationships. SB 590 will ensure that workers can access the PFL benefits they already pay for to care for a member of their chosen or extended family (aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews). 

Sponsors: AARP, CELA, California Work & Family Coalition, Equality California, Equal Rights Advocates, Legal Aid at Work

AB 960 Hospital Visitation for Caregivers (Garcia) 

Require hospitals to allow family and friend caregivers to remain with patients outside of standard visiting hours who have physical, intellectual, and/or developmental disabilities and patients with cognitive impairment, including dementia, or another disability.

Sponsors: Alzheimer’s LA, Alzheimer’s Orange County, Alzheimer’s San Diego 

SB-412 (Limón) Dementia Training for Home Care Aides
This bill will ensure that all home care aides receive baseline training on Alzheimer’s disease, improving care and increasing support for home care aides in their role.
Sponsor: Alzheimer’s Association

AB-280 (Aguiar-Curry) Health care coverage: provider directories

Accurate provider directories are critical for ensuring that consumers (including caregivers) can find the care that they need. AB 280 addresses the problem of provider directory inaccuracies through consumer protections, more efficient processes for updating provider directory listings, and establishing annually increasing benchmarks for accuracy with effective enforcement.
Sponsor: Health Access California

SB-470 (Laird)  Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act: teleconferencing
This bill ensures that advisory bodies can continue leveraging teleconferencing technology to promote inclusivity, enhance participant diversity, and improve efficiency while maintaining full transparency and public access.
Sponsor: CA Commission on Aging

Federal

  • Alleviating Barriers to Caregiving Act
  • Credit for Caring Act
  • OPPOSE: H.R. 1 “Big, Beautiful, Bill” because of cuts to Medicaid and negative impact of work requirements on family caregivers

FCA Advocacy Efforts

Family Caregiver Alliance is a co-convener of the California Coalition on Family Caregiving (CaCFC). The California Coalition on Family Caregiving advocates for California policies and services that support diverse unpaid family caregivers and their care recipient(s). Visit the California Coalition on Family Caregiving website to learn more and become a coalition member.

2022 Budget Augmentation
Outcome: California Governor Signs $308 billion 22-23 State Budget

2019 Budget Augmentation:
Outcome: California Governor Gavin Newsom has APPROVED our ask to expand and improve services for family caregivers across the state of California!