A546



ASSEMBLY, No. 546

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STATE OF NEW JERSEY

213th LEGISLATURE

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PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2008 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman RONALD S. DANCER

District 30 (Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean)

SYNOPSIS

Establishes Community Living Independently Program; appropriates $1.8 million.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel

An Act establishing the Community Living Independently Program, supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes and making an appropriation.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. The Legislature finds and declares that:

a. New Jersey has one of the largest senior citizen populations in the United States, being one of only nine states with over one million elderly residents, and has been a leader in developing programs to meet the various health care, social services and other needs of its vulnerable elderly and disabled residents;

b. The growing population of senior citizens in this State, whose rate of increase is greatest among those age 85 and older, at 42% in the last decade, is increasingly vulnerable to fraud and exploitation from unscrupulous marketing predators who view them as easy prey;

c. Federal government census data indicate that 7.5% of those 65 years of age and older across the country experience difficulty in handling financial matters;

d. Conversely, a sharp increase in both the length of life and vitality of most older persons has created a large and ever-growing pool of people with the time, energy and talents to volunteer for personally fulfilling activities;

e. The provision of money management and care management services helps to prolong an individual's ability to live independently in the community and thereby delay or avoid institutionalization, and can act as a gateway to other services that the individual may need, including surrogate decision-making services as necessary; and

f. This bill seeks to provide an expanded version of the current AARP Foundation Money Management Program that assists eligible individuals in the community with organizing expenses and paying bills.

2. As used in this act:

"County or regional sponsor agency" means a public or nonprofit entity that administers the Community Living Independently Program established pursuant to this act at the county or regional level.

"Division" means the Division of Aging and Community Services in the Department of Health and Senior Services.

"Program" means the Community Living Independently Program established pursuant to this act.

3. a. There is established the Community Living Independently Program in the Division of Aging and Community Services, to be modeled after the existing AARP Foundation Money Management Program. The purpose of the program shall be to facilitate volunteer services for the provision of money management and assessment of clients' quality of life in accordance with the provisions of this act. The program shall be designed to:

(1) assist clients with organizing expenses and paying bills; and

(2) observe and report to the county or regional sponsor agency on a client's quality-of-life activities and surroundings, including, but not limited to, the client's general health.

b. A person shall be eligible for the program if the person: demonstrates a need for assistance with organizing expenses and paying bills in a manner provided by the AARP Foundation Money Management Program; and is 60 years of age or older, or, at the discretion of the program director, under 60 years of age with special needs as determined by the program.

c. The division shall:

(1) administer the program as a public-private partnership, and solicit applications from, and designate, county or regional sponsor agencies;

(2) provide standardized training for volunteers;

(3) provide technical assistance to county or regional sponsor agencies;

(4) monitor and evaluate program and fiscal operations and effectiveness; and

(5) work cooperatively with AARP to effectuate the purposes of this act.

d. A county or regional sponsor agency shall:

(1) recruit, screen and designate volunteers to serve as money managers, and to observe the overall condition of the client and the client's home;

(2) provide for the training, supervision and support of volunteers;

(3) monitor each volunteer's activities, including that person's management of any client's financial records;

(4) utilize community-based agencies to obtain appropriate services; and

(5) accept referrals of persons eligible for the program from other public programs or agencies, including, but not limited to, county adult protective services providers, the New Jersey EASE program and the Community Choice Initiative established by the Department of Health and Senior Services, the Elder Fraud Investigations Unit in the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety, and the Division of Anti-Fraud Compliance in the Department of Banking and Insurance.

4. The Commissioner of Health and Senior Services, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), shall adopt rules and regulations to effectuate the purposes of this act.

5. There is appropriated $1,800,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Health and Senior Services to carry out the provisions of this act, of which amount no more than 10% shall be used by the department for administration of the Community Living Independently Program, with the balance to be forwarded to the county or regional sponsor agencies designated by the Division of Aging and Community Services in accordance with the provisions of this act.

6. This act shall take effect on the 180th day after enactment, except that the Commissioner of Health and Senior Services may take such anticipatory administrative action in advance as shall be necessary for the implementation of the act.

STATEMENT

This bill establishes the Community Living Independently Program (CLIP) in the Division of Aging and Community Services of the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), to be modeled after the existing AARP Foundation Money Management Program that assists eligible individuals in the community with organizing expenses and paying bills. The purpose of CLIP is to facilitate volunteer services for the provision of money management and assessment of clients' quality of life in accordance with the provisions of this bill.

Specifically, the bill provides as follows:

Χ CLIP will be designed to:

-- assist clients with organizing expenses and paying bills; and

-- observe and report to the county or regional sponsor agency on a client's quality-of-life activities and surroundings, including, but not limited to, the client's general health.

Χ A person is be eligible for CLIP if the person: demonstrates a need for assistance with organizing expenses and paying bills in a manner provided by the AARP Foundation Money Management Program; and is 60 years of age or older, or, at the discretion of the CLIP director, under 60 years of age with special needs as determined by CLIP.

Χ The Division of Aging and Community Services is to:

-- administer CLIP as a public-private partnership, and solicit applications from, and designate, county or regional sponsor agencies;

-- provide standardized training for volunteers;

-- provide technical assistance to county or regional sponsor agencies;

-- monitor and evaluate program and fiscal operations and effectiveness; and

-- work cooperatively with AARP to effectuate the purposes of the bill.

Χ A county or regional sponsor agency is to:

-- recruit, screen and designate volunteers to serve as money managers, and to observe the overall condition of the client and the client's home;

-- provide for the training, supervision and support of volunteers;

-- monitor each volunteer's activities, including that person's management of any client's financial records;

-- utilize community-based agencies to obtain appropriate services; and

-- accept referrals of persons eligible for CLIP from other public programs or agencies, including, but not limited to, county adult protective services providers, the New Jersey EASE program and the Community Choice Initiative established by DHSS, the Elder Fraud Investigations Unit in the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety, and the Division of Anti-Fraud Compliance in the Department of Banking and Insurance.

Χ The bill appropriates $1.8 million from the General Fund to DHSS to carry out its provisions, of which amount no more than 10% is to be used by DHSS for administration of CLIP, with the balance to be forwarded to the county or regional sponsor agencies designated by the Division of Aging and Community Services in accordance with the provisions of the bill.

Χ The bill takes effect on the 180th day after enactment, but authorizes the Commissioner of Health and Senior Services to take anticipatory administrative action in advance as necessary for its implementation.

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