11020-11024
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE CODE
SECTION 11020-11024
11020. (a) There is hereby established a project known as the Caregiver Training Initiative. (b) It is the intent of the Legislature that the Caregiver Training Initiative develop and implement proposals to recruit, train, and retain health care providers such as certified nurse assistants, certified nurses, registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses, and other types of nursing and direct-care staff. (c) (1) An advisory council is hereby established for purposes of the Caregiver Training Initiative. (2) The advisory council shall develop goals, policies, and a general work plan for the Caregiver Training Initiative. For purposes of this paragraph, the advisory council shall consider the program model set forth in Section 11024. (3) The duties of the advisory council shall include all of the following: (A) Making recommendations regarding the identification of regions of the state for purposes of the initiative. (B) Making recommendations to the Employment Development Department and the State Department of Social Services regarding the number of regional collaborative programs that should be funded under the initiative. (C) Based on the number and size of the regions and programs to be funded, making recommendations to the Employment Development Department and the State Department of Social Services regarding the number of staff that should be assigned to the regions to assist in developing collaborative programs consisting of partnerships and funding proposals. (D) Making suggestions and recommendations to the Employment Development Department and the State Department of Social Services with regard to the selection of the collaborative programs to be funded in each region under the initiative and of the contracts entered into between the state and the local agencies representing regional partners. (E) Providing oversight of the progress of the initiative and identifying any needed corrective actions. (F) Designating a member of the advisory council to participate in the work group established by the Employment Development Department, in conjunction with the State Department of Social Services, pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 11022. (d) The advisory council shall consist of the following: (1) Each director, or a designee of the director, of the following departments in the California Health and Human Services Agency: (A) Employment Development Department. (B) Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. (C) State Department of Social Services. (D) State Department of Health Services. (E) California Department of Aging. (2) A representative from each of the following: (A) County Welfare Directors Association. (B) State Department of Education. (C) Chancellor's Office of the California Community Colleges. (D) California Association of Health Facilities. (E) California Association of Homes and Services for the Aging. (F) American Red Cross. (G) California Nurses Association. (H) Service Employees International Union. 11022. (a) (1) The Employment Development Department, in consultation with the State Department of Social Services, shall administer regional collaborative program selection and funding under the Caregiver Training Initiative. (2) The Employment Development Department, in conjunction with the State Department of Social Services, shall establish and lead a work group that shall be responsible for staff support to the advisory committee established pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 11020. (3) The Employment Development Department, in conjunction with the State Department of Social Services, shall be responsible for all of the following: (A) Under the direction of the California Health and Human Services Agency, developing the criteria for regional collaborative programs, the number of staff to be assigned to regions, and the process for selecting regional collaborative programs to be funded. (B) Assigning staff to each region to assist in developing collaborative programs consisting of partnerships and proposals for funding. (C) Determining the date by which collaborative programs from each region shall submit their proposals for consideration. (D) Selecting the collaborative program proposal from each region that best meets the criteria established by the department. (E) Working with representatives from the health care provider and caregiver industries and labor, negotiating contract terms that best serve the initiative's goals. (F) Approving all contracts for participation under the initiative. (G) Distributing funds to the appropriate local agencies to commence the regional collaborative programs. (H) Providing staff support to the advisory council established under subdivision (c) of Section 11020. (I) Carrying out state-level activities identified by the department that are necessary for the initiative's success. (b) The Employment Development Department, in conjunction with the State Department of Social Services, shall evaluate or contract for the evaluation of the regional collaborative programs funded under the initiative. The evaluation of each program site funded under the initiative shall include the following elements: (1) A thorough assessment of implementation issues faced by grantees. (2) An analysis, using appropriate statistical techniques, of identified outcomes of interest, including employment retention, advancement, earnings, and worker well-being measures. (3) Annual population-based surveys of current and former CalWORKs recipients as they enter training programs and make choices about employment or subsequent job change. (4) Identification and collection of well-being data regarding health care providers and caregivers and the recipients of their care. (5) Construction and analysis of longitudinal administrative data. (6) In-depth interviews with workers, staff, health care providers, and caregivers. (c) The Employment Development Department shall develop a strategy to improve understanding of the demand and supply of labor, and the labor market dynamics for low-skilled workers who choose occupations such as certified nurse assistants. To develop the strategy, the department shall develop information about and analyze all of the following: (1) Alternative occupations competing for available labor. (2) The effect of conditions in other occupations using similar skill sets on the supply of labor in occupations related to health care providers and caregivers. (3) Occupational ladders for health care providers and caregivers. (4) The efforts by county welfare departments to increase interest in the health care provider and caregiver industry. (5) Factors that draw individuals into or push them away from entering the health care provider or caregiver industry. (6) Ways that nursing homes, long-term care facilities, and in-home care provider communities can improve the quality of employment of health care providers and caregivers. (7) The treatment of staff in nursing homes and long-term care facilities. (8) Worker compensation claims and claims of workplace violence due to patients with Alzheimer's disease or dementia. (9) Benefit packages. (10) On-the-job training for career advancement as a health care provider or caregiver in nursing homes or long-term care facilities or advancement in fields related to an occupation as a health care provider or caregiver. 11024. (a) The program model for implementation of the Caregiver Training Initiative shall consist of a solicitation and competitive selection process to identify proposals from regional collaborative programs that offer the best solutions to removing barriers for attracting and retaining qualified health care providers, such as certified nurse assistants, certified nurses, registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses, and other types of nursing and direct care staff. (b) Proposals for funding under the initiative submitted by regional collaborative programs shall address all of the following topics: (1) Marketing and outreach strategies that will attract eligible participants to begin careers in the health care provider industry and promote public awareness, especially among employers, to the opportunity to hire trained health care providers. (2) Collaboration and agreements with state and local agency partners to help identify, refer, and provide services to eligible participants. (3) Development and use of innovative training strategies, coupled with industry cooperation, to provide matching career paths that will enable participants to advance in the health care industry, including in nursing occupations such as certified nurse assistants, certified nurses, registered nurses, and licensed vocational nurses. (4) Strategies for providing incentives to health care employers to hire program participants, such as taking advantage of existing tax credits, and incentives for participants to remain in and graduate from the program, such as postemployment training and support components. (5) Leveraging additional resources to support activities that are not allowable with local welfare-to-work (Article 3.2 (commencing with Section 11320) of Chapter 1 of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code) funds and Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. Sec. 2801, et seq.) funds and that will provide flexibility in serving participants. (c) The regional collaborative programs that compete for contracts under the initiative may include partnerships of any combination of local governmental entities, private nonprofit entities, and employer or employee groups. In order to ensure oversight for funds used in these contracts, fiscal agents representing these collaborative programs shall demonstrate all of the following: (1) The capacity to retain fiduciary responsibility for funds. (2) That the fiscal agent was chosen by agreement of collaborating partners. (3) Previous experience using public funds for similar projects. (4) The ability to properly account for and administer funds.