Elder and dependent adults.

(1) Existing law establishes the Home Safe Program, which requires the State Department of Social Services to award grants to counties, tribes, or groups of counties or tribes, that provide services to elder and dependent adults who experience abuse, neglect, and exploitation and otherwise meet the eligibility criteria for adult protective services, for the purpose of providing prescribed housing-related supports to eligible individuals. This bill would expand the list of housing-related supports and services to include services to support housing transitions. Existing law requires counties that receive grants under the Home Safe Program to provide matching funds, and requires grantees applying for additional grant money to provide a description on how those requested funds are to be used. This bill would provide that, on and after the effective date of the bill, grantees are not required to match any funding provided that is above the base level of funding provided in the Budget Act of 2020. The bill would instead require grantees that administer a Home Safe Program to submit a streamlined application and program update to the department in lieu of an application. (2) The Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act establishes various procedures for the reporting, investigation, and prosecution of elder and dependent adult abuse. Existing law requires each county welfare department to establish and support a system of protective services for elderly and dependent adults who may be subjected to neglect, abuse, or exploitation or who are unable to protect their own interests, and requires each county to establish an adult protective services program. The act requires each county's adult protective services program to include specific policies and procedures, including provisions for emergency shelter or in-home protection. Existing law applies the definitions of the act on provisions relating to the county adult protective services program. For purposes of the act, existing law defines an "elder" as a person who is 65 years of age or older and a "dependent adult" as an adult between 18 and 64 years of age who has specific limitations. This bill would additionally require the policies and procedures to include provisions for homeless prevention and longer term housing assistance and support through the Home Safe Program. By imposing additional duties on counties in the administration of their adult protective services programs, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would authorize a county that receives grant funds under the Home Safe Program to, as part of providing case management services to elder or dependent adults who require adult protective services, provide housing assistance to those who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. The bill would authorize a county adult protective services agency and the Home Safe Program to refer an individual with complex or intensive needs to the appropriate state or local agencies for services that support the individual's safety goals. For the purposes of investigating or providing services under an adult protective services program, this bill would instead define an "elder" as a person who is 60 years of age or older and a "dependent adult" as a person who is between 18 and 59 years of age, inclusive, and has those specific limitations. The bill would also specifically identify that a person in that age range with traumatic brain injuries or cognitive impairments is a dependent adult. By requiring counties to provide services to additional individuals, and by expanding the scope of a crime under the Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would require the department to convene a workgroup to develop recommendations to create or establish a statewide adult protective services case management or data warehouse system. The bill would require the department to submit the recommendations to the Legislature by November 1, 2022. (3) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for specified reasons.