CSAC Bulletin Article

Counties Ask for Public Guardian Funding

April 4, 2019

The Senate Budget Subcommittee Number 3 will hear a proposal from a coalition of county associations seeking $68 million in State funding to bolster the local public guardian, public conservator, and public administrator workforce to better serve the most vulnerable adults in our communities.

Without meaningful, ongoing, augmented funding, counties will not be able to keep up with the growing demand for these services, which are the only statewide California safety net programs that do not receive any dedicated state funding.  PA|PG|PC programs do not receive any state or federal funding although the majority of the individuals served by these programs qualify for Med-Cal. In total, California counties are currently spending approximately $194 million annually to provide critical PA|PG|PC services.

CSAC is proud to support the proposal to allocate $68 million in new, ongoing State funding to the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to augment county spending for PA|PG|PC programs, which would represent the first step in remediating the escalating needs of California’s most vulnerable, impaired adult populations. The new funding would allow counties to increase staffing and reduce caseload sizes; provide more intensive case management to enable better long-term treatment outcomes; provide timelier emergency services to cognitively and psychiatrically impaired adults, and protect client assets at risk of loss or theft.  All 58 California counties are operating PA|PG|PC programs at full capacity and are struggling to meet the needs of the currently defined target populations in their communities.

CSAC is proud to be a supporting member of the coalition, which includes the California Association of Public Administrators, Public Guardians, and Public Conservators (CAPAPGPC), the County Behavioral Health Directors Association (CBHDA), and the Service Employees International Union of California (SEIU California).

We urge counties to join in support of new state funding for PA|PG|PC services.

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