HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1915

TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

RELATING TO AGING.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 


     SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that by 2030, Hawaii's population will be twenty-one per cent higher than it was in 2000.  Approximately 238,000 Hawaii residents, currently constituting 18.7 per cent of Hawaii's total population, are aged sixty or older.  It is projected that by 2030, this age group will increase by 93.8 per cent and constitute more than one fourth, or 27.4 per cent, of the State's population.  Further, the number of people eighty-five years and older is expected to increase by 174.7 per cent during the same period.  The large aging population will have a major impact on the organization and delivery of healthcare, with a shift from acute to chronic illnesses, such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic lower respiratory diseases, mental health, cognitive impairments, Alzheimer's disease, and diabetes.  The majority of seniors who currently qualify for Kupuna Care services are eighty years or older.  Consequently, they are among the most vulnerable in society and less able to cope with delays in services.

     The legislature also finds that county aging and disability resource centers serve as a single point of entry in every county for all persons to access information on the full range of long-term supports and services options that may apply to them.

     There is evidence that the service network for aging populations, which is primarily a private sector delivery system with many small nonprofits, is challenged by an ever-changing marketplace.  These challenges include delays in paying providers in a timely fashion, bureaucratic barriers to the ability to carry over funds, antiquated methods of transferring funds, waiting lists for those qualified to receive services, and difficulties in sharing basic information on agency websites.  These barriers negatively impact the overall capacity to provide needed services.  They also undermine the stability, sustainability, and effectiveness of the service delivery system, including the ability to recruit and retain a qualified workforce.

     The legislature further finds that in order to plan for and provide a coordinated and integrated system of care, Hawaii must periodically survey, document, and analyze not only the anticipated demand for these services, but also the requirements for adequate training, workforce expansion, and financing.  To accomplish this, it is essential that the various state and county agencies, providers, and stakeholder organizations collect and share the kinds of data and analyses that can guide policymaking.

     The purpose of this Act is to improve services for the aged or disabled by ensuring:

     (1)  That state and county planning efforts share budgets, data, insights, strategies, goals, and definitions of success and recommendations; and

     (2)  The timely movement of funding and approvals to prevent delays in the delivery of services throughout the fiscal year.

     SECTION 2.  Section 349-32, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (d) to read as follows:

     "(d)  The executive office on aging shall [coordinate]:

     (1)  Coordinate the implementation of the statewide aging and disability resource [center.] centers;

     (2)  Beginning no later than February 1, 2019, ensure that the executive office on aging's web page includes and is regularly updated with:

          (A)  Web page links to county budgets;

          (B)  Contact numbers or other contact information of providers of services that may be utilized by the elderly population; and

          (C)  Minutes, agendas, and plans of the committees on aging of the respective counties and the State;

     (3)  Ensure the timely movement of state and federal funds to service delivery organizations with no administrative delays that would negatively impact or delay provision of services to qualified seniors; and

     (4)  No later than February 1, 2019, ensure that state and federal funds may be electronically transferred among state agencies, county agencies, and contractors that provide services."

     SECTION 3.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

 

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

 

 


 


 

Report Title:

Aging and Disability Resource Centers; Health; Services

 

Description:

Ensures that state and county planning efforts for the delivery of services to the aged or disabled share budgets, data, insights, strategies, goals, and definitions of success and recommendations.  Reforms and improves the timely movement of funding and approvals to ensure that there are no delays in the delivery of services.

 

 

 

The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.