Summary

The state of California offers a paid family leave program that offers wage replacement benefits to Californians who take time off work to care for a new child or a seriously ill family member. Current law defines “family member” as a child, parent, parent-in-law, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, spouse, or registered domestic partner. AB 518 would make changes to this law to allow Californians to receive this benefit in order to care for anyone whom they consider a “family member”, regardless of blood relation, such as step-parent, siblings-in-law, great-aunt, great-uncle, neighbor, roommate, friend, etc.. This is an important and necessary change because California families are incredibly diverse. It is not uncommon for individuals with dementia to receive care from close friends or even neighbors. Care partners are not always related to the person they are caring for but they are still vulnerable to the financial strain that comes with caring for another person. A study conducted by AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving found that 11% of care partners care for someone who is not related to them by blood and an additional 5% of care partners care for a relative who is not considered immediate family. It is also worth noting that aging members of the LGBTQIA population are much more likely to have a support system composed of “chosen family”. These chosen family members may not be related by blood but often step up to provide care when it is needed. Paid Family Leave benefits are funded by employees through State Disability Insurance contributions from their paychecks, meaning that many care partners who pay into this fund are unable to access the benefits when they need them. AB 518 would change that and reduce the financial burden on all care partners who step up to provide care.