Governor Schwarzenegger blue lined a $12 million dollar augmentation to Adult Protective Services funding which was included in the budget passed by
the Legislature. This increase was critical to a vital program whose funding has remained virtually unchanged since 1999.
As the state and our local senior populations grow and the public becomes more aware of elder and dependent adult abuse, the occurrence and the reporting
of abuse and neglect have also increased. Unfortunately, the funding to support the Adult Protective Services Program has not.
Inadequate funding places elders and dependent adults at greater risk. The increase in APS reports statewide was 34% between 2001 and 2006. The
APS caseload in
Lassen
County alone has increased 175% in the last five years and the cost of delivering services has increased as well.
In some counties, APS caseloads numbers are dropping because they are responding only to the most critical cases due to shortages in staff and funding
for services. In
Lassen
County, except in the most urgent abuse/neglect reports, responses are sometimes delayed because of staffing limitations and cases
are sometimes closed due to the lack of resources to provide further assistance. This is a statewide problem which is expected to intensify as the population
of
California’s seniors is expected to nearly double in the next 20 years.
Below is the response to the Governor’s action from the California Welfare Director’s Association
.
