Great news! AB 1643 by Assemblyman Dave Jones, on discrimination against people with disabilities in long term care insurance, has been signed by the Governor, and went into effect January 1, 2007! Thank you all for the letters you have written and other great support. The response has been terrific.

AB-1643 will provide for a study of the feasibility of expanding coverage in the long-term care insurance program offered by the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) to employees and recent retirees with disabilities who are currently excluded because they don’t meet the underwriting criteria. This would bring this benefit into line with health care and other benefits that do not discriminate against public employees with disabilities.

The study will also look at other factors, including the extent to which the proposal might result in savings to public benefit programs by encouraging persons with disabilities to go to work, and eliminating the need for those persons to deplete assets to qualify for public benefits in order to obtain long-term care coverage after retirement.

The study will be funded through a Medicaid infrastructure grant from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and will be managed by the California Health Incentives Improvement Project of the California Institute for Human Services at Sonoma State University.

Again thank you, thank you for all the support of the community on this important legislation! We will be sending out further information on next steps soon.

Pat McPartland, Legislative Coordinator

Disabled in State Service

September 30, 2006