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Senate Bill S8888

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Relates to creating the family essential program

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Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Aging Committee

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2025-S8888 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:
A9412
Current Committee:
Senate Aging
Law Section:
Elder Law
Laws Affected:
Add Art 2 Title 2 §230, Eld L

2025-S8888 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Creates the family essential program within the office for the aging to provide for advocacy, collaborative and education infrastructure for essential family caregivers within nursing homes and other long term care communities.

2025-S8888 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S8888 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8888
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 13, 2026
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  CLEARE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Aging
 
 AN ACT to amend the elder law, in relation to  implementing  the  family
   essential  program  to create an advocacy, collaborative and an educa-
   tion infrastructure for essential  family  caregivers  within  nursing
   homes and other long term care communities

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Article 2 of the elder law is amended by adding a new title
 2 to read as follows:
                                   TITLE 2
                         FAMILY ESSENTIAL PROGRAM
 SECTION 230. FAMILY ESSENTIAL PROGRAM.
   § 230. FAMILY ESSENTIAL PROGRAM. 1. THERE IS HEREBY CREATED WITHIN THE
 OFFICE A FAMILY ESSENTIAL PROGRAM WHOSE FUNCTION AND PURPOSE SHALL BE AN
 ADVOCACY, COLLABORATIVE AND EDUCATION INFRASTRUCTURE FOR ESSENTIAL FAMI-
 LY CAREGIVERS IN NURSING HOMES AND OTHER LONG TERM CARE COMMUNITIES.
   2. THE FAMILY ESSENTIAL PROGRAM SHALL SET FORTH  STANDARDS  AND  PRAC-
 TICES  DESIGNED  TO  ASSIST  NURSING  HOMES AND LONG TERM CARE COMMUNITY
 STAKEHOLDERS AND PROVIDERS BY IMPLEMENTING VARYING  ADVOCACY  STRUCTURES
 INCLUDING,  BUT  NOT LIMITED TO: (A) MONTHLY MEETINGS WITH FAMILY ESSEN-
 TIAL CARE VISITORS AND THE RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE IN NURSING HOMES  AND
 LONG  TERM  CARE  FACILITIES; (B) MAKING READILY AVAILABLE MATERIALS AND
 CARE GUIDES REGARDING STATEWIDE LONG  TERM  CARE  SERVICES  AND  SUPPORT
 SYSTEMS;  AND  (C)  EDUCATION SESSIONS AND MODULES THAT WILL SUPPORT THE
 ESSENTIAL FAMILY CARE VISITOR TO ASSIST A RESIDENT IN A NURSING HOME  OR
 LONG  TERM  CARE  COMMUNITY TO ACHIEVE PERSON-CENTERED CARE, DIGNITY AND
 COMFORT AND TO MAINTAIN THEM AT THEIR HIGHEST LEVEL OF FUNCTIONING.
   3. THE FAMILY ESSENTIAL PROGRAM SHALL PROVIDE FOR:
   (A) MONTHLY MEETINGS WITHIN EACH  NURSING  HOME  AND  LONG  TERM  CARE
 COMMUNITY TO ELICIT FEEDBACK REGARDING CARE IMPROVEMENTS TO IMPACT QUAL-
 ITY  CARE.  INFORMATION  AND DATA FROM MEETINGS SHALL BE PROVIDED TO THE
 DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH;
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD14096-02-5

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