SACRAMENTO – State Sen. Patricia Wiggins (D-Santa Rosa) has co-authored legislation to protect vulnerable California seniors from neglect and abuse.

Assembly Bill (AB) 392 was introduced by Assembly members Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles) and Dave Jones (D-Sacramento).

The bill would use penalties paid by substandard long-term care facilities to restore critical oversight to protect nursing home and assisted living residents.

Last year, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed $3.8 million in funding for local long-term care ombudsman programs, representing about half their funding.

The programs protect vulnerable residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities from abuse and neglect through unannounced monitor visits and investigations of the thousands of abuse cases reported to them each year.

“In contrast to government agencies which may only visit or facilities every 12 months or so, the ombudsman programs provide more timely, front-line investigative services for the isolated and frail residents of long-term care facilities,” Wiggins said. “There is no other program or agency that duplicates this critical advocacy service, and these are cost-effective programs that can significantly improve residents' quality of life and quality of care.”

As a result of the governor’s veto, local ombudsman programs have been forced to lay off staff and drastically reduce services.

“These reductions have greatly compromised the programs' ability to investigate complaints from residents and monitor facilities, thus putting nursing home and assisted living residents at significantly greater risk of abuse and neglect,” Wiggins said.

AB 392 would restore funding by using existing penalties paid by long-term care facilities that fail to comply with federal and state laws for the protection of residents. These penalty accounts may be used for any activity that directly benefits facility residents, including funding an increase in Ombudsman services.

“AB 392 would ensure that California’s vulnerable and isolated elderly in long-term care facilities are afforded protections from abuse and neglect through frequent monitor visits and timely response to reports of suspected abuse and neglect,” Wiggins said.

Wiggins represents California’s 2nd Senate District, which encompasses portions or all of six counties: Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Solano and Sonoma.

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