AB 1570 (Chesbro): RCFE Administrator and Staff Training

ISSUE BRIEF
AB 1570 (Chesbro): RCFE Administrator and Staff Training
March 2014
BACKGROUND: LeadingAge California, the California Assisted Living Association (CALA),
and the California Council of the Alzheimer’s Association are proud to co-sponsor AB 1570
(Chesbro) to significantly increase RCFE administrator and staff training requirements.
Administrator Training and Certification
Increase administrator certification training to 100 hours (currently 40 hours).
AB 1570 dramatically increases the training hours for RCFE administrators from 40 to 100
hours. It goes further to specify that a minimum of 40 hours be with an in-person instructor and
up to 60 hours of self-paced instruction. The self-paced instruction reflects modern modes of
learning available to other state licensure categories and presents a customizable mix of online
and in-person instruction. This flexibility is especially important in rural areas and for
prospective administrators who are already employed in different capacities.
Expand and update administrator certification exam to 100 questions reflective of current
laws and regulations (currently 40 questions last updated over ten years ago).
In addition to dramatically increasing the number of questions on the exam from 40 to 100, this
bill also requires that the exam be reviewed yearly and updated as necessary to ensure that the
exam accurately reflects current laws and regulations. The current state exam consists of only 40
questions and there is no requirement for periodic state review of the exam itself.
Change administrator exam to open book, covering Title 22 RCFE Regulations and The
RCFE Act of the Health and Safety Code.
Since administrators are responsible for upholding the compliance of their communities, it is
critical that they be skilled at accessing, navigating, and referencing regulations and laws that
apply to RCFEs. Open book testing allows prospective administrators to demonstrate skill with
utilizing the laws and regulations required to effectively run an Assisted Living community.
Direct Caregiver Training
Increase direct caregiver training in first year to 52 hours (currently 10 hours within first four
weeks on job).
AB 1570 training requirements include 52 hours in the first year:
 40 hours of initial training before working independently with residents

o 24 hours of training before resident contact (12 of which are dementia hours as
indicated below*), plus
o 16 hours of hands-on training
12 hours of annual ongoing training including within the first year
Currently, direct care staff is required to receive 10 hours of training within the first four weeks
on the job and are not required to complete any training before resident contact or working
independently with a resident, although many providers go well beyond the current requirement.
Currently, annual ongoing education is not required until the second year of employment.
*Double the initial dementia care training requirement to 12 hours and apply it to all
RCFEs (currently only required in RCFEs that promote or advertise dementia care).
AB 1570 recognizes the increasing prevalence of dementia and related memory
impairment by doubling the required dementia training and applying it to caregivers in all
RCFEs, not just those that advertise dementia care. This training will benefit residents
with dementia, as well as those suffering from mild cognitive impairment and other forms
of memory loss.
Extend annual ongoing training for all direct caregivers to 12 hours in the first and all
subsequent years (currently four hours after first year on job), including eight hours of
dementia training (currently only required of RCFEs that promote or advertise dementia
care).
This bill increases the ongoing training requirement to 12 hours, eight hours of which would be
dedicated to dementia care, and applies this requirement during first year of employment as well
as in future years. Currently, only RCFEs that promote or advertise dementia are required to
provide eight hours of annual ongoing dementia care training, but our proposal would expand
this eight hour requirement to all RCFE caregivers. Also, annual ongoing training for direct care
staff is not currently required during the first year of employment and only four hours of annual
ongoing training are required after the first year.
Taken together, the additional training requirements for administrators and caregivers, along
with the strengthening of the administrator exam, will significantly enhance the skills of those
providing care and supervision in California’s RCFEs.
ISSUE: As Assisted Living has responded to residents’ changing needs and as many providers
have responded by updating their own administrator and staff training expectations, the
regulatory requirements have not changed. AB 1570 will increase the current regulatory
requirements and ensure that all RCFE administrators and direct care staff have the appropriate
level of training and that the training covers the essential topics.
RECOMMENDATION: Support AB 1570 (Chesbro) to increase minimum training
requirements for administrators and staff training requirements.
CONTACT: Eric Dowdy, MPPA, Vice President of Policy, LeadingAge California,
[email protected], 1315 I Street, Suite 100, Sacramento, CA 95814, (916) 392-5111, (916)
428-4250 fax

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