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The Family Caregiving Legal Research Project

The Family Caregiving Legal Research Project examines the laws in British Columbia and Canada related to family caregivers, and explores how these laws can be revised to better support caregiving. The project includes a comparative review of laws, surveys of caregivers and innovative employers, and an examination of employment, pension, tax, health policy, and human rights laws.

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The Family Caregiving Legal Research Project

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  1. The Family Caregiving Legal Research Project Krista James Staff Lawyer British Columbia Law Institute Canadian Centre for Elder Law

  2. What is Family Caregiving?Family Caregivers care for: • Aging parents and grandparents • Adult children with disabilities • People with mental illnesses • People in addictions recovery • Chronically ill friends • Cancer survivors

  3. What is Family Caregiving?Family Caregiving relationships include: • Short term – weeks or days • Long term – months and years • Fluctuating conditions • Degenerative conditions • Temporary care, eg post-surgical • Episodic care

  4. What do family caregivers do? • Personal care • Communication with doctors and therapists • Emotional and social support • Cooking, shopping and household tasks • Bathing and dressing • Mobility assistance • Operating medical equipment

  5. Statistics on family caregiving • Over 1 in 4 employed Canadians care for an elderly dependent • The majority of caregivers work the equivalent of 2 full time jobs • Absenteeism due to caregiver strain costs Canadian employers over 1 billion dollars

  6. Statistics on family caregiving • The value of the replacement labour of unpaid family caregiving is $26 billion. • Over 2 million Canadians over the age of 45 (2002, Stats Can). • In 2007 Stats Can says 2.7 million. • 90% of eldercare delivered through unpaid family caregiving.

  7. Social Policy Context • Aging population • Declining birth rate • Women in labour force in equal numbers • Smaller families • Shrinking labour force • De-institutionalization of aspects of health care

  8. Social Policy Context • People living longer lives of dependency • Fewer non-working family members to focus on caregiving • More working people balancing work and care • Growing “sandwich” generation • Women shouldering much of the caregiving burden

  9. The Family CaregivingLegal Research Project • Examines how the laws of BC currently respond to the needs of working caregivers • Explores how the laws could be revised to be more supportive of caregiving

  10. The Family CaregivingLegal Research Project 1. Comparative review of laws Across Canada International Review 2. Electronic survey of BC caregivers (400) 3. Telephone survey of innovative employers

  11. The Family CaregivingLegal Research Project • Employment law • Pensions • Tax law • Health Policy • Human Rights http://www.bcli.org/bclrg/projects/family-caregiving

  12. Overview of BC Laws 1. Employment leave provisions 2. Measures that offset income loss (a) Income tax measures (b) Payments to caregivers (c) Pension security measures 3. Workplace family responsibility accommodation

  13. Employment Leave • Employment Standards Act, R.S.B.C. • Limited support for family care • Compassionate Care Leave: 8 weeks unpaid leave for end-of-life care (s. 52.1) • Family Responsibility Leave: 5 days unpaid leave (s. 52) • Excluded employees

  14. Income Tax Measures • Caregiver Tax Credit • Non-refundable • Currently valued just over $600 • Eligibility linked to financial dependency, disability and co-residency • No link to caregiver labour

  15. Payments to Caregivers • Choice in Support for Independent Living (CSIL) • Ministry of Health • Self-managed care program • Payments to family members only by way of exceptions to policy

  16. Pension Security • Child Rearing Provision • drop out up to 7 years of low or no earnings • No equivalent for other forms of caregiving

  17. Workplace Accommodation of Family Responsibilities • Workplace flexibility • hours, location, tele-working • Currently at the employer’s discretion

  18. Workplace Accommodation of Family Responsibilities • Human Rights Code prohibits discrimination on the ground of family status • Must establish that a facially-neutral rule preventing adaptations to meet family care obligations amounts to discrimination

  19. Workplace Accommodation of Family Responsibilities • Test: whether “a change in a term, or condition of employment, imposed by the employer results in serious interference with a substantial parental or other family duty”. H.S.A.B.C. v. Campbell River & North Island Transition Society, 127 L.A.C. (4th) 1 (B.C.C.A.).

  20. Grace’s Story • Divorced woman caring for both school-aged children and aging mother. • Long-term caregiving required for her mother. • Works part-time due to caregiving responsibilities. • Short-term work history: out of the paid work force until her divorce.

  21. Sunita’s Story • Caring for her father-in-law following a stroke. • Likely long-term care. • Unionized employee working a full-time rotation that includes nights. • Requires schedule changes to maintain caregiving.

  22. Ingrid’s Story • Single, low-income parent of an adult child with a disability. • Long-term caregiving needs. • Income is a mix of welfare and occasional part-time work in childcare and housecleaning.

  23. How do these caregivers fare under existing laws? • Sunita cannot get leave because not end-of-life care. • Sunita cannot get accommodation of caregiving without a human rights complaint. • Ingrid is periodically and precariously employed.

  24. How do these caregivers fare under existing laws? • Ingrid faces lifelong poverty. • Grace faces pension insecurity. • Tax measures are inaccessible.

  25. Law Reform Problem The caregiving labour of all three women is uncompensated, unrecognized and indispensible.

  26. Canadian Comparisons • Saskatchewan • Labour Standards Act, R.S.S., 1978, c. L-1, s. 44.2(1)(b). • Serious Illness or Injury Leave • 12 weeks unpaid leave • 16 weeks compassionate care leave

  27. Canadian Comparisons • Manitoba • Income Tax Act, S.M. 1988, c. I10, s. 511(1). • Primary Caregiver Tax Credit. • Refundable tax credit for caregivers who provide significant care. • Amount: up to 1,020 per care recipient. • Can receive for up to 3 care recipients.

  28. Canadian Comparisons • Nova Scotia • Allowance to Aid Caregivers • $400 monthly benefit for caregivers who provide 20 hours or more of care per week.

  29. International Approaches • United Kingdom and New Zealand • Work flexibility employment legislation • Requires employer to consider requests to modify terms of employment (hours of work, location) where change is required for caregiving. • Employer discretion. • Act sets out broad business grounds for refusal and there is no right of appeal.

  30. International Approaches • New Zealand • Human Rights Act 1993 (N.Z.), s.21(1)(l). • Discrimination on family status • Defined to include care of children and other dependents

  31. International Approaches • Australia – various state human rights laws. • Prohibit discrimination on the ground of family responsibilities or carer status. • Prohibit adverse affect discrimination family against caregivers. • An employer must accommodate an employee’s responsibilities as caregiver.

  32. International Approaches • Netherlands • Career interruption leave • 6 months leave for caregiving. • Income replacement at 70% by the Government if employer is able to replace the person on leave with someone otherwise unemployed.

  33. International Approaches • Sweden • Carers’ Allowance • The state pays caregivers providing extraordinarily burdensome care a taxable salary comparable to an average wage.

  34. International Approaches • Norway • Pension credits • The state makes pension plan contributions on behalf of caregivers performing more than 22 hours of care per week for a 6-month period.

  35. International Approaches • Norway • Pension credits • The state makes pension plan contributions on behalf of caregivers performing more than 22 hours of care per week for a 6-month period.

  36. Social Policy Question In Canada and BC, how should the cost of care be distributed amongst individuals, families, employers, communities and the state?

  37. Social Policy Question There was a time when a matter, such as work-life balance, would have been considered a private concern for families to work out. But when the economy, as well as families’ ability to live at prevailing community standards, depends on the supply of two workers per family, and when the fertility rate continues to drop, private risks tend to be defined as public crisis. Terrance Hunsley, “Informal Caregivers: Balancing Work and Life Responsibilities”

  38. Options for Reform • Employment leave protection for non end-of-life care • Greater income replacement under EI • Work flexibility legislation • Caregiver allowance • Refundable tax credit • Adult caregiving drop-out provision

  39. Options for Reform • Send your comments to familycare@bcli.org

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