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| Governor's Revised Budget Proposes Additional Cuts to IHSS Program |
| On May 14th, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger released his revised state budget proposal for fiscal year 2008-2009, which includes several cuts that will impact the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) Program. In his initial budget (released in January), the Governor proposed to save the state over $120 million by reducing by 18% IHSS hours authorized for non-medical domestic and related services and by cutting funds used for county administration of the IHSS Program by 10%.
The Governor's revised budget maintains the proposed 10% cuts for county administration of IHSS, but alters his proposal to cut domestic services by 18%. Rather than cutting domestic services for all IHSS consumers, the Governor is now proposing to eliminate domestic and related services for certain IHSS consumers whose functionality in performing such services is not as severely impaired according to IHSS regulations. This proposal would cause nearly 83,000 IHSS consumers to lose an average of 21.6 hours of domestic and related services per month.
The Governor's revised budget also proposes to eliminate the state's share of cost (SOC) buyout for certain IHSS consumers whose Medi-Cal share of cost is higher than their IHSS share of cost. This would affect approximately 7,100 IHSS recipients, who will either see their monthly SOC increase or have to begin paying an SOC for the first time.
In addition, the Governor's revised budget proposes to further reduce the cost of the IHSS program by lowering the state's participation in provider wages to the minimum wage level of $8.00 per hour. If passed, provider wages in L.A. County would be reduced from the current level of $9.00 per hour to minimum wage unless the County decides to pay the difference out of local funds. Provider health benefits in L.A. County would not be affected.
If passed, all of the Governor's proposed cuts to the IHSS Program would go into effect on October 1, 2008.
In addition to IHSS, the Governor's proposal includes cuts to other programs that could impact the senior and disability communities, including
- The suspension of the SSI/SSP cost of living adjustments (COLAs) that are set to be implemented in October 2008 and June 2009.
- The elimination of the Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI) program. This program provides assistance to certain legal immigrants who are seniors or persons with disabilities for whom SSI benefits have been denied.
In order for the Governor's revised budget to be implemented, it must first be approved by both the California State Senate and Assembly. It is not known at this time if any or all of the Governor's proposed cuts will be included in the final state budget. More information will be forthcoming in the June edition of the PASC E-News and on the PASC website at www.pascla.org. |
| Propositions 98 and 99 |
| On June 3rd, two important ballot initiatives will be voted on that, if passed, could impact regulations related to eminent domain and rent control.
Proposition 98 - If passed, Proposition 98 will change eminent domain regulations to prevent state and local governments from taking private property for private uses (i.e., the construction of shopping centers, auto malls, etc). This will not impact the use of eminent domain in cases where state and local officials plan to use the land in question for public good (i.e., parks, schools, freeway expansion, etc.).
Proposition 98 would also prohibit state and local authorities from enacting rent control or similar measures and would repeal any such laws that have been implemented in the past. This would essentially eliminate rent control in cities such as Los Angeles over time.
Proposition 99 - If passed, Proposition 99 will implement changes to regulations related to eminent domain similiar to those in Proposition 98. However, Proposition 99 will not have an impact on rent control regulations.
For more information on Propositions 98 and 99, please visit the Legislative Analyst's Office's website at www.lao.ca.gov.
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| MTA Update: Proposed Bus Route Changes |
| In the April edition of PASC E-News it was reported that the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) was planning modifications of their bus services, including the cancellation of many bus lines due to low productivity, low ridership, and service duplication. These changes would have affected the IHSS Program significantly, because thousands of IHSS providers rely on public transportation to get to their consumer's home.
Metro has since rescinded many of the proposed changes to its services. Although some bus lines will still be modified or replaced by new Rapid Line services, the impact of Metro's changes on the IHSS community has been greatly reduced.
For more information on the proposed changes and the bus lines affected, call Metro's Customer Service at 800-464-2111. |
| Resource Spotlight: California Disability Community Action Network |
| The California Disability Community Action Network (CDCAN) provides news and general information on various issues related to the senior and disability communities via its website, e-mail alerts, and townhall teleconference meetings. This includes information on public policies, legislation, elections, and more.
For more information or to signup to receive their e-mail alerts, visit the CDCAN website at www.cdcan.us. |
| HICAP Medicare Counseling: How to Get Help |
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Do you need help understanding Medicare or navigating through the health care system? The Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) offers free individual counseling on issues such as
For more information, contact the L.A. County HICAP office at 800-824-0780 or visit their website at www.healthcarerights.org. |
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Resource Spotlight: Protection and Advocacy, Inc. |
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Protection & Advocacy, Inc. (PAI) is a public interest law firm which provides counseling and representation for persons with disabilities on a variety of legal issues. These include housing, transportation, employment, ADA compliance, IHSS appeals, and more.
PAI is funded by both federal and state grant monies and provides its services at no charge. For further information, contact PAI at 800-776-5746 or visit their website at www.pai-ca.org. |
| Do you have questions about PASC and the IHSS Program? Do you have suggestions for topics to be covered in the PASC E-News? Send your questions and suggestions to e-news@pascla.org. PASC E-News is designed for you to get the information that you need! |
| IHSS Consumer Forum |
On April 29th, PASC held its first IHSS Consumer Forum at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in Downey. We would like to thank all of the consumers and homecare providers who participated and helped to make the event a success. We would also like to thank the Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) and the co-facilitators of the meeting for their support in planning the forum and for their participation at the event.
A broad range of topics was discussed at the forum including protective supervision services, union deductions, respite care, increasing IHSS hours, and consumer abandonment. PASC and DPSS were able to address many issues during the meeting and were able to followup on several individual issues afterwards.
We are planning to have more forums throughout the county in the near future. Keep your eye on this newsletter for more information regarding future dates and locations. We hope to see you there! |
| Upcoming Trainings and Events
Click on training for more information |
For information on additional events, please visit the calendar section of our website at www.pascla.org.
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| PASC Legislation Watch
Click on bill for more information |
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