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| Update on Proposed Cuts to IHSS |
 In last month's edition of PASC E-News, we announced that the governor had proposed several cuts to state-sponsored programs, including over $500 million in cuts to IHSS, in order to fill part of a projected $24 billion budget gap for fiscal year 2009-2010. If these proposals are passed, many programs that serve children, seniors, and persons with disabilities will either see significant cuts to funding and services or face complete elimination. In early June, the Budget Conference Committee, which is a special joint committee composed of 5 members each from the State Assembly and the State Senate, reviewed the governor's proposals and made several proposals of their own to close the budget gap (see below). It is important to note that both the governor's and the committee's proposals remain just that at this time. In order to be implemented, the proposals must be passed by both the Senate and Assembly, and signed into law by the governor. It is not known how long this process will take or what the end results will be.
In addition, it has recently been announced that the state will be forced to suspend payments for certain services and programs until a budget solution has been reached. The announced payment suspensions will not have an impact on IHSS provider wages or the services that IHSS consumers currently receive. Providers, who are protected by the Fair Labor Standards Act, will continue to receive their paychecks, and consumers will continue to receive the services for which they are authorized. IHSS consumers who receive SSI/SSP will also continue to receive those payments, as they are administered by the federal Social Security Administration and not the State of California.
Summary of Proposed Cuts
Governor's Proposal - Eliminate or reduce IHSS services for consumers who have a functional index score of less than 4. (Referred to as the IHSS cost containment plan.)
Budget Committee's Response - The budget committee voted to not support this proposal.
Budget Committee's Proposal - Eliminate IHSS services for consumers who have a functional index score of 2.0 or below with an exemption for recipients with paramedical services or protective supervision, and for recipients receiving 120 or more hours of service per month.In addition, reduce hours for domestic and related services for consumers with a functional ranking (different from functional index score) for each individual service that is below 4. An estimated 10% (or about 40,000) of existing consumers would lose all or some of their services. If passed, the effective date would be September 1st.
Governor's Proposal - Eliminate domestic and related service hours for IHSS consumers who are not considered to have the highest level of need.
Budget Committee's Response - The budget committee voted to not support this proposal.
Budget Committee's Proposal - No committee proposal was made regarding this issue. However, the committee did propose cuts to domestic and related services in their version of the IHSS cost containment plan (see above).
Governor's Proposal - Eliminate the state's share of cost (SOC) buyout program for IHSS consumers who are not considered to have the highest level of need.
Budget Committee's Response - The budget committee voted to not support this proposal.
Budget Committee's Proposal - Require all persons who are currently in the SOC buyout program to pay 50% of the SOC that the state currently pays. This would be an average increase of $213 per month for almost 10,000 consumers. If passed, the effective date would be September 1st.
Governor's Proposal - Reduce state participation in IHSS worker wages to the minimum wage of $8.00/hour.
Budget Committee's Response - The budget committee voted to not support this proposal.
Budget Committee's Proposal - No committee proposal was made regarding this issue.
Governor's Proposal - Strengthen the IHSS Anti-Fraud Initiative by adding new positions and local assistance for the Department of Social Services and the Department of Health Care Services.
Budget Committee's Response - The budget committee voted to not support this proposal.
Budget Committee's Proposal - Use existing positions and initiatives in the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), continue the implementation of the existing IHSS Quality Assurance Initiative, and add 6 state positions for IHSS fraud investigation within DHCS resulting in a general fund savings of $40 million.
Governor's Proposal - Provide for a $699,000 increase for public authority administration due to caseload growth and other related adjustments.
Budget Committee's Response - The budget committee voted to not support this proposal.
Budget Committee's Proposal - Reduce public authority administration rates by 20%, resulting in a savings of $4.6 million.
Governor's Proposal - Eliminate the Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI) and the California Food Assistance Program.
Budget Committee's Response - The budget committee voted to not support this proposal.
Budget Committee's Proposal - Reduce payments to CAPI recipients to amounts that reflect proposed changes to SSI/SSP. If passed, the effective date would be October 1st.
Governor's Proposal - Reduce SSI/SSP benefit levels to the minimum level allowed by the federal government.
Budget Committee's Response - The budget committee voted to not support this proposal.
Budget Committee's Proposal - Reduce the SSI/SSP benefit levels to $845 per month for an individual and $1,407 per month for couples. If passed, the effective date would be October 1st.
Governor's Proposal - Eliminate state-only Medi-Cal services, including Medi-Cal sponsored adult day health care, dialysis, non-digestive nutrition, breast and cervical cancer treatment services, and ancillary health services provided in Institutions for Mental Disease.
Budget Committee's Response - The budget committee voted to support the governor's proposal to eliminate ancillary health services provided in Institutions for Mental Disease. The committee voted to not support the governor's proposals to eliminate other state-only Medi-Cal services.
Budget Committee's Proposal - No committee proposal was made regarding this issue.
In addition, the budget conference committee voted to support the governor's proposed cuts to regional centers, which provide services to individuals with developmental disabilities. However the committee voted to not support the governor's proposed elimination of the Multipurpose Senior Services, CalWORKs, and Healthy Families Programs. The committee's budget proposal does include significant cuts and reductions in services for these programs.
More information on these proposals and their status in the budget process will be published in the next edition of PASC E-News. Additional information on the proposed cuts can also be found at www.cbp.org or www.lao.ca.gov. Back to top |
| Reporting Abuse |
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IHSS providers are required to report incidents of abuse in the course of their work and are called "mandated reporters." The mandated reporter role is required of any person who has the responsibility of caring for a child, a dependent adult, or an elderly person.
 If you are a provider and suspect that a dependent adult or elder is being abused, you must file a report with Adult Protective Services by telephone and in writing. If it is suspected that a child is being abused, you must file a report with the Child Abuse Hotline and in writing. When making a report, it is important to include as much information as possible, including your name, address, phone number, and occupation. It is also necessary to include the suspected victim's name and address, any other individuals responsible for their care, the nature and extent of their condition, and any other helpful information.
Once a report is filed, a social worker will visit the suspected victim and investigate the reported incident. If it is determined that the person is in danger, the social worker will work with the individual to eliminate any danger to him/her.
A mandated reporter's failure to report abuse is punishable by law as a misdemeanor with a penalty of up to six months in prison, a $1,000 fine or both. Failure to report any abuse which leads to a victim's death or great bodily injury carries a penalty of up to one year in prison, a $5,000 fine, or both.
ADULT PROTECTIVE SERVICES: 800-992-1660
CHILD ABUSE HOTLINE: 800-540-1000
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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 you need! Note: If you do not wish to receive future editions or would like to update your profile with us, please scroll down to the bottom of this message and click on either " SafeUnsubscribe" or " Update Profile/Email Address". |
| General Relief Program |
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The General Relief Program (GR) is a county-funded program administered by the Department of Public Services (DPSS), which provides cash and supportive services to needy adults who do not qualify for any state or federal public assistance programs. The typical GR participant lives alone with no income or property and receives a maximum monthly cash grant of $221 ($374 for couples).
Emergency housing facilities are available for GR applicants who declare that they are homeless through the General Relief Housing Subsidy and Case Management Project. This project also provides up to $300/month in rental subsidies payable to the participant's landlord, and linkage to necessary supportive services needed to maintain housing, secure employment, or qualify for SSI benefits. The project also provides up to $500 in move-in cost assistance.
In addition, General Relief Opportunities for Work (GROW) assists employable GR participants to achieve self-support through employment. This program is required for all employable GR participants and includes job search and job skills classes, vocational assessment, and literacy programs. Participants in this program can only receive GR for nine months in any 12-month period.
If you think that you or someone you know might benefit from the General Relief Program, visit DPSS's website at www.ladpss.org to learn how to apply for benefits. |
| Stop the Junk Mail |
Are you tired of weeding through junk mail to get to the important correspondence you need? U.S. landfills get 5.6 million tons of junk mail annually. Here is a way to save your sanity and save the environment. To stop mailings from the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) write to: Mail Preference Service Direct Marketing Association P.O. Box 643 Carmel, NY 10512 (Please note you will be charged $1 to verify your credit card or checkbook identity and remove you.) To stop catalogues from Abacus, Inc., send an e-mail to optout@abacus-us.com or write to: Abacus, Inc. P.O. Box 1478 Broomfield, CO 80038 To stop "occupant" and "resident" flyers from Valassis call 888-241-6760 or write to: ADVO, Inc. Customer Assistance P.O. Box 249 Windsor, CT 06095 To stop Val-Pak blue envelopes from coming visit www.coxtarget.com or www.valpak.com or call 888-797-1896. You can also write to: Val-Pak Direct Marketing Systems 5605 Largo Lakes Drive Largo, FL 33773 To stop Publishers Clearinghouse from sending sweepstakes envelopes send an e-mail request to privacychoices@pchmail.com, call 800-645-9242, or write to: Consumer & Privacy Affairs Publishers Clearinghouse 382 Channel Drive Port Washington, NY 11050 To stop Reader's Digest sweepstakes materials call 800-310-6261 or write to Reader's Digest P.O. Box 50005 Prescott, AZ 96301-5005 To stop pre-approved credit card and insurance offers call 888-567-8688 or visit www.optoutprescreen.com. Notifying these groups may not stop all of the unwanted mail, but it's a good way to cut back and it may even help the environment. |
| Upcoming Trainings and Events
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For information on additional events, please visit the Calendar section of our website at www.pascla.org.
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Legislation Watch
Click on bill for more information |
| AB 378 (Cook) - IHSS Provider Training: This bill would require public authorities to develop and implement training standards for IHSS providers throughout the state.
AB 682 (Lowenthal) - IHSS Fraud: This bill would require the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to evaluate the implementation of provisions intended to combat fraud in the IHSS Program.
AB 1532 (Lieu) - IHSS Funding to Counties: This bill would make additional funding available to counties for the 2008-09 and 2009-10 fiscal years, to be used to supplement the level of county spending on IHSS in the 2007-08 fiscal year.
SB 142 (Maldonado) - IHSS Authorized Tasks: This bill would require the Department of Social Services to devise a method to ensure that an IHSS provider receives a list of approved tasks before working for an IHSS consumer.
SB 791 (Yee) - IHSS County Responsibilities: This bill would establish that the entity who administers IHSS provider health benefits in each county be the same entity that administers the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) and the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
HR 1670 (Davis - IL) - Community Choice Act of 2009: This federal bill would amend Title XIX of the Social Security Act to provide individuals with disabilities and older Americans with equal access to community-based attendant services and support, and for other purposes.
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