Of interest to home care workers and their clients
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Below are links to articles and news video covering subjects of interest to home care workers and their clients. Articles are ordered by date, starting with the most recent.
UDW Santa Barbara Member Honored:
Goleta's Bonnie Sanabia named Woman of the Year
March 10, 2010. Danta Barbara News Network
Ms. Sanabia is a Goleta resident who has also worked in electronics assembly and in the Santa Barbara County schools. She has been caring for her deaf, blind and handicapped 45 year-old son since his birth. While doing so, she raised three other children with her late husband. She is a member of United Domestic Workers Union/AFSCME Local 3930, which represents 2,400 In Home Supportive Services (IHSS) workers in Santa Barbara County. “The cost savings to the state from keeping folks out of institutions or long term care facilities should not be overlooked,” said Assemblymember Nava. “Strong women like Bonnie Sanabia are a California treasure, and we should honor and respect their service.”
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Lawmakers dragging feet on Olmstead decision
March 9, 2010. Denika Boardman. The Californian
Sometimes it seems like the longer the budget fight goes on, the less the needs of people with disabilities are understood. I think sometimes we even get in our own way. We decided to focus our budget campaign this year on the lack of implementation of the U.S. Supreme Court's Olmstead Decision of 1999. The public knows little to nothing about the Olmstead Decision and what it means to people with disabilities. Some of our legislators will be counting on that when it comes time to vote for a final budget. After all, if the public doesn't know about the Olmstead Decision how are they going to hold the Legislature accountable for not implementing it?...How can California say they are complying with Olmstead if they are cutting services to the bone? Surely, the governor can't say community services are being implemented while at the same time he is proposing to cut SSI/SSP, eliminate the In Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program and close Adult Day Health Care Centers.
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Time to Mobilize on State Budget Reform
March 8, 2010. Paul Hogarth. Beyod Chron.
The March 4th statewide education protests had their positive impact – sympathetic media attention on the plight of California's public schools. But education's not the only thing under siege – Schwarzenegger has eliminated state funding for public transit, as we see San Francisco's Muni collapse in front of our eyes. Health care has been slashed, and in-home supportive services are under assault. Anyone reliant on state government in any way is in crisis mode, as California is falling further down a cliff. Progressives have talked about getting rid of the “two-thirds rule” for years, but it must be done in a way that can win. And in this recession, voters won't make it easier for Sacramento to raise taxes – no matter how fair and well thought out they are. Voters only support taxes if they know they won't be paying them – which is why we should pass specific measures like the oil severance tax at the ballot box. As for getting rid of two-thirds for passing a state budget, the California Democratic Party has just made it easier to collect signatures – everyone must get involved now.
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Education Activists Need Strategy Beyond Marches - Mar 08
Beyond Chron - 5 hours ago ... Pelote's union, the California Federation of Teachers, and a coalition of labor and community groups are sponsoring a 260-mile “March for California's ...
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FEDS FILE SUIT TO BLOCK CA CUTS IN IN-HOME CARE FOR SENIORS & DISABLED
March 7, 2010 East County Magazine
(Washington D.C.) – The U.S. Justice Department filed an amicus brief Tuesday in the U.S. Court of Appeal supporting a lawsuit to block Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan to slash in-home care to 130,000 seniors and disabled people in California. The Obama administration, in the brief, argued that the cuts would violate the Americans with Disabilities Act which “prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in the provision of public services.” The cuts to the In-Home Supportive Services Program were intended to save the cash-strapped state $82.1 million this fiscal-year. The federal brief supports a lawsuit filed by Disabled Rights California, the National Senior Citizens Law Center, and other organizations. An injunction in a lower federal court has temporarily halted the state from making the cuts pending outcome of the litigation.
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Thousands protest California education cuts
Los Angeles Times - Mar 6, 2010 -
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Protesters March to Sacramento
KPSP Local 2 - Mar 6, 2010
Protesters from around California are marching 400 miles to Sacramento, in an effort to chang what they call the "grid-locked political system. ...
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Homecare cuts symptom of bigger problem
March 6, 2010. The Bakersfield Californian
As a long-time homecare provider here in Kern County, I have a personal and compelling interest in our state's serious budget problems. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed severely cutting or completely eliminating the In Home Supportive Services homecare program. This would deny care to nearly 400,000 low-income elderly, blind and disabled Californians, or force them into nursing homes, which would cost taxpayers far more. It would also throw nearly 400,000 low-wage homecare providers out of work, increasing the state's unemployment rate by almost 2 percent. Yet, as horrific and shortsighted as these cuts may be, they are merely symptoms of the greater crisis that all Californians are facing. For many of us, the California dream has become a nightmare.
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48 day march to Sacramento starts in Bakersfield
Bakersfield Now - James Koh - Mar 6, 2010
The march was organized by the California Federation of Teachers with the help of various other unions. Of their many goals, the group hopes to increase ...
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Will California Abandon In Home Caregivers and Seniors?
March 6, 2010. Bob DeMarco. Alzheimer's Reading Room
More than 426,000 low-income seniors and disabled citizens would lose the vital services...328,000 in-home caregivers would lose their jobs.... While I am reading this I am thinking, how can a wealthy state be so poorly managed that they find themselves in this position? ... The inability of our country leaders to sit down and come up with solutions to simple, easily identified health care problems is a good example that government is not the answer.
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250-Mile 'March For Califiornia's Future' Begins
AFL-CIO (blog) - James Parks - Mar 5, 2010
The march, sponsored by the California Federation of Teachers (CFT), AFSCME and a coalition of labor, education and faith groups, began in Bakersfield.
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Obama administration joins suit against in-home care cuts
March 5, 2010. Susan Ferriss. Capitol Alert, Sacramento Bee
The Obama administration has filed an amicus brief supporting a lawsuit against a state plan to cut or reduce subsidized in-home care to 130,000 seniors and disabled people in California. Attorneys with the U.S. Justice Department 's civil rights division filed the brief Tuesday in the U.S. Court of Appeal for the Ninth District . An injunction in a lower federal court stopped the state with going forward with its plan pending the outcome of a suit filed by Disabled Rights California , the National Senior Citizens Law Center and others. The Schwarzenegger administration appealed, saying officials had a right to reform the In-Home Supportive Services program. The changes were intended to save the state budget $82.1 million this fiscal year by cutting services to certain people based on an index measuring their mental and physical abilities.
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San Diego Professor Marches 400 Miles For Education
March 5, 2010. Ana Tinocalis. KPBS News
“Even the most self-interested person has to see the larger economic consequences of this. Cutting infrastructure and education is absolutely the worst thing to do for the future of the state's economy,” Miller said...Miller says he wants to focus on solutions, which he believes come in the form of progressive taxation, meaning as income goes up, taxes go up. “People say the worst thing is to raise revenue. But in fact, smart people who know something about the economy, they say that's precisely not the truth. That in fact is, it's better to raise revenue from corporations and or top brackets than to just cut, cut, cut,” Miller said. He hopes legislators hear that loud and clear as the group marches on Sacramento. Miller says the beauty of a march is that it can influence minds one step at a time.
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Guest Blogger: Why I'm Marching Against School Cuts
Posted: Thursday, March 4, 2010 9:26 am | Update d: 9:27 am, Thu Mar 4, 2010.
Jim Miller teaches English at San Diego City College and is the author of several books. His next novel, Flash, is forthcoming on AK Press. He also serves as the vice president of political action for the local chapter of the American Federation of Teachers. These are his views, not mine, so if you have comments, questions or counterarguments, please post them directly to the blog. -- EMILY ALPERT
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Appeals Court Rules State's Medi-Cal Cuts To Doctors Are Illegal
March 4, 2010. Kenny Goldberg. KPBS News
A federal appeals court decision could make it tougher for state lawmakers to make cuts to the Medi-Cal program. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the state can't make cuts in federally-required programs just to save money. Governor Schwarzenegger has tried to lower Medi-Cal payments to doctors and hospitals by 5 percent. He also wanted to cut in-home care workers pay by almost 20 percent. The appeals court says the state can't make those decisions without studying the effect on access to care. Attorney Stacey Leyton represents a union of in-home supportive services workers. "What this means is that in the future," said Leyton, "when the state is considering what kinds of Medi-Cal cuts or other cuts it wants to make, it can't put blinders on and ignore the impact that those cuts will have on low-income Medicaid recipients."
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Health Care Trumps Budget, Court Tells Calif.
March 4, 2010. Elizabeth Banicki. Courthouse News Service
(CN) - The 9th Circuit on Wednesday blocked California from cutting Medi-Cal payments to doctors and hospitals, and slashing the wages of workers providing in-home care for low-income, elderly and disabled residents in a push to balance the state's budget. In four separate rulings, the federal appeals court sided with health care providers fighting Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the state's attempts to address budget deficit woes by lowering Medi-Cal payments to doctors and hospitals by 5 percent, and cutting the wages of in-home care providers by nearly 20 percent. "We have repeatedly recognized that individuals' interests in sufficient access to health care trump the state's interest in balancing its budget," Judge Milan Smith, Jr. wrote for the Pasadena-based appellate panel. "We continue to do so here, especially in light of evidence in the record that suggests that reductions on providers' wages and benefits may have an adverse, rather than beneficial, effect on the state's budget."
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Court Rules Against State Cuts to Medi-Cal Rates, IHSS Wages
March 4, 2010. California Healthline
On Wednesday, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued four rulings that upheld previous court decisions blocking state budget cuts to Medi-Cal reimbursement rates and wages for In-Home Supportive Services workers, the Sacramento Bee 's " Capitol Alert " reports...Previous Cuts...Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and state lawmakers included the cuts in various budget packages during the past two years. However, temporary injunctions prevented them from taking effect (Yamamura, "Capitol Alert," Sacramento Bee , 3/3)...The scheduled cuts would have reduced Medi-Cal payments by 5% to adult day health care providers, hospitals and pharmacists. The Department of Finance estimates that the move would have reduced state spending by $117 million during the current fiscal year.
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Governor Wins Legal Victory on Line Item Vetoes, Loses One on Worker Wage Lawsuit
March 3, 2010. Marty Omoto. California Progress Report
The Schwarzenegger Administration won a clear legal victory today with the State Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruling 3 to 0 that his line item vetoes made to the revised 2009-2010 State Budget last July were constitutional. The case, St. John's Well Child and Family Center et al v. Schwarzenegger et al, is one of three different lawsuits seeking to overturn some or all of the Governor's line item vetoes made last July. The providers and advocacy organizations who filed the lawsuit expressed disappointment at the court's decision and said they are considering a possible appeal to the State Supreme Court. A copy of the 35 page opinion by Justice Anthony Kline can be downloaded from the CDCAN website at www.cdcan.us
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Demand for social services hits 12-year high
March 3, 2010. Joshua Sebold. Plumas County News
Plumas County Social Services Director Elliott Smart told the Plumas County Board of Supervisors his department received 300 applications for assistance in November, the largest number since 1997 ...Supervisor Lori Simpson asked Smart how Plumas compared to other counties in terms of people needing help because of the recession. Smart said his department compared its trends to the other 20 small counties in the state and thought Plumas was about average right now.At the end of the discussion, Plumas Crisis Intervention and Resource Center Director Dennis Thibeault addressed the board about his agency's work with the county's public health, mental health and social services departments.
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Stanislaus County Supervisors approve plan to save some jobs
March 3, 2010. Ken Carison. Modesto Bee
"... The county continues to suffer from declines in sales tax, vehicle license fees and other revenue. At the same time, the costs for aid programs such as In-Home Supportive Services are on the rise. County Supervisor Vito Chiesa was concerned the county has to cover a $2.6 million projected shortfall for the local supportive services program, which pays for home caregivers for disabled people. Because of the state's eligibility rules for supportive services, the growing program costs are beyond the county's control. Robinson said the governor and state legislators have tried to tighten access to the program while continuing to provide caregivers for people most in need. But the changes have been resisted in the courts.
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9th Circuit Court of Appeals Upholds Ruling Blocking Cut to State IHSS Worker Wages - Upholds Lower District Court
Order from Last June
March 3, 2010. California Disability Action Network
SACRAMENTO, CALIF (CDCAN) [Updated 03/03/2010 11:40 AM (Pacific Time)] - The US 9 th Circuit Court of Appeals today issued a decision that ruled against the Schwarzenegger Adminstration and upheld Federal District Court Judge Claudia Wilken's injunction that has blocked – since June 2009 – the reduction in the State's participation toward In-Home Supportive Services worker wages. The 9 th Circuit Court decision means the injunction – the court order that has blocked the cut from being implemented – remains in place.
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Why cut a humane, cost-effective state program?
February 24, 2010. Doug Moore. Modesto Bee
In your Feb. 14 editorial (" Limit in-home care; don't eliminate it "), you correctly pointed out that the In Home Supportive Services (IHSS) home re program is our state's fastest growing social service program. But you failed to explain why: It is humane. IHSS allows nearly a half-million low-income elderly, blind and disabled Californians to be cared for in the comfort and safety of their own homes by people they know and trust. It is obvious that most of them would choose that over nursing home care... It makes economic sense. Allowing people to remain in their own homes means that they and their caregivers contribute to the local economy... It reflects the growth of the elderly population in California. As our citizens grow older, we need to adapt our public services to meet their needs...more
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Characteristics of Vulnerability - IHSS County Data. Based on California’s 2010 Budget Cut Proposal
February 24, 2010. UCLA Study
"...Additionally in the “9 California Counties” graph, among those older adult IHSS recipients with a cognitive impairment, 86.5% will lose all of their paid caregiver hours. Similarly, 94% of those living alone, along with 90.9% of those who are unable to shop for their own food without substantial assistance, and 89.9% of those aged 80 and over will lose all their hours..."
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Court News: In-Home Caregivers & Felony Convictions
February 23, 2010. James Perry, Attorney.
An Alameda Superior Court judge decided this month not every felony conviction will disqualify you from helping the elderly or disabled. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger originally wanted to ban everyone with a felony record from working in the In-Home Supportive Services program (IHSS). As the law stands, workers are barred from the program for 10 years if they have been convicted of child abuse, elder abuse, or defrauding MediCal or any patient.
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Governor's budget threatens to gut in-home care
February 21, 2010. Dave Downy. The Californian
Officials say 'trial balloon' would cut off 84 percent of county clients
One of the casualties of Sacramento's chronic budget woes could be California's fastest-growing social program, and ripple effects would spread far and wide across Riverside County. Created as a tool to keep disabled and elderly people at home as long as possible, avoiding the larger expense of caring for them in nursing facilities, the In-Home Supportive Services program has 460,000 clients statewide. A little more than 17,000 of them are in Riverside County. Felice Connolly, a 70-year-old Homeland woman, has been receiving money from the state to care for her daughter for a dozen years. "I don't know what the logic is behind their thinking," Connolly said of state officials. "You'd throw all this population essentially into the street."
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Plugging the Holes in the California Lifeboat
February 19, 2010. Assemblymember Noreen Evans' Blog
I met today in my District Office with local advocates for the Children's Health Initiative. They came armed with some alarming numbers: If the Healthy Families program is eliminated, as proposed by the governor within the 2010-2011 budget, 80,769 children in the County of Riverside will lose their state-subsidized health care, 69,703 in San Bernardino County, 26,687 in Kern County, 23,076 in Fresno County, 80,451 in San Diego County, 90,143 in Orange County, and 242,660 in LA County. Further information available here.
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Study: Cuts would deny care to elderly, disabled
February 19, 200. Troy Anderson. Contra Costa Times
Without program, many would end up in nursing facilities or dying early By Troy
Hundreds of thousands of elderly and disabled Californians would lose vital home care and end up in nursing homes under a budget proposal from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, according to a new UCLA study. The governor's proposed cuts to the $5.5 billion In-Home Supportive Services program would turn back the clock on three decades of how society cares for the elderly and disabled, the analysis by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research said. The governor has proposed cutting about $950 million in state funding for the program, but the state also faces the potential loss of up to $2.5 billion in federal matching funds.
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Clients fear loss of in-home services
February 19, 2010. Santa Maria Times
When taxes are paid, there's a certain expectation that those hard-earned dollars will go to help children, the elderly, the disabled — the most vulnerable and helpless in our society. And yet, in an effort to close the state's estimated $20 billion deficit, one proposal is to take away Andrea Hylton's lifeline. Hylton is a 64-year-old Santa Maria resident with a multitude of debilitating mental and physical issues. She is also one of approximately 427,000 California residents with disabilities who could lose their state-funded caregiver if the state Legislature agrees with the governor's recommendation of cutting $1.8 billion from the program, according to a Santa Barbara County report.
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"Those who have the least get the least"
February 18, 2010. Ventura County Reporter
As California legislators, in the coming week, wrap up a special session that was called to discuss the governor's budget proposal, the state's poorest may be given the least consideration as programs geared toward their survival and stability seem headed for the chopping block. While it is commonplace to look at services that do not directly generate revenue, the long-term effects and socioeconomic impacts of such cuts do not appear to be seen as issues to be concerned about. As Ventura Councilman Neal Andrews said, “It is axiomatic in politics that those who have the least get the least.” Given that too many politicians listen mainly to those who can help fund their next campaigns, the poor just don't seem to stand much of a chance of having someone fight for them.
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Perfect Storm of Cuts to Close Budget Gap by Sacrificing Elderly, Children and Disadvantaged
February 17, 2010. Pacific Progressive
"Don't take this away from us," said Ora Lee Walker, an AltaMed client who uses the Adult Day Health Centers (ADHC) . "We will not have any place to go, we will sit at home alone," she continued. Ora spoke at a press conference for the Coalition of Orange County Community Clinics (COCCC) on February 16, 2010. ..Two thirds of the clients have three or more chronic conditions (diabetes, cardiac problems, dementia are examples). 39% of the clients take six or more medications. And 75% need assistance with basic daily care. The people served by ADHC are the most frail and vulnerable of the elderly population. In Home Supportive Services (IHSS) is not a substitute for ADHC because the programs are different. ADHC provides medical support to keep people out of nursing homes. IHSS provides support with cooking, housekeeping, trips to doctor, but does not provide medical support. Felix Schwarz, Executive Director of the Health Care Council of Orange County , explained ADHC this way, "If you have a family member with dementia, they can go to day care so you can go to work. If there is no center for them to go to, you either can't work or you need to abandon your senior."
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No Place To Go: Even Severely Disabled Seniors Would Lose In-Home Care Under Proposed State Budget Cuts
February 17, 2010. UCLA Newsroom
California's Lack of Nursing-Home Beds Would Leave Elderly With Few Options
Despite claims that proposed state budget cuts to programs that provide in-home care to disabled senior citizens will not affect those with the highest level of need, a new analysis by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research finds that even severely disabled seniors will experience a total loss of services. Specifically, an analysis of data provided by nine California counties found that nearly 87 percent of senior citizens with cognitive impairments such as Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia would lose all of their paid caregiver hours under the proposed cuts. Similarly, 91 percent of seniors who are unable to shop for their own food without "substantial" assistance would lose all services.
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Related Policy Paper, February, 2010: Budget Proposals Turn Back Clock 30 Years in Long-Term Care Services for California Seniors
State loses billions to tax exemptions
February 15, 2010. Jim Miller. Press Enterprise
SACRAMENTO - California is losing billions of dollars in potential revenue through various tax credits, exemptions and deductions at the same time lawmakers have approved deep spending cuts to address the state's enormous budget problems. From no sales tax on tractor purchases to special business-friendly zones in San Bernardino and elsewhere, tax-benefit programs total more than $40 billion in lost general fund revenue in the current budget year and almost $43 billion in the next one, according to the most recent estimate by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's Department of Finance.
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Proposed State Budget Makes Severe Cuts to Senior Programs
February 15, 2010. Senior Spectrum
Already reeling state-funded senior service programs in California are going to take additional hits, according to a newly-released fact sheet analyzing senior-related program reductions contained in the 2010-2011 California state budget proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Jan. 8...The proposed reductions significantly affect programs that currently serve California's senior population and include cuts to the In-Home Supportive Services program (IHSS), elimination of the Adult Day Health Care (ADHC) program and reductions to the Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payment (SSI/SSP). “Shoring up the state's ever-increasing budget deficit is undoubtedly a top priority,” analyzed Dr. Bruce Chernof, president and CEO of The SCAN Foundation. “However, the proposed cuts have the potential to eliminate long-standing programs that provide the state's growing senior population with critical services to remain independent in the community.”
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Budget Cuts Threaten In-Home Care Program
February 15, 2010. Martin Espinoza. Press Democrat
In better days, George Peinado skillfully wielded a paring knife, mixing spoon and frying pan in such places as the Beverly Hills Hotel and the Original Pantry Cafe in Los Angeles. A proud first-generation American who grew up in a working-class Mexican family in South Pasadena, Peinado, 70, now lives in a mobile home just north of Graton — with Parkinson's disease and a caregiver. Sitting in a wheelchair, Peinado clumsily wipes saliva from the corner of his mouth as he bitterly describes the things he can and cannot do. “My hands don't work,” he said. “I can brush my teeth but not shave. I can use a fork but not a knife.” There are other things he cannot do, things he describes with frustration and, inevitably, with a string of expletives
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Family concerned about life post-Lanterman
February 14, 2010. Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
POMONA - The announcement of the possible closure of Lanterman Developmental Center, a 24-hour residential care facility that serves people with developmental disabilities, has caught Renee and Ron Stein off guard. "It was like someone punched me in the stomach," Renee Stein said. "Just last week they told us `No way, that's not even an option."' Citing a declining population and deteriorating infrastructure, Terri Delgadillo, director of the Department of Developmental Services, said that, if approved by the Legislature, the center would begin the closure process no earlier than July....when a person comes out of a developmental center, the cost of taking care of them is split between the DDS, Medi-Cal, and In-Home Supportive Services. All together, it still amounts to about a third of what the state has to allocate to take care of them at a developmental center, Jones said. Ron Stein understands what it means to balance a budget - he just doesn't want it done at his son's expense. "We are going to fight closing of Lanterman," Ron Stein said. "You give all this money to people who are here illegally yet we have people who were dealt these problems at birth and we want to take away their services."..
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In-home Services Challenged
February 12, 2010. KPBS
JOANNE FARYON (Host): There are more allegations this week about the misuse of funds for a social program that helps the disabled and elderly. In-home care is a five billion dollar program that helps with day-to-day living – chores like housekeeping, personal care, and grocery shopping. The latest scandal involves making payments to dead people. Are the allegations true or is the state on a mission to discredit the program – a program the Governor says he no longer wants to pay for. Amita Sharma has been covering the story and she joins me now. Hello Amita. AMITA SHARMA (KPBS News): Hello Joanne. FARYON: So let's begin with this latest set of allegations that people who no longer are living were receiving payments. Is it true?
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Schwarzenegger loses fight on felon caregivers
February 12, 2010. San Francisco Chronicle.
OAKLAND -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had no legal authority to disqualify everyone with a felony record from working in the program that provides in-home care to 430,000 low-income elderly and disabled Californians, a judge ruled Thursday. State law bars workers from the program for 10 years if they have been convicted of child abuse, elder abuse or defrauding Medi-Cal or any patient, said Judge David Hunter of Alameda County Superior Court. Outside of people in that category, in-home patients can employ anyone they want, Hunter said. He said Schwarzenegger's broader ban, covering any past felony conviction, exceeded his powers. Schwarzenegger's restrictions took effect Nov. 1 but were suspended Nov. 24 by another judge's restraining order. That order expired Jan. 29, but the state has refrained from enforcing the ban while awaiting Hunter's ruling, said Lizelda Lopez, spokeswoman for the Department of Social Services.
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A Government of One: Arnold as a Failed Dictator
February 12, 2010. Brian Leubitz. Caletics
"...Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had no legal authority to disqualify everyone with a felony record from working in the program that provides in-home care to 430,000 low-income elderly and disabled Californians, a judge ruled Thursday.( SF Chronicle ) The actual law states that felons are ineligible for ten years. You can see why this regulation is in place. These are people who are vulnerable, and we want them to steer clear of possible con artists and all that. But Arnold's recent stunt of cutting off all convicted felons has nothing to do with that. Rather, it's some sort of crazy budget issue. He's trying to save money by firing any IHSS workers who currently have a client and have a criminal record, and then hoping that they won't be able to find a replacement for a while. You know, save a few bucks while the disabled person has no care and has to go looking.
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Families face harsh choices if California's adult day centers close
February 11, 2010. Anita Creamer . Sacramento Bee
The state's red ink has become personal for the Chavarria family of Knights Landing, whose patriarch, Santiago, could easily end up in a nursing home if Medi-Cal funding for his adult day health center gets chopped. ...The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office has recommended that the state Legislature adopt the proposal, even though doing so would lead to some adult day health clients enrolling instead in the embattled In-Home Supportive Services program.
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Evans lambasts DPH for “unilateral” cuts to Every Woman Counts
February 11, 2010. Malcolm Maclachlan. Capirol Weekly
The war of words between the administration and the chair of the Assembly budget committee continued on Monday, with allegations that the administration acted without authority in making cuts to a program that provides breast cancer screening and other services to low-income women...The dispute is yet another chapter in a larger battle between Evans and the administration, with the budget chair accusing various departments under the governor with misleading tactics. For instance, Evans recently took on the Department of Social Services for what she said were late and confusing guidelines from the Department of Social Services to providers and county administrators of the In-Home Supportive Services program.
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Budget pain: Cutting vital programs misses the human element
February 11, 2010. Capitol Weekly
The Senate budget hearings this week mark the beginning of Sacramento's annual ritual of budget warfare, with lawmakers blaming each other and the federal government for cuts to important services. But what should not get lost in this blame game over budget priorities is the effect these cuts will have on real people. After several years of cuts to vital services, lawmakers in favor of cuts will try to gloss over the consequences of their actions and emphasize the budget's bottom line in their arguments, but their cuts to human service programs such as CalWORKs and IHSS will have real consequences for struggling Californians. Cuts to important support services will significantly impact the quality of life for working families -- families like Steve and Linda in Sonoma County.
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The governor's poor priorities
Februqry 11, 2010. Forest Harlan. Chico News Review
Cutting programs now will cost more later - On Jan. 8, Gov. Schwarzenegger released his proposed state budget. In it, he proposed to kill off the In-Home Supportive Services program that serves the needs of our low-income, severely disabled and senior citizens by providing them with care in their own homes. The governor claims to be forced into making these draconian cuts while avoiding any disquieting talk of revenue enhancement or taxes. He claims to be interested in saving the taxpayers' money. But, the truth is that In-Home Supportive Services keeps people in their homes for one-fifth of the cost of institutional care settings.
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Calif. Counties Challenge State Controller on IHSS Overpayments
Febraury 10, 2010. KPBS
California counties say State Controller John Chiang's report on overpayments to dead people in an in-home care program is way off base. San Diego County officials said last week the controller's review of alleged over-payments here was faulty. Controller Chiang reported that in 2008, San Bernardino County paid out $534,000 to people in IHSS who were listed as dead. But San Bernardino's own review found $17,000 in such payments. The controller said tiny Plumas County made $1,500 in overpayments based on death match data. But that county says its records show zero payments to dead people. Frank Mecca of the County Welfare Directors Association says the controller's errors were not limited to these examples. "Based on our sort of back of the envelope talking to counties, we think that they could be wrong in excess of 80 or 90 percent," says Mecca. Mecca says the controller could have learned of his mistakes before they were made public. But Chiang had told counties his review was not an audit and there would be no written report.
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Reader Commentary: Response To
IHSS Overpayment To 'Deceased Persons'
February 8, 2010. S. Carpenter. Public CEO.com
Unless a Provider of I.H.S.S. services actually forges a time sheet due to not reporting that their recipient died, there is no way a Provider can be paid for services to a dead person. Every two weeks, here in Yolo County of California, the Provider must bring a fresh time sheet to the recipient to be signed and dated by BOTH of them. Without the signature of the recipient, the Provider will not be paid. If a time sheet is turned in without the recipient's signature, it is returned to the Provider with a note that they need to obtain the signature of the recipient. Obviously, if the recipient has died, they will not be able to sign. Therefore, again, this supposed 'fraud' could be traced to forged signatures.
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What is the Real Goal of Fraud Investigations?
February 6, 2010. Abby Jean. Feminists With Disabilities
"..The only area of program funding that has increased is fraud detection, with a grant of $26.5 million to counties to engage in fraud detection. That's the equivalent of approximately 3 million service hours at the current rate of pay... But there has been a lot of research on IHSS fraud in the past, and it simply does not seem to be very prevalent: an audit released last year (pdf link) found a fraud rate of only 1% in the program. A recent program in Sacramento turned up similarly low levels of program fraud : “The Sacramento County District Attorney, who received more than $3 million from the state for anti-fraud efforts, reported last week that after four months her office had uncovered a total of 19 cases of fraud out of more than 42,000 homecare clients in the County.” That's a rate of 0.04%..."
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Budget cuts endanger In-Home Supportive Services
Feb 6, 2010. James Koren. Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Frances Deeds' arthritis has made it difficult to cook, clean or even stand up for too long. "I can't walk around very much," said Deeds, 88, who lives in Upland. "I don't think I could use the vacuum cleaner, to tell you the truth. And I definitely couldn't strip the sheets off the bed."For those and other chores and errands - going to the grocery store or doctor's office, opening mail, writing checks - Deeds depends on home-care worker Olga Marquez, who comes by her apartment for a few hours each weekday. But Deeds and more than 18,000 other San Bernardino County residents could lose their home care in June if the state Legislature approves budget cuts proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
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California Budget Crisis Cuts Close to the Bone
February 4, 2010. New American Media
Ironically, those cuts would come at a time when Californians need the programs most. A new report released this week from the non-profit, California Budget Project, Proposed Budget Cuts Come at a Time of Growing Need, argues that California's economy hasn't been weaker since the Great Depression. The 12-page report notes that Californians are ill-equipped to weather the cuts the governor is proposing.
The Golden State has lost more than a million jobs since the recession began, and it continues to lose tens of thousands of jobs every month.
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A Big 5 Power Grab: A bad way to make budgets
February 4, 2010. Jovan Agee. Capitol Weekly
"Lost amid all the concern about the budget crisis facing California is a fundamental and dangerous shift in the way the state budget is created.... Unfortunately, instead of its traditional role as an arbiter, the Big 5 is now being used to circumvent the budget process and exclude input from other legislators and knowledgeable stakeholders... Despite the fact that this budget affected every California citizen and involved tens of billions of dollars in spending, there was no opportunity for fact-checking or for real discussion or debate..."
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S.D. County Blasts State Controller On
In-Home Supportive Services Review
February 3, 2010. KPBS.
State Controller John Chiang says San Diego County made $539,000 in questionable payments in 2008 to In-Home Supportive Services clients or employees who were listed as dead. Pam Smith, who runs San Diego's program, disputes those findings and she says she can't figure out why Chiang is generating doubt about In-Home Supportive Services. "Frankly, we were very surprised, alarmed and perplexed by why they did this," Smith said. "And we are not aware of any case in this period of time where we have continued to pay a provider after the client had passed away."
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IHSS Community: Protect Your Rights, Protect Yourselves
January 3, 2010. Senetor Noreen Evans Blog
Nancy Riley is the long-time in-home care provider for Michael Condon, a Vietnam veteran who was recently interrogated and threatened at his home by an armed state investigator questioning his IHSS benefits. This alarming incident demands a thorough investigation and I encourage anyone with a similar experience to report it immediately. Legislation adopted last year calls for unannounced home visits to investigate suspected fraud. However, the legislation also required the Department of Social Services (DSS) to develop protocols for these visits. These protocols have not yet been developed, so it was a big surprise to find out that unannounced visits have already begun with no guidance in place to protect anyone involved. It was also a surprise to find out that the Department plans to purchase Polaroid cameras to photograph IHSS recipients.
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Community column: State must avoid Groundhog Day syndrome
January 3, 2010, The Californian.
The state budget has everyone using the phrase "Groundhog Day." It's California's Groundhog Day, they exclaim. Their tone is one of humor tinged with exasperation. They aren't referring to the national holiday in which a large rodent is supposed to predict the length of the seasons, but instead to the Bill Murray film in which he re-lives a bad day. The point being that California is just re-living all of the same budget problems. The message: Here we go again.
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A Wake of Death and Destruction
January 3, 2010. Brian Leubitz. California Progress Report
When Arnold came to Sacramento, riding a populist wave that was based, in substantial part, to a populist anti-tax message, he promised to "blow up the boxes." In the 6+ years since then, not only did he dig a deeper hole in the budget with his "car tax" cut, but he also managed to further mangle an already broken system. But structural concerns pale in comparison to the toll in lives that we may face in the next few years if something substantial isn't done to curb his recent budget plan. One key item that will send the state reeling? The in-home support services (IHSS) cuts. Arnold's current plan is that if the state gets a bunch of money from the feds, he'll cut 87% from IHSS. If the state gets nothing, he'll completely eliminate IHSS. The depth of the tragedy this would entail is really quite hard to imagine.
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Editorial: In-home services a cruel target
February 2, 2010. San Luis Obispo Tribune
"With the state of California once again looking at a multibillion-dollar shortfall, more painful budget cuts are inevitable. But when a budget “fix” winds up costing more than it saves, the idea should be quickly abandoned. Case in point: In-Home Supportive Services. Clearly, the program is worthwhile from a fiscal standpoint and a humanitarian one. Yet Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is once again targeting it for draconian budget cuts that would have devastating consequences. For starters, the governor wants to reduce the amount of the state's contribution toward caregivers' wages. In San Luis Obispo County, that could mean that wages for IHSS caregivers would drop to $8 per hour, from the current $10.
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How Low We've Sunk
February 1, 2010. Steve Mehlman. California Progress Report
A homecare provider from San Diego told legislators yesterday how she and her client--a quadriplegic Vietnam veteran--were threatened and harrassed by a fraud investigator from the state. Nancy Jo Riley of San Diego testified that she and her client were "randomly selected" for a fraud investigation last October as part of a new "anti-fraud" initiative by the state. According to Ms. Riley, the agent from the Department of Health Care Services (DCHS) first threatened in a phone call to cut off all IHSS unless she and her client met with him immediately...The Sacramento County District Attorney, who received more than $3 million from the state for anti-fraud efforts, reported last week that after four months her office had uncovered a total of 19 cases of fraud out of more than 42,000 homecare clients in the County.
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In-home services to get support from Board of Supervisors
February 1, 2010. San Luis Obispo Tribune
Board of Supervisors to sign memo that will keep care workers in place for 1,700 residents. - The more than 1,700 county residents who receive care through In-Home Supportive Services will soon have a little more certitude about their futures, as the county prepares to sign a memo of understanding that will keep care workers in place through June 2011. Workers will receive their current wage of $10 an hour under the proposal that comes before the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. The workers are represented by the United Domestic Workers of America and have been without a contract since July 1. In-Home Supportive Services serves disabled individuals who would face going into an institution if the program did not exist, according to Lee Collins, the county's director of Social Services.
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Safety net is shredding for cerebral palsy patient
February 1, 2010. Susan Ferriss. Sacramento Bee
Helen O'Connell can't fathom why Medi-Cal will no longer pay to have her teeth fixed unless she moves into an institution. "It's not fair, and it doesn't make sense," she said. O'Connell rents an apartment in Sacramento, where she struggles daily against the advance of the cerebral palsy she's had since childhood. She once was able to walk with braces, and got married and had a son. At 49, she's alone now, and although she's in a wheelchair, she works hard to keep her hands as flexible and strong as possible by painting and sculpting clay. "I'm in a disabled world," O'Connell said, "trying to make it in an able-bodied world."
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