Earlier this year UDW and working people across the country stood up and successfully stopped multiple health care repeal bills. We protected IHSS and Medicaid from cuts that would harm our clients and loved ones. The message sent to Congress was millions of voices strong: Protect Medicaid. Don’t cut our care.
Now they need to hear our voices again. Congress is working to pass a federal budget and a new health care repeal legislation that would make even worse cuts to Medicaid and home care in California. The new legislation is being rushed through Congress to beat a September 30 deadline. We must stop it before then.
The new proposal, known as Graham-Cassidy, will make devastating cuts to the overall Medicaid program which partially funds IHSS. In addition, the proposal will allow states to get rid of important consumer protections and essential health benefits and undermine or eliminate protections for people with pre-existing conditions. All of this adds up to potentially devastating impacts for disability services and home care in our state.
California stands to lose $35 billion per year, even more than under previous ACA repeal proposals, because Graham-Cassidy deliberately shifts resources from large, densely-populated states that embraced and implemented the ACA, to smaller, more sparsely-populated states that did not. States like California, New York, Maryland, and Massachusetts that were successful in enrolling millions of people in the marketplace and on Medicaid would face disproportionately larger cuts – intentionally and explicitly. For more information on the threats posed by Graham-Cassidy, click here.
Call your members of Congress today 1-866-584-5792 and tell them to VOTE NO on Graham-Cassidy and on any budget or legislation that cuts Medicaid.
We must protect home care and the programs that our clients and loved ones rely on.
Take action to save home care
Right now members of Congress are trying to repeal the health care bill, putting IHSS in serious danger.
- It would cut $400 million from IHSS — meaning less care for our clients and loved ones
- It would phase out health care coverage for one third of UDW caregivers
- It would repeal the Affordable Care Act and put caps on federal funding for Medicaid/IHSS, which will lead to future cuts to the program as a result of less federal funding
We can’t let this happen! Call 1-866-584-5792 TODAY and tell your Congress member to vote NO on the health care repeal bill.
Click here to read more about how capping Medicaid will impact IHSS providers and recipients.
Protect Our Care
This year UDW caregivers have vowed to fight, protect, and win for our clients and each other. Congress is threatening to make cuts to our health care and home care while anti-home care groups like the Freedom Foundation are trying to weaken our union.
But we will not back down, because we know we are stronger together. Click here to read UDW member Terry Walker-Dampier’s moving story about the importance of protecting our care.
Join us on March 28th at 3 pm for a special telephone town hall to discuss these issues and more! RSVP today at www.udwa.org/rsvp.
And be sure to call 1-866-584-5792 to tell Congressional Representative to protect the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid!
Overtime and workweek violations
Last year, the state implemented a system to penalize IHSS providers with violations when we exceed overtime and workweek limits. These violations are costly to providers and our clients, so UDW encourages all providers who have received notice of a second violation to review the training materials that came enclosed and return the certification form to CDSS. Remember, providers who receive a third violation will be suspended from IHSS for three months, and providers who receive a fourth violation face a one-year termination from the program.
Click here for more information about correctly completing your timesheet and about overtime and workweek rules violations.
If you haven’t already, return SOC 846 by April 29th
The deadline to sign and return the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) Program Provider Enrollment Agreement (SOC 846) is April 29th. If you became an IHSS provider before February 1, 2016, and you have not returned the form to your local county office, make a plan to do so as soon as possible.
Providers who do not return SOC 846 by the deadline will no longer be eligible to work as IHSS caregivers as of July 1, 2017. Click here for more information, and a copy of SOC 846.
Statement from UDW Executive Director Doug Moore in response to executive actions against immigrant families, Muslims, and refugees
“We are disappointed and concerned about President Trump’s decision to follow through on divisive campaign promises that target immigrants, refugees, and Muslims.
Increasing deportations, building a wall, and banning people from Muslim countries from entering the U.S. will not keep us safer. But they will tear our families apart, and fan the flames of hate and fear. […] We should be building bridges, not walls.”
Read UDW’s full statement here: http://www.udwa.org/2017/01/udw-executive-director-doug-moores-response-executive-actions-immigrant-families-muslims-refugees
