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GOV. SCHWARZENEGGER UNDERMINES CRUCIAL HOME CARE PROGRAM

Freezes funding for personal care and domestic services to more than 378,000 low-income Californians with disabilities, the elderly, and blind--Delays a planned cost of living increase for SSI/SSP recipients.

By Ryan Rauzon

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today ignored the voices of Californians who are elderly and have disabilities, their home care workers and advocates and proposed a devastating state funding freeze, which will lock in low wages for home care workers and make it harder for the people who need long term services to find and keep good workers. . The freeze would cap state sharing in In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) home care worker wages and benefits and shift even more financial responsibility to counties. The Governor’s proposal would triple county costs to maintain the program and put a chill on collective bargaining for the workers, which takes place at the county level.

Using the analogy of the three-legged stool, there are three legs to funding for IHSS program: state, federal and county revenues. The Governor's proposal would break off one of the legs of that three-legged stool, causing instability to the entire program.

The Governor’s spending proposal also takes away cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) to those extremely low-income Californians who receive cash assistance under the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and State Supplementary Payment (SSP) programs. SSI/SSP recipients currently live off monthly stipends of $850 for individuals and $1,494 for couples.

IHSS provides home care for more than 378,000 low-income people with disabilities, the elderly, and blind, and saves taxpayers millions of dollars by eliminating the need for costly long-term care institutions.

“Governor Schwarzenegger has failed to protect the needy, blind, disabled and aged in our communities, and has shown a total disregard for what should be a top priority of California lawmakers,” said Herb Meyer, an IHSS consumer and Chair of the Marin Public Authority Governing Board. “To deny those in need in the name of fiscal restraint is the height of hypocrisy, and shameful for any leader, but especially desperate for a Governor who claims to want to help Californians find the health care they deserve.”

“For the third straight year the Governor has failed to provide the basic cost of living for blind, aged and disabled persons. But this time is the worst, since he promised to provide it and then reneged on his promise. Can we trust his word on anything?” said Michael Herald, a legislative advocate with the Western Center on Law and Poverty.

The Legislative Analyst’s Office analysis suggests that the Governor’s funding freeze would produce long-term problems, making it difficult to retain quality home care workers. Approximately 35 percent of IHSS workers receive health insurance through their employer under collective bargaining agreements between their County Public Authority and their union. This number would drop if lawmakers approve Schwarzenegger’s state funding freeze.

“This Governor has failed to see that freezing state funding for home care workers’ wages and benefits means fewer people with access to health insurance,” said Bernadette Lynch, President of the California Association of Public Authorities. “It’s a complete and total contradiction to his proposal to provide universal access to health care for all Californians.”

“Why is Governor Schwarzenegger still trying to balance the budget by freezing home care providers’ wages and benefits? How can he make the claim he is trying to be fiscally responsible when he is threatening to destabilize a program that saves the state millions, if not billions, of dollars compared to nursing home costs. If the Governor was truly trying to be fiscally responsible he would shift his focus away from these types of cuts and focus on ways to capture available federal funding to ensure the stability and success of the IHSS program,” said Jovan Agee Political and Legislative Director of United Domestic Workers of America/AFSCME.

Home care workers are hired by consumers themselves—people with disabilities, the elderly and the blind—to help attend to their personal care needs, such as feeding, bathing, dressing, house cleaning, laundry and grocery shopping assistance.

"When you attack home care workers, you attack the people they assist every day. The lives of these Californians, who struggle to survive in this high-cost state on minimal incomes, should always be a top priority for California lawmakers overseeing state spending," said Tyrone Freeman, Chair of the California Homecare Council and President of SEIU United Long-Term Care Workers’ Union.

The Legislative Analyst’s Office has estimated that annual spending on each IHSS recipient is $9,924. When the state pays for a person in a nursing home, that costs about $55,000 a year. The IHSS program is a cost-effective part of California’s long-term care system, enabling thousands of Californians - including seniors and persons with disabilities - to stay out of nursing homes other institutions.

“It is difficult to believe that the Governor should have such a complete lack on understanding about how difficult it will be for IHSS workers as a result of frozen wages and lack of healthcare benefits,” said Joan Lee with the Gray Panthers California. “If he could live for just one week in their shoes, he would see things differently and revise his proposals.”

Activists are also very concerned about the Supplemental Security Income / State Supplementary Payment, the SSI/SSP program, which is the sole source of money for living expenses for 1.3 million disabled persons and seniors. The revised budget proposal would suspend the state portion of the SSI/SSP Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA), $184.7 million, but would pass though the COLA from the SSI (federal) portion.

“We have lobbied the Governor continuously about his cuts and funding freezes, and he continues to ignore our pleas,” said John Wilkins, an IHSS consumer and SSI/SSP recipient in Fresno County. “He of all people should know that California is a generous and prosperous state that has no excuse not to provide modest care to those in need. Does he really think that poor elderly Californians don’t need their skimpy Cost of Living Allowance and the State needs it more? ”

“We are disgusted that a Governor who prides himself as a caring man would block modest cost-of-living adjustments for the elderly, disabled and blind,” said Bill Young, an IHSS consumer in Sacramento County. “Why does he think it’s okay for the state to walk away from its obligation to help pay decent wages and health benefits to workers who provide care to the disabled, elderly, and blind in their own homes – while he is recommending yet another year of rate increases for nursing homes?. The state should be building up, not tearing down, its IHSS program. The US Supreme Court told the states in 1999 that they have to provide services to people in their communities and that’s just what IHSS does. We will continue to do everything in our power to work with the Legislature to repair what the Governor aims to dismantle.”

“Legislative leaders who represent California have objected to the Governor’s antics and took action in April to reject the freeze on state funding for IHSS wages and benefits. He seems to have reverted to his persona as a playground bully, which is the only way to explain why he’s pushing for these cuts,” said Bill Powers, Vice President of California Alliance for Retired Americans. “Our public tax dollars are best used helping those who need some modest help to stay in their own homes and communities. And yet our Governor has opted to hurt those least able to fight him. It’s simply disgraceful.”

"The Governor's plan to cut In-Home Supportive Services is short-sighted, expensive, and undermines all attempts to build a sustainable California Olmstead Plan," said Teresa Favuzzi, Executive Director of the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers, referring to the landmark Supreme Court interpretation of the "Americans with Disabilities Act," which decided that people with disabilities have a right to receive care in the most integrated setting appropriate and that unnecessary institutionalization is in violation of federal law.

Ryan Rauzon is the representative of a coalition on behalf of the disabled, elderly, and the blind. He has served as Deputy Press Secretary for Assembly Speakers Herb Wesson and Robert H. Hertzberg.

Posted on May 14, 2007

Comments

Schwarzenegger have also undermined California's Injured Workers with his signature reform SB899. Similar to the Bush republicans, workers got the short end of the stick in this SB899 reform, while the HAVES keeps on having and the workers rights get swept away under the rug. In this case the Rug is the WORKERS COMP INSURANCE profitable reforms and insurance deregulation tactical advantages.

Workers Comp System has been studied to death, literally by this administration, buying profitable time to enrich the insurance industry while the injured workers suffered and gets shortchanged, since this mission accomplish reform SB899 took effect.

The first major mistake in the Governator's reform is appointing a crony into the workers comp system, Andrea Hock to take on a project that requires a great deal of competence which today have been proven that Ms. Hock lacked.

The second major mistake allowing Ms. Hock device an unsubstantiated method of calculating PDRS (Permanent Disability Rating System). A system that went in effect enriching the insurance company and resulting into an unjust significant reductions of the permanently disabled's benefits.

Despite the plea of those who knew better, the experts, the actuaries, the accountants, the mathematicians, the scientist of insuring, and attorneys, who collectively in experiences and academic achievements far exceeds those in total and in intellectual capacities of those who run our government, Ms. Hocks and the Governor ignored the advice of these scholars and did what they were told anyway. Since the lessons of profit gains outweigh logic. OUR loss were their gains.

It is nearly four years of outcry for justice by the injured workers and their advocates, since the the reform took effects.

Many injured workers have died, committed suicide, suffered in horror and disbelief that their limbs and their souls went as they lost their homes and respect, and/or went mad as a result of SB 899 while the employer reap the greater benefits of lowered premium and while the CEO of insurance companies laugh their way to the bank, raking in billions of dollars only to find out today that the Court ruled:

Judge Jacqueline C. Duncan concluded that permanent disability regulations issued by the state in January 2005 violated a law that the business community considers the signature achievement of Schwarzenegger's first term.

Posted by: PDRS violation at May 15, 2007 12:46 AM

As one dead CHO described it best. "deceitful Charlatans".

Schwarzenegger keep on rating in the campaign money, while beside him Assembly Speaker Nunez infamous grin of support, star structed or perhaps strucked with a brick thick of campaign money where the buck stops, must go beyond this scheme by pushing and extending the "term limits" along with the "redistricting". Waging more money and more money, this time from the Health Care lobbyist at the expense of public and social interest.

WHO THE HELL are THEY trying to kid, this time?

Do your homework California before the tragedy hits home, because many are not doing theirs in our Capitol in Sacramento. They just eating-up the cookies in the cookie jar without asking "may I?"

There must be accountability! WE ARE NO FOOL's fool.

Posted by: Calif Wiseguys at May 15, 2007 01:14 AM

Why is Governor Schwarzenegger still trying to balance the budget by freezing home care providers’ wages and benefits?

Maybe we should call it BALANCING THE BUCKET. the bucket with holes like swiss cheese.

Posted by: picture it at May 15, 2007 01:22 AM

The Governor's May Revise is a double slam against the edlery and people with disabilities. The proposed freeze on state sharing in IHSS wages will ultimately make it more difficult for consumers who need home care services to find and retain personal care providers. And these same consumers face the prospect of losing essential adjustments to their SSI/SSP grants.

We are fortunate that legislators from the majority party have taken Governor Schwarzenegger on to defend against cuts to IHSS and SSI/SSP.

Posted by: Karen Keeslar at May 16, 2007 12:55 AM

lots of action has happened and hundreds commented; however, the end is not here today, tmorrow...... . We have placed him there and placed he will continued till the end.

Posted by: law offices of arthur b. hampton at May 16, 2007 04:32 PM

The governor does not want to place an unfair burden on the rich--but he sees no problem with placing such a burden on the poor. Cutting out the state COLA for SSI recipients amounts to putting his hand in the pockets of the poorest people in the state, and only those people. It is called a Cost of Living allowance, but the Governor does not apparently think people on SSI need to be able to keep up with increasing costs. What kind of meanspirited person would do this?

We have defeated Arnold before by going to the members of the Assesmbly and Senate and getting results there. We will do it again. I have never voted for Arnold and anyone who did should be ashamed of themselves. He is a slow learner and he doesn't think the disabled, the elderly and the people who care for and about them have the ability to stop him. It is time to show Arnold, once again, that is is not as strong as he thinks he is.

Posted by: Teresa Brown at May 16, 2007 04:38 PM

If Arnold had a family member poor enough to need the IHSS program he would see the benefit to keeping the IHSS program intact .but the fact is, he is so RICH he will never need to know or care about the people this helps . Just once I wish someone could get him to look over and beyond the pile of money in front of him and actually help the people who voted him in. Our only hope is to band together Calif . and please God get him out at election time. IHSS is the last hope the last step before death or convelecent care or death.people live longer healthy happier lives with a haomecare provider . It is sad he just doesnt care .

Posted by: Carrie young at May 22, 2007 09:16 PM

I have just found out my Eligibility has been cancelled ! I have been taken care of my two handycapped children since birth one is 30 years old and the other 27 years old I have 4 children all toghther.I have deticated my life to my family I have no other job.My children reqiure 24 hour assistance and who is going to care for them? I cant afford a house rent of 1450.00 a month and other bills! You might have money Governor but the rest of us dont even have lives out here.Do not take away all we have. I beg you! my God dont take my kids away to put them in a home to be abused!Im under stress from this office down in Santa Maria a Mrs Dawn Hanna Coles, just wrote me said I didnt return a paper? I received nothing from her at at ! She is now on addistative leave! a day after the letter was wrote and as of 7/31/2007 we have no money to eat!Im recovering from breast cancer,and am only one person! have a heart! listen to God and help the ones that are in need! thankyou!

Posted by: Shirley Shaw at July 14, 2007 05:31 PM

Well the Govenor has Spoken! We know were his alligance lies.
The Elderely and Disabled in the commumity only want, the right to stay in their homes. The right to basic needs fulfilled. Dignity, Humility, Compassion. To recieve care from caregivers recieving a living wage! Thus reducing STRESS
of losing "good caregivers" because of poor wages.

Govenor; live on $9.25 a hour, Live in our shoes for a month, you will be AMAZED!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: Judith Rizzo at August 26, 2007 03:13 PM

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