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CDSS Officials Refuse to Participate in Telephone Town Meeting on IHSS Cuts
It's Time to Hold Them Accountable

Breaking News: Two officials from the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) who were scheduled to participate in a statewide telephone town hall meeting on the IHSS budget cuts on October 7 pulled out of the call at the last minute “on advice of their legal counsel.” The meeting was sponsored by the California Disability Community Action Network.

Eva Lopez, director of the CDSS Adult Programs Division, and Eileen Campbell, Chief of the Adult Programs Branch, had been expected to answer questions on how the state plans to administer the drastic cuts in IHSS slated to take effect beginning November 1. Their excuse for pulling out of the teleconference is suspect, especially because CDSS has already sent information to all counties about the cuts and is preparing to send Notices of Action (NOAs) to the thousands of IHSS recipients who will be thrown out of the program or have their services reduced. What is CDSS trying to hide?

We believe that CDSS should take every opportunity to let IHSS consumers and providers know what will be happening to them.
We urge you to contact John Wagner, Director of CDSS, at 916-657-2598 . Let him know how disappointed you are that he would not allow his staff members to participate in this important telephone town meeting.

I agree. I'll be interested to see how the IHSS Coalition modifies it's "policies" to include addressing bills like this.

There's something very wrong with the minority of coalition partners deciding what the coalition should and shouldn't do. The union partners need to allow the coalition the meet it's responsibility to IHSS consumers. If the coalition is going to remain silent anytime an issue conflicts with union's work and/or opinions, then the coalition is clearly isn't a coalition for consumers. It becomes a coalition with an identity crises.

Fortunately Marty Omoto's latest newsletter at least vindicated my feelings.

Fortunately Marty Omoto's latest newsletter at least vindicated my feelings.

I must admit that I was surprised to learn that the IHSS Coalition’s website hasn’t followed AB 411. While there was a link to another consumer driven site, this is a coalition that supposedly represents consumers of IHSS. And yet a bill that would reward nursing homes with additional funding while consumers of IHSS are at the verge of seeing major cuts.

Yes, AB 411 lacks language directly related to IHSS. Perhaps that’s the “logic” behind not following this bill. However, I find it interesting that the first thing most notice on your home page is two people holding a banner that reads “Our Homes Not Nursing Homes”. AB 411 rewards those nursing homes that we all are trying to stay out of.

I am concerned that the Coalition’s decision not to follow this bill might be union influenced. Obviously, unions would benefit from nursing homes receiving increased funding. That is after all what the union’s job is. It is no secret that the unions are part of this coalition (as they should be). It is easy to understand that the unions don’t want to be tied to any group that would be opposed to their work. This then leaves the question rather or not this is a coalition for IHSS consumers or for the unions?

This Coalition is doing an injustice to IHSS consumers everywhere by allowing individual partners to decide what will and will not be placed on the coalition’s site. IHSS consumers rely on information on this site to keep us updated on in particular actions made by the State that have an effect on IHSS. The funds that AB 411 would reward to nursing homes could go to help people stay out of nursing homes. This coalition should be stressing that point strongly.

I must ask if this is a coalition that supports IHSS consumers and providers or is it a coalition that supports nursing homes? At the moment it sort of looks like the latter.

Respectfully,
Gary Williams Jr
IHSS Consumer Advocate

Maggiedee,

The best way to make sites more viewable is to enlarge the text from your end. While at a web site that you are having difficulty viewing, hold your CTRL key and press the + key on your number-pad at the same time. This will increase the size of the text. To decrease the size hold CTRL and - key on your number-pad at the same time.

I hope this helps.   

Question...just signed on to this list! How do I get much larger font size both incoming and in REPLY?? John, if you can, will you e-mail me privately...and is there a spell check for this WORSE speller EVER
THANKS! Maggie

Hey Mags--spell check is on now.  Bigger type size still eludes me.

Question...just signed on to this list! How do I get much larger font size both incoming and in REPLY?? John, if you can, will you e-mail me privately...and is there a spell check for this WORSE speller EVER
THANKS! Maggie

Thanks for your post.  Hundreds of thousands of Californians who depend on IHSS are hanging by a thread, waiting to see if legislators will stand strong in their commitment to the program.  Sharing your story with state senators and representatives is always important, and enlist the help of friends and family to do the same.  But ultimately, concentrating on taking good care of your kids is your best contribution.

I am the caregiver for my disabled teen-age daughter, and have just taken on a mortgage for a home for my four youngest children and myself.  IHSS is my only income.  My daughter also receives AAP (Adoption Assistance Progam) funds.  Without both of these, I will be unable to pay our mortgage and cost of living.  The threatened budget cuts would impact us heavily.  My three youngest children have been given medical coverage through MediCal, but I have a very large share of cost, so consider it useless. 

If I lose IHSS, I will have to go back to work.  My youngest two will need day care (5 hrs/day for the youngest, 3 hrs /day for the other), and my handicapped daughter will need a minimum of 9-10 hrs care/day.  I will no longer have the insurance provided at a very reasonable fee through IHSS, and will then have no medical coverage, again, which will now be against the law.  The impact of the proposed budget cuts is far greater on the state's financial crisis than the current situation.  I am not the only one for whom the proposed cuts would be disastrous.  I am look for info on every way that I can speak up and voice my concerns where it may do some good.

Thanks.

As the IHSS Coalition completes its website redesign, we hope to make this an active and useful tool.  Ideally, the forum should provide an opportunity for constructive feedback from all those who have a stake in homecare--consumers, providers, advocates and program administrators.  Communications should be civil and constructive--no obscenity.  The forum will be monitored regularly, and abusers will be banned.