Tonight on The Real Issue, we will first talk with two representatives of the United Domestic Workers union about an audit conducted by the State Auditor on the In-Home Support Services Program, the program for which the caregivers are union members.
Then, we will talk with two local advocates for unsheltered community members. Steven Marquardt and Addison Winslow will join us to talk about a Community Town Hall event that tool place outside of City Hall yesterday, about an hour before the City Council meeting began.
As directed by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, the California State Auditor conducted an audit of the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program. The assessment focused on the California Department of Social Services (Social Services) and four counties: Butte, Kern, San Diego, and Stanislaus.
The purpose of the program audit is to ensure that all Californians who are elderly and of low income or who are disabled (recipients) receive authorized IHSS services.
The report was released last month. The review of the program found that IHSS program serves more than 591,000 recipients, helping them live independently in their own homes and avoiding long-term care arrangements that would be much more costly to the State. However, a growing number of recipients—tens of thousands each month—do not receive the services for which they qualify because the State and counties alike have failed to complete mandatory annual planning activities intended to ensure care for all recipients.
The audit also found that the counties generally do not process caregiver applications in a timely manner, nor do they ensure the timely provision of care for all recipients. The auditor’s report concluded by stating that “unless the State and counties address these deficiencies, the number of recipients who lack care will likely increase as the need for IHSS services grows. Additionally, the report stated, caregivers throughout the State receive pay that is at or near minimum wage, and caregivers earn significantly less than a living wage in each county. In fact, many caregivers who work full time would qualify for public assistance. And finally, the IHSS program’s funding structure is inequitable and discourages counties from significantly raising wages. These low wages could make recruiting a sufficient number of caregivers challenging both currently and in the future, especially when 32 of the 51 counties that responded to the auditor’s survey indicate that they already lack enough caregivers to provide each qualified recipient with all approved services.
To talk about the importance of the IHSS program, as well as the findings of the auditor, I spoke with two of the leaders in the union for IHSS workers earlier today. I spoke with Butte County Representative for UDW – Carnela Marks, and District 6 Vice President at UDW, William Reed
