The Department of Social Services (DSS), which administers IHSS, has again proposed to disqualify providers with any felonies (not just those specified by the current law)who did not complete their IHSS enrollment by May 24th.  This proposal was stopped earlier this year by the Courts in Beckwith v. Wagner. Here is another instance where DSS is going beyond what the law requires or intends.

• Read the Draft All County Letter (ACL) that DSS proposes to send to all CA counties.

The attorney in the Beckwith case, Peter Sheehan, fought for the rights of providers earlier on this issue and is planning to go into Superior Court or the Court of Appeals to try to stop the DSS action.

If  this proposed policy would affect your participation in IHSS, it is very important that you let us know as soon as possible. Fill in this declaration and mail it or fax it to the UDW Sacramento office.  Call us if you need help:

UDW Homecare Workers Union
1121 L Street, Suite 508
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 554-0931
(916) 554-0957 Fax

San Francisco Chronicle
State pushing for tougher caregiver standards
“…Despite a court setback, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger plans to move next week to bar anyone ever convicted of a felony, or a list of misdemeanors that includes shoplifting, from providing in-home care in a program that serves 430,000 low-income and disabled Californians…a 46-year-old woman, said she has spent 10 years caring for her mother, who has Alzheimer’s disease and can no longer speak or feed herself. In a court declaration, the woman said she was convicted of vehicular manslaughter 27 years ago, served probation and is now her mother’s court-appointed conservator…”The last coherent thing my mother asked me was to beg me not to put her in a nursing home”

Additional News, California Healthline August 20, 2010
State Moving Ahead on Worker Restrictions for In-Home Care Program