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Homecare & IHSS News:

UDW protests harassment in Stanislaus fraud investigations

Following reports of harassment and intimidation by members of a Stanislaus County anti-IHSS fraud unit, scores of homecare clients and their providers protested at a meeting of the county Board of Supervisors in Modesto. In a statement prior to the meeting, UDW charged that the “threats, harassment and punitive actions by the county’s Special Investigations Unit are among the worst reported anywhere in California.”   Read the rest of this entry »

State is prohibited from implementing the all-felonies policy to terminate IHSS providers

Judge David Hunter (Alameda Superior Court) has issued an order for the Beckwith (Ellis) v. Wagner case that prohibits CDSS from implementing the policy that would have required counties to use ALL felonies and specified misdemeanors (including shoplifting) as disqualifying crimes for IHSS providers.  This means that DSS’ current attempt to force counties to use crimes beyond child abuse, elder abuse and fraud against government programs to not enroll someone or suspend a current provider’s enrollment remains blocked. Read the rest of this entry »

Superior Court Judge Stops Schwarzenegger Administration From Disqualifying IHSS Workers Based On All Felony Convictions and Certain Misdemeanors

State Can Only Disqualify Workers Based On Specific Felonies and Other Convictions Already In State Law – Judge’s Ruling Stands Unless Higher State Court Overturns It

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DSS proposes to increase list of disqualifying crimes for homecare providers

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 rest of this entry »

Homecare Coalition protests state’s restrictions on provider’s use of PO boxes

The Dept. of Social Services (DSS) proposal, which was open to public comment until August 13, would require a provider to request permission from the county IHSS office to have their paychecks delivered to a post office box. This would affect thousands of IHSS workers and their clients who live in rural areas. Read the rest of this entry »

IHSS Coalition Founder Wins Major Achievement Award

John Wilkins of Fresno, a founder and current chair of the IHSS Coalition, has been selected as recipient of the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s highest achievement award in California. Read the rest of this entry »

State Proposal: IHSS Workers Must Get OK to Use P.O. Boxes for Paychecks

The Dept. of Social Services (DSS) proposal, which is open to public comment until August 13, would require a provider to request permission from the county IHSS office to have their paychecks delivered to a post office box. This would affect thousands of IHSS workers and their clients who live in rural areas. Read the rest of this entry »

House bill would extend labor protections to home care workers

By Mike Lillis, Healthwatch, 07/27/10
For 35 years, home care workers have been exempt from the minimum wage and overtime protections granted to the rest of the nation’s workforce. This week, a House Democrat will take a step toward eliminating that discrepancy, which many in the party consider discriminatory.  Rep. Linda Sanchez will introduce legislation Wednesday to expand the wage protections of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to home care workers, who provide health and other domestic services to the sick and elderly. The California Democrat says the change is needed to entice more home care workers into the field in the face of an ever-increasing demand for their services. Read the rest of this entry »

State’s numbers for caregiver anti-fraud checks don’t add up

The Schwarzenegger administration says tough new criminal screening rules for in-home care providers have snared 531 who are ineligible to work in the program mostly because of certain criminal convictions.  But Sacramento County officials say 47 of the 57 workers the state identified as ineligible to provide care here had been turned over by the district attorney’s office as having been convicted of In-Home Supportive Services fraud within the span of the last two to three years — before fingerprinting and other screening rules went into place. Read the rest of this entry »

Berkeley tent city enters fourth week of protest

BERKELEY — Having experienced a decade of homelessness with little material gain to show for it, Dan McMullan, who now keeps a roof over his head, has voluntarily returned to the streets from whence he came, but this time he has a cause.  Read the rest of this entry »

UDW Bill to Prohibit Duplicate Background Checks Passed by Senate Committee

 AB 1763, a  UDW-sponsored bill that would ensure that an IHSS provider is not required to repeat (and pay for) a background check if he or she is working in more than one county, was passed by the Senate Public Safety Committee yesterday (June 29) and heads to Senate Appropriations Committee. The bill, authored by Assemblymember Ted Lieu (Democrat – Torrance, 53rd Assembly District),  passed out of the Assembly on June 3rd by a vote of 54 to 22. Read the rest of this entry »

Federal Judge Blocks IHSS Worker Wage Cut in Fresno County

SACRAMENTO, CALIF (CDCAN) [Updated 06/29/2010  03:45 PM  (Pacific Time)] -  A federal district court judge in Oakland this afternoon blocked Fresno County from implementing an hourly wage  cut to their In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) workers from $10.25 to $8 per hour, that was scheduled to go into effect on July.  The action by the federal court represents at least a temporary victory for thousands of IHSS workers and people with disabilities, mental health needs, the blind and seniors in Fresno County who receive services under the IHSS program.

(“Hopefully, this will serve as a warning to supervisors in UDW counties who might be considering similar cutbacks, ” said UDW President Laura Reyes.) Read the rest of this entry »

URGENT: More Good News on Provider Enrollment as Deadline Looms

Latest reports from the field show that we’re making great progress in getting IHSS providers to begin the new enrollment process by June 30. With less than a week to go, reports indicate that fewer than 1,500 current IHSS Providers have not begun the process.  They must begin the process by June 30 and complete it by December 31 in order to continue being paid.    Read the rest of this entry »

Latest IHSS Requirements for Providers

Here’s the latest news from CDSS on the requirements for IHSS providers. Letters have been sent by CDSS to  approximately 100,000 providers and consumers. Read the rest of this entry »

Lawsuit to Stop Reduction of IHSS Services Reaches U.S. Appeals Court

A UDW-backed lawsuit challenging last year’s reductions of  IHSS services based upon Functional Index (FI) scores was recently heard by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.  Click here to listen to the hearing.  Read the rest of this entry »

Revised Emergency Aid Bill Would Protect Federal IHSS Funding; U.S. Senate Vote Set for Friday

A modified jobs bill, containing funding for IHSS and other health programs, will be voted on by the U.S. Senate on Friday. The new proposal was introduced Wednesday after the Senate refused to consider a larger bill that would have provided nearly $50 billion in emergency aid to state and local governments, including funding for IHSS.

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UDW Protects Provider Wages in Santa Barbara

With strong member support, UDW has been able to protect the wages of Santa Barbara County homecare providers at the current level of $10 per hour.  UDW members voted overwhelmingly in May to ratify a one-year contract extension that will maintain the $10 wage level; the County Board of Supervisors approved the contract on June 11.

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Pelosi delivers speech over screams of health-care activists

Raucous demonstrators greeted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) at a gathering of progressive activists in Washington on Tuesday morning, forcing her to yell her 28-minute policy speech over their loud and uninterrupted protests. Read the rest of this entry »

Assembly Budget Subcommittee Votes to Rescind Fingerprinting Requirement for IHSS Recipients

– Follows Senate Budget Subcommittee Action Last Week .   Law Remains In Force Until Full Legislature and Governor Approve It As Part of 2010-2011 State Budget Read the rest of this entry »

Two Assembly GOP members turn against in-home care fingerprints

Legislature wants answers for governor’s $41.6 million camera, fingerprinting for IHSS

North Coast Assemblyman Wes Chesbro is calling the governor out on the $41.6 million anti-fraud plan that includes the photographing and fingerprinting of In-Home Support Services recipients.  ”The (Arnold) Schwarzenegger administration and the Department of Social Services have yet to identify to us the problem they’re trying to solve, or that it provides any kind of solution — in the absence of that evidence or information, it’s a waste of $41.6 million in taxpayer money,” Chesbro said Thursday. Read the rest of this entry »

Urgent: Action Steps for UDW Homecare Providers

Concern and confusion about the new IHSS provider enrollment requirements–especially about new eligibility criteria and criminal background checks–has caused many providers to delay enrolling in the program. This is becoming a serious problem for IHSS providers and clients and for our union.     

That is why we want to provide you with the FACTS about the new enrollment requirements and to urge you to enroll in the program as soon as possible. Read the rest of this entry »

Senate Budget Subcommittee votes to reject fingerprinting requirements for IHSS consumers

Thursday, May 6, the Senate Budget Subcommittee #3 on Health & Human Services voted to reject the $8.2 million ($4.4 million from the state general fund) that the Office of Systems Integration (OSI) is requesting to purchase a Statewide Fingerprint Imaging System (SFIS). Read the rest of this entry »

Anti-Fraud Proposal For In-Home Care Could Cost $42 Million

KPBS News – A plan to target fraud in California’s state-funded in-home care would cost almost $42 million for seven years. The proposal comes at a time when the program for the disabled may be facing further massive cuts. Read the rest of this entry »

Anti-fraud cost for in-home care could be $41.6 million