State Budget News:
UDW/AFSCME Local 3930
2012-2013 Governor’s Budget
Preliminary IHSS Overview
Overview
Governor Jerry Brown submitted his budget to the state legislature on January 5, 2012. The Governor’s budget forecasts a combined deficit of $9.2 billion ($4.1 billion in the current fiscal year and $5.1 billion in FY 12-13). Though this is a significant improvement over the budget deficit in January 2011 (estimated at $25.4 billion), addressing this shortfall promises to be just as difficult.
Notably, as a result of roughly $16 billion in spending cuts enacted in the last year, California’s structural – or ongoing – deficit is now estimated to be less than $5 billion in each of the next three years. The State is slowly recovering from the Great Recession; however this recovery is plagued by external factors such as the European debt crisis and political instability on the Federal level.
The Governor’s Budget Solutions
The Governor is proposing actions that would fill the $9.2 billion shortfall as well as allocate $1.1 billion to the state’s reserve account. These actions include:
| Increased Revenue |
|
| Governor’s Tax Initiative |
$4.4 billion |
| All other |
$251 million |
| Total |
$4.7 billion |
| Spending Reductions |
|
| Health and Human Services |
$2 billion |
| Education |
$1.3 billion |
| All other |
$856 million |
| Total |
$4.3 billion |
Governor’s Tax Initiative
The Governor is proposing a temporary increase in income tax rates for the wealthiest Californians as well as in the Sales and Use tax rate. These tax increases will be voted on as part of a Constitutional Amendment in the November 2012 election.
Income tax rates would increase anywhere from 1 to 2% for individuals with taxable income over $250,000 for a period of five years. The Sales and Use tax would increase by 0.5% for a period of four years. Both of these changes are expected to result in $6.9 billion in additional revenue. After accounting for mandatory Proposition 98 spending, the net increase to the State General Fund would be $4.4 billion.
Importantly, if the Governor’s Tax Initiative is not approved by the voters in the November 2012 election, it will trigger $5.4 billion in further spending cuts. The vast majority of these cuts would impact education. There would be no impact to IHSS as a result of this trigger.
Spending Reductions in IHSS
The Governor’s budget proposes to eliminate Domestic and Related Services for certain recipients in the IHSS program. More specifically:
- It would eliminate domestic and related service hours for consumers who live in any type of shared living arrangement in which these services can be “met in common” with other household members. This would not apply to consumers who live only with other consumers. Domestic and related services include: meal preparation and clean-up, housekeeping, laundry, food shopping, shopping and errands. Currently, when a consumer lives with a roommate, the assessment of need for domestic and related services is prorated and reduces the number of hours approved for domestic and related services.
- It would also eliminate domestic and related service hours for recipients under age eighteen who live with a parent who is able and available to provide the domestic and related services.
- If a recipient needs domestic and/or related services due to fact that other members of the household, or their parents if applicable, have a medically verified condition, they may request authorized hours for any of these services that meet the need assessment metrics.
- It is unclear how this would apply if a recipient resides in a shared living arrangement with an individual who refuses to provide domestic and related services not as a result of a medical condition.
- The Administration estimates that approximately 254,000 recipients in shared living arrangements will be impacted by this proposed reduction beginning July 1, 2012.
- Assumes a General Fund savings of $163.8 million in FY 12-13.
The Governor’s budget also assumes that the 20% across the board reduction in IHSS service hours that was “triggered” by the Department of Finance on December 13, 2011 will be implemented on April 1, 2012. This is based on the expectation that the Administration will be successful in its efforts to overturn the Temporary Restraining Order currently in place as a result of a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court 1 . This proposal would result in $179.1 million in savings in FY 12-13; however the state has set aside the same amount should pending litigation not turn out in its favor.
Additional Impact on IHSS
- The Governor’s budget assumes $130 million in savings resulting from program integrity efforts.
- It assumes that the current 3.6% across the board reduction in service hours will sunset on June 30, 2012, as per existing state law.
- It proposes to repeal the Medication Dispensing Machine Pilot Project, which was implemented as part of the FY 11-12 state budget. There is no cost or savings associated with this proposal.2
Expansion of Medi-Cal Managed Care
The Governor’s budget proposes a vast and expedited expansion of Medi-Cal managed care services. Though details regarding the various proposals remain unclear at this point in time, the following items are of note:
- The budget proposes to expand the existing “Dual Eligible Demonstration” beyond the current scope of “up to four counties”3 to eight to ten counties that “that already have the capacity to coordinate care for these individuals”. This Demonstration is scheduled to implement in January 2013. The IHSS program will be included as part of this demonstration, which means that IHSS services for these individuals will be incorporated into Managed Care Plan Rates beginning the first year and administration of IHSS will be integrated into Managed Care beginning in year two.
- It also proposes the mandatory enrollment of all Medi-Cal recipients into managed care beginning January 1, 2013, the expansion of managed care into all counties (it currently exists in only 30 counties), as well as the inclusion of IHSS services into managed care. This would involve a three year process in which recipients would be phased in over a period of time based on geography.
- The budget also assumes the eventual elimination of all Fee-For-Service Medi-Cal by January 2014.
These proposals, in additional to other payment changes and deferrals not detailed here, are expected to generate approximately $678.8 million in General Fund savings in FY 12-13.
As stated above, many of the details regarding these proposals are unclear. We will continue to monitor these proposals very carefully in the coming days.
1Oster, et al v. Lightbourne et al
2The goal of the pilot was to reduce hospitalization and institutionalization resulting from medication noncompliance among high-risk Medi-Cal recipients. This was expected to achieve approximately $140 million in annualized savings.
3This demonstration was authorized by SB 208 (2010). The term Dual Eligible refers to those individuals who are eligible for both Medi-Cal and Medicare.
# # #
– Additional State Budget News —
CALIFORNIA DISABILITY COMMUNITY ACTION NETWORK
#020-2012 – FEBRUARY 07, 2012 – TUESDAY
California Budget Crisis:
Legislative Language Part of Governor’s 2012-2013 State Budget That Requires Legislative Approval In Coming Months – Would Expand Existing Effort To Implement 4 County Demonstration Project to 10 Counties
SACRAMENTO, CA (CDCAN) [Last updated 02/07/2012 06:30 AM] – The Brown Administration yesterday released proposed budget related legislative language – called “budget trailer bill language” – that would provide authorization to expand an existing effort to move hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities and seniors eligible for Medicare and Medi-Cal into “coordinated care” or managed care plans in California. Brown’s proposal builds on an existing plan passed last year as part of the 2011-2012 State Budget, that already authorizes the Department of Health Care Services to move forward with submitting a demonstration project proposal to the federal government this spring for approval, that would beginning in January 2013, shift thousands of people who are eligible for both Medicare and Medi-Cal – known as “dual eligible” – into managed or coordinated care plans in at least four counties. Read the rest of this entry »
CALIFORNIA DISABILITY COMMUNITY ACTION NETWORK
#020-2012 – FEBRUARY 06, 2012 – MONDAY
California Budget Crisis:
SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS & HEARINGS IMPACTING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS, THE BLIND, SENIORS & LOW INCOME FAMILIES
- Feb 09 – Healthy Families Program Transition to Medi-Cal Meeting
- Feb 23 – Autism Task Force on SB 946 Health Insurance Implementation
- Feb 23 – Senate Budget Info Hearing on Governor’s Managed Care Proposals
- Mar 07 – Assembly Info Hearing on Long Term Care & Managed Care Proposals
SACRAMENTO, CA (CDCAN) [Last updated 02/06/2012 06:30 PM] – The following is the latest update on scheduled public legislative hearings and meetings by various state agencies that have some impact on people with disabilities, mental health needs, the blind, seniors or low income families. CDCAN will issue an updated schedule every Monday on these statewide meetings. Read the rest of this entry »
CALIFORNIA DISABILITY COMMUNITY ACTION NETWORK
#018-2012 – FEBRUARY 06, 2012 – MONDAY
California Budget Crisis – Breaking News:
2011-2012 State Budget Called for Implementation of Medi-Cal Co-Payments for Hospital, Emergency Room and other Services – Decision by Centers on Medicare and Medicaid Services Seen As Major Victory for People with Disabilities, the Blind, Seniors and Others on Medi-Cal – Major Setback to Brown Administration
SACRAMENTO, CA (CDCAN) [Last updated 02/06/2012 11:30 AM] – The Obama Administration today rejected California’s request to expand – as authorized in the 2011-2012 State Budget – co-payments for Medi-Cal recipients for a range of services, including doctor visits, hospital stays, emergency room visits and dental services. The decision by the federal Centers on Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) – the federal agency that oversees both programs nationwide – is seen by a major victory for people with disabilities, mental health needs, the blind, seniors and others in the Medi-Cal program and a significant setback to the Brown Administration’s efforts to close an on-going budget deficit. It is one of the very few times the federal agency has actually denied the State’s requests over the past years dealing with cutbacks to the Medi-Cal program. Read the rest of this entry »
California Senior Legal Hotline
January 9, 2012 | Manny Randhawa
According to a recent San Jose Mercury News article, California Governor Jerry Brown announced Thursday his proposal to eliminate In-Home Supportive Services funds for benefit recipients who live with someone else.
If adopted by the state legislature, this proposal would save the state $164 million, but would come at the cost of a severe deterioration of the quality of life for seniors and disabled individuals currently receiving assistance from the program, according to critics of the plan.
Such a move would affect 60 percent of IHSS recipients, as most live with other family members who provide them care.
By JUDY LIN
Associated Press, 01/07/2012
LOOMIS, Calif.—Born with spinal muscular atrophy, a genetic disease that prevents muscle development, Anthony Muli has never walked and his doctors never expected him to live past age 2.Now, at 24, he’s a sports fanatic and a whiz on the computer. His room inside his grandmother’s house in the Northern California town of Loomis, east of Sacramento, is decorated with San Francisco 49ers and Sacramento Kings memorabilia.
He enjoys as much of life as he can with the help of his 72-year-old grandmother and caretaker, Jo Ellen Zerr, who does everything from cleaning his tracheotomy tube to driving him to his medical appointments.
The level of care is made possible in large part because of California’s In-Home Supportive Services program, which helps about 435,000 California seniors and people with disabilities. The program pays caretakers, many of them family members, hourly wages and benefits between $8 and $14.78 to help people get dressed, cook and bathe. For her work, Kerr, a retired clerk, receives about $2,800 a month before taxes to do a job she would do for free. Read the rest of this entry »
State’s disabled look to court decision
By LARRY MITCHELL – Staff Writer
Mercury News Posted: 01/06/2012 12:12:20 AM PST
Karen Duncanwood of Paradise, Troy Rathburn of Magalia, Susan Hess of Paradise and Evan LeVang,…
CHICO — No one can blame Dan Grover of Chico for worrying about a court decision due next week.
Grover, 49, uses a wheelchair to get around.
He relies on hired helpers to get him in and out of bed, on and off the toilet, and in and out of the shower. They are paid $8.15 an hour through a government program called In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS).
Grover said he and nearly 450,000 other Californians who depend on IHSS are very concerned that to save money, the governor and Legislature have decided to cut their hours of service by 20 percent.
For some IHSS recipients that would mean that 20 percent less clothes washing, house cleaning and shopping would get done.
But for Grover and others in his situation, it means a 20 percent reduction in vital functions of life.
“I’m a mammal, not a clock,” he said. “I can’t go to the bathroom 20 percent less.” Read More
Distributed by emasil, January 6, 2012
HHS Network of California
As you may have heard, Governor Brown released his 2012-2013 CA Budget ahead of schedule yesterday. The budget included severe cuts to Health and Human Services in CA – nearly $2.5 billion total.
We are appalled that Governor Brown’s solution to California’s budget crisis is $2.5 billion in cuts to essential health and human services. Since 2008, California’s health and human services have suffered an astounding $15 billion in cuts, and this budget only continues the gutting of the social safety net that so many California families depend on.
How the $2.5 Billion in Cuts Breaks Down: Read the rest of this entry »
California Progress Report January 05 2012
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By Marty Omoto
California Disability Community Action Network
Governor Brown released his proposed 2012-2013 State Budget that calls for, as he previously announced in November, $157 million in new state general fund spending reductions to developmental services in the current budget year to be achieved in large part due to higher than expected savings from previously approved cuts and other changes, and another $200 million in new cuts in state general fund spending during the 2012-2013 State budget year that begins July 1, 2012.
The cuts in the 2012-2013 State Budget year could – depending on where the reductions are made – swell to $400 million if federal matching funds are included. Read the rest of this entry »
Overview
Governor Jerry Brown submitted his budget to the state legislature on January 5, 2012. The Governor’s budget forecasts a combined deficit of $9.2 billion ($4.1 billion in the current fiscal year and $5.1 billion in FY 12-13). Though this is a significant improvement over the budget deficit in January 2011 (estimated at $25.4 billion), addressing this shortfall promises to be just as difficult.
Notably, as a result of roughly $16 billion in spending cuts enacted in the last year, California’s structural – or ongoing – deficit is now estimated to be less than $5 billion in each of the next three years. The State is slowly recovering from the Great Recession; however this recovery is plagued by external factors such as the European debt crisis and political instability on the Federal level. Read the rest of this entry »
Even as UDW and other IHSS stakeholders fight through the courts to prevent a 20 percent across the board cut in IHSS already mandated in the current state budget, Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed 2012-2013 budget recommends even more cuts to the program.
Among his recommendations, the governor is reintroducing a cut he proposed last year to eliminate domestic and related services for all IHSS consumers who live with someone else (even if those they are living with are NOT their providers). This will affect approximately 300,000 IHSS consumers who would lose an average of 17 hours on top of the 23 hours that would be cut with the 20% and an earlier 3.6% cut.
UDW quickly criticized the governor’s proposals, claiming that “just like his predecessor, Gov. Brown continues to try to use the IHSS program as a ‘piggy bank’ for budget cuts. IHSS cuts were wrong in 2008; they are just as wrong in 2012.” Read the rest of this entry »
Mercury News
By The Associated Press Posted: 01/01/2012
Gov. Jerry Brown announced in December that California’s tax revenue will fall short of his earlier projections, triggering automatic budget cuts to schools, colleges and social services. The governor said revenue is projected to fall $2.2 billion short of that figure for the current fiscal year, prompting about $1 billion in cuts that will take effect starting Jan 1.Brown warns that additional trigger cuts will be part of his budget proposed for the fiscal year starting July 1 if voters reject his plans for tax hikes. Here is a look at the midyear cuts:
Read the rest of this entry »
CALIFORNIA DISABILITY COMMUNITY ACTION NETWORK
Report #2042011 – DECEMBER 13, 2011 - TUESDAY NIGHT
California Budget Crisis:
FEDERAL DISTRICT COURT HEARING ON IHSS 20% CUT SET FOR JANUARY 19TH – TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER BLOCKING THAT CUT WILL REMAIN IN FORCE UNTIL THAT HEARING DATE
20% IHSS Reduction Part of the $1 Billion in State Budget “Trigger Cuts” Authorized Today By Governor Brown – January 19th Hearing Also Will Consider ”Class Certification” of Lawsuit
SACRAMENTO, CA (CDCAN) [Last updated 12/13/2011 07:41 PM] - The original December 15th federal district court hearing on the lawsuit (David Oster, et al v. Will Lightbourne and Toby Douglas) that – at least temporarily – has stopped implementation of a 20% across-the-board reduction in service hours for possibly hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities, mental health needs and seniors in the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program has been rescheduled for January 19th (Thursday). That hearing date is subject to change (as is any court hearing date). Read the rest of this entry »
Enacted in July of this year, the state budget included an assumption that the state would receive $4 billion in additional tax revenue during the fiscal year (July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012). This estimate was based on what appeared to be a growing trend of increased tax collections. The budget, however, also included provisions that should revenue not materialize at the anticipated levels it would “trigger” additional spending cuts to account for that lost revenue. The budget instructed the Department of Finance to determine by December 15, 2011 if these trigger cuts would take place.
Unfortunately, the additional tax revenue did not materialize at the expected levels. This problem was first addressed by the Legislative Analyst’s Office in a report released in mid-November (click here to read LAO report), and was confirmed today by Governor Brown during a press conference. According to the Department of Finance, the state’s updated revenue estimate for the current fiscal year will be $2.2 billion below the revenue anticipated in the July budget. Even though this estimate is higher than what was predicted by the LAO in November, it still results in the implementation of the “trigger” cuts, which will total approximately $981 million dollars (click here the read the 2011-2012 revenue forecast). Read the rest of this entry »
CDCAN Report #200-2011 – DECEMBER 12, 2011 – MONDAY
California Budget Crisis:
Federal District Court Judge Expected To Announce New Hearing By Wednesday - Department of Social Services Issues December 7th Instructions to Counties to Comply With Court Order Stopping the Cut
SACRAMENTO, CA (CDCAN) [Last updated 12/12/2011 02:00 PM] - The December 15th federal district court hearing on the lawsuit (David Oster, et al v. Will Lightbourne and Toby Douglas) that – at least temporarily – has stopped implementation of a 20% across-the-board reduction in service hours for possibly hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities, mental health needs and seniors in the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program, has been postponed. The temporary restraining order (TRO) that was issued December 1st by US District Court Judge Claudia Wilken that required the Brown Administration to halt all actions to implement the 20% across-the-board cut will remain in force until the new court hearing date. Read the rest of this entry »
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California Healthline, Thursday, December 6 2011
About two-thirds of California voters oppose the possibility of automatic, midyear state spending cuts, according to a Field Poll, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports.
The poll surveyed 1,000 registered voters from Nov. 15 to Nov. 27 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points (Miller, Riverside Press-Enterprise, 12/5).
Background
In June, Gov. Jerry Brown (D) approved an $86 billion state budget plan that was based on spending cuts, fee hikes and expectations of higher revenue later in the fiscal year. Lawmakers also relied on an assumption that the state would receive $4 billion in new revenue over what previously was expected through June 2012. Read more
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CDCAN DISABILITY RIGHTS REPORT
#195-2011 – DECEMBER 5, 2011 – MONDAY
California Budget Crisis:
Proposes Five Year Temporary Income Tax Increase on Wealthy Californians and 1/2 Cent Temporary Increase In State Sales Tax - Funding Would Be Dedicated for Education and Public Safety
SACRAMENTO, CA (CDCAN) [Last updated 12/05/2011 03:00 PM] - Governor Brown will seek to place on the November 2012 general election ballot an initiative that proposes to raise $7 billion through a combination of temporary tax increases on the wealthy and a temporary increase of the state sales tax, targeting the increased revenues specifically for education and public safety and “not to other programs we cannot afford.” The Governor did not specify what those other programs were that the State cannot afford. Read the rest of this entry »
Home > State Budget News
San Francisco Chronicle
A federal judge has apparently granted at least a temporary reprieve to 372,000 elderly and disabled Californians who faced a 20 percent cut in their in-home care on Jan. 1.
U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken of Oakland issued a temporary restraining order Thursday that prohibits the state from taking any immediate steps to carry out the reductions — in particular, from mailing out notices to all recipients, starting next week. Wilken said a lawsuit by disability-rights groups and other advocates raised “serious questions” about whether the cuts would violate federal health and disability laws by forcing recipients into nursing homes.
That means it’s highly unlikely the reductions can take effect Jan. 1, said Stacey Leyton, one of the lawyers who filed the suit. She said the state’s attorneys had told Wilken they needed to send out the notices next week to start the clock running for cutbacks on New Year’s Day. Read the rest of this entry »
Home > State Budget News
Published in: Mercury News. By Josh Richman
Thursday, December 1st, 2011 at 5:23 pm in state budget.
A federal judge in Oakland has issued a temporary restraining order to keep California from implementing a 20 percent across-the-board cut in the In-Home Supportive Services program on Jan. 1.
IHSS is meant as an alternative to nursing homes or other out-of-home institutionalization for the elderly, disabled and blind. The deep cut was part of the state budget deal passed earlier this year. Read the rest of this entry »
Home > State Budget News
United States District Court Judge Claudia A. Wilken granted an emergency temporary restraining order (TRO) Dec. 1st which prevents the state from taking any actions to implement a 20 percent across-the-board reduction in In Home Supportive Services (IHSS) hours on January 1, 2012. The reduction was mandated in the 2011-12 state budget passed earlier this year.
The action was requested today by a coalition that included UDW and other provider unions, and Disability Rights California and other disability and senior advocacy organizations.
“We are pleased that Judge Wilken recognized the urgency of preventing the state from moving ahead with this devastating cut that would affect nearly 400,000 elderly and disabled Californians,” said Doug Moore, UDW Executive Director. “We believe these cuts to IHSS would violate the Americans with Disabilities Act and other laws and need to be stopped immediately. Read the rest of this entry »
Disability Rights California (DRC) has published important information about the IHSS Care Supplement.
“Consumers whose hours are cut by 20% can apply for an IHSS Care Supplement. State law says IHSS consumers can get an IHSS Care Supplement only there is a serious risk of out-of-home placement. “Out-of-home placement” means that you would have to leave your own home and go live somewhere else such as a board and care home or a nursing home. If you apply for and are approved to receive an IHSS Care Supplement you will have all or part of the 20% cut in your IHSS hours restored.”
Download complete DRC informational flyer, (pdf) including Physician’s Survey Regarding Functional Limitations
Additional Information:
CDCAN DISABILITY RIGHTS REPORT
CALIFORNIA DISABILITY COMMUNITY ACTION NETWORK
#192-2011 – NOVEMBER 29, 2011 – MONDAY
California Budget Crisis:
BROWN ADMINISTRATION RELEASES INSTRUCTIONS TO COUNTIES TO IMPLEMENT 20% ACROSS THE BOARD CUT IN IHSS HOURS IF STATE BUDGET TRIGGER IS PULLED - PROVIDES FOR CERTAIN EXEMPTIONS
Governor’s Department of Finance Will Determine By December 15th If State Budget Trigger Cut Will Be Pulled – Reduction Would Take Effect January 1, 2012 – Lawsuit To Block Cut Will Likely Be Filed If Cut Is Implemented
SACRAMENTO, CA (CDCAN) [Last updated 11/292011 09:55 PM] - Under the shadow of a projected $13 billion budget deficit the Department of Social Services under the Brown Administration released today official instructions to the counties – called an “All County Letter” or ACL regarding implementation of a 20% across the board reduction in service hours to all persons receiving In-Home Supportive Services, effective January 1, 2012 if the State Budget “trigger cut” is pulled. (the state budget “trigger cuts” are different from the federal budget “trigger cuts”). [CDCAN Note - the 19 page document is attached to this CDCAN Report titled "20111129 - All County Letter (ACL) 11-81 - IHSS - 20 Percent Reduction.pdf" The document was saved as a document pdf file, so persons who are blind or sight impaired should be able to view it using a screen reading device.] There are major exemptions to the reduction (see below) which are detailed in the notice released today. Read the rest of this entry »
Home > State Legislation Impacting IHSS > State Budget News
Click to see full report (pdf)
November 2011
UDW Brothers and Sisters,
UDW advocates on issues of importance to providers and consumers of California’s In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program. The IHSS program provides in-home care to people who cannot safely remain in their home without assistance. Under this program, approximately 360,000 home care workers provide personal care, paramedical, domestic and related services to approximately 435,000 aged, blind or disabled Californians. IHSS is the foundation of California’s efforts to comply with the 1999 U.S. Supreme Court Olmstead decision, which requires public agencies to provide services in the most integrated setting appropriate to the needs of the individual.
This report focuses on UDW’s priority bills in 2011 – the first year of the 2011-2012 legislative session. It is a review of votes cast on legislation affecting IHSS issues such as provider wages and benefits as well as availability and quality of homecare services. It is a measure of the performance of Assembly and Senate members and is intended to promote accountability. The vote record reveals each legislator’s attitudes and actions on issues of importance to both IHSS providers and consumers. Read the rest of this entry »
UPDATED JANUARY 13, 2012
On December 13th, 2011, state officials pulled the budget “trigger”. This authorizes a 20% cut in IHSS service hours.
UDW and other advocates have taken legal action to stop the cuts, resulting in a favorable but provisional restraining order (TRO). While we are pleased with the recent court decision delaying the Jan. 1st implementation of cuts, remember that it is only TEMPORARY. Our clients and our jobs are still at risk. Please use the resources below to get prepared:
Hear audio recording from Trigger Cuts Informational Training held on December 7th
IHSS Care Supplement Info
If cuts still go through you must be informed about how to apply for the Care Supplement, and ready to act. Read the rest of this entry »
Megan Hansen/
Times-Standard
Posted: 11/20/2011 02:18:49 AM PST
Humboldt County health officials are bracing themselves for additional budget cuts after a recent economic assessment listed the state’s budget shortfall at $3.7 billion through the end of the fiscal year.
According to the report from the state Legislative Analyst’s Office, a nonpartisan group that provides fiscal and policy advice to the Legislature, the deficit is expected to grow to a $10 billion operating shortfall for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services Director Phillip Crandall said this is not a good sign, as budget shortfalls will equal cuts to local programs.
”California’s economy isn’t recovering at a pace that will relieve this operating deficit the state continues to be functioning at,” Crandall said.
As a result of lacking revenues, the state is enacting a series of trigger cuts that were included in the 2011-2012 budget package. These cuts translate into $2 billion in reduced funding for education, colleges, health services and local libraries. The exact amount of cuts to K-14 education is expected to be finalized by the state Department of Finance when it issues a revenue report on Dec. 15.
These cuts will go into effect Jan. 1 and will include $100 million from In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) workers, $10 million from the IHSS anti-fraud program, $15 million from Medi-Cal program providers and $100 million from the Department of Developmental Services. Read more
Wednesday, November 16 2011
Earlier today, the Legislative Analyst’s Office released its Fiscal Outlook for the next budget year Read Report. According to the report, the LAO forecasts state revenues will be $3.7 billion below the level assumed in the FY 11-12 budget. This is terrible news for those of us in the IHSS community because the “triggers” contained in the FY 11-12 budget are based on the LAO’s and the Department of Finance’s forecasts (whichever is higher). Though the Department of Finance projections are not yet released, this report by the LAO indicates that it is more likely than not that the budget triggers will be pulled in December. Read more about possible 20% cuts to IHSS
The first tier of trigger reductions includes approximately $110 million in cuts to the IHSS program. This would occur through a 20% across the board reduction in service hours scheduled to implement on January 1, 2012. In preparation for this possibility, many weeks back UDW embarked on a statewide member education and training campaign. In addition, UDW activists have been hard at work visiting our Legislators in their district offices and asking for their support in the event that the budget trigger is pulled. We want them to give us more time to come up with alternative ways to achieve the necessary savings so that we can avoid the 20% across the board cuts. Read the rest of this entry »
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