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Yolo County IHSS advisory committee urges staffing, legislative advocacy as caseloads rise
Summary
The countyIn-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) Advisory Committee reported rising consumer and provider numbers and asked the Board of Supervisors to fund vacant IHSS positions, advocate at state and federal levels, and support teleconference flexibility for advisory bodies.
The Yolo County In-Home Supportive Services Advisory Committee told the Board of Supervisors on Sept. 9 that the program's caseload and provider registry have grown significantly and that staff shortages and federal and state policy risks require immediate board attention.
The committeechair, Kate Ladysch, and vice chair Steve Streeter presented figures showing more than 3,700 IHSS consumers and nearly 3,700 providers, with about 7,500 people either receiving or providing care through IHSS — an increase of 559 consumers in the last year and more than 1,800 in five years. Ladysch said the public-authority registry filled 914 new providers in the last year and completed over 1,100 registry referrals.
The advisory committee emphasized three board actions it said would reduce risk to clients and staff: fund a senior administrative services analyst and other vacant IHSS positions in the county budget; advocate to state and federal lawmakers to protect IHSS and Medicaid funding; and back Brown Act modernization allowing advisory bodies to meet virtually. The committee said filling vacant positions would help reduce case-processing delays that can trigger state penalties.
Committee members described other ongoing efforts: distributing more than 85,000 pieces of personal protective equipment, piloting Home Care Now urgent-need services, issuing emergency "go bags," expanding outreach and public education, and producing IHSS 101 informational segments. Ladysch noted the committeewhich includes consumers, providers and community membersconducts monthly meetings, legislative advocacy and public outreach and called for help recruiting four more consumer members and one community member for the committee.
Supervisor Sheila Allen and others praised the committee's advocacy and asked staff about joining provider organizations to recruit more members. IHSS and public-authority staff said they already invite SEIU representatives to meetings and will collaborate further on membership recruitment. County administrative staff described the hiring-review and waiver process currently used to fill vacant positions and said decisions will be made in the context of the adopted county budget.
The board voted to receive the committeereport.
The committee requested a follow-up schedule and offered to provide legislative contacts and additional data to inform the board's budget and advocacy work.
