Yolo County IHSS advisory committee urges after‑hours Home Care Now hotline, virtual access and sustained funding

The Yolo County In‑Home Supportive Services (IHSS) Advisory Committee told the Board of Supervisors on Jan. 28 that caseloads and provider counts have grown and asked the board to support four steps to improve services for consumers and providers.

Kate Ladysch, chair of the Yolo County IHSS Advisory Committee, said the committee represents both consumers and providers and that the public authority and advisory committee are “consumer majority” bodies meant to ensure people with disabilities can live safely at home.

The committee noted roughly 35,100 IHSS consumers and nearly 35,100 providers in the county, with an 8.5 percent year‑over‑year caseload increase and nearly 1,500 net new providers over five years. “Home Care Now provides assistance when urgently needed,” Ladysch said, and public authority staff distributed more than 66,000 pieces of personal protective equipment last year.

Why it matters: IHSS is the county program that pays family‑and‑friend caregivers to provide in‑home care for people who are eligible for Medi‑Cal and cannot otherwise remain safely at home. Committee members and public commenters told supervisors that disruptions to home care can leave people without food, water or assistance with medical equipment and that caregivers need stable pay and program access to keep people out of institutions.

Public comment and committee requests Several IHSS caregivers spoke during public comment about the difficulty of 24/7 care and the need for better wages during upcoming contract negotiations. Patricia Ornelas, who identified herself as a SEIU Local 2015 delegate and an in‑home caregiver, said, “We need your support and to be treated with dignity and respect.” Jose Luis Reyes and Rosario Sanchez, both in‑home caregivers for family members, described round‑the‑clock care responsibilities and urged the board to support fair agreements for county caregivers.

The advisory committee presented four requests to the board: - Create a Home Care Now after‑hours hotline (nights, weekends, holidays). The committee said the county currently has a Home Care Now pool but staffing and confidentiality rules limit after‑hours access; staff reported averaging about 20 Home Care Now requests per week and that funding is not available to operate 24/7. IHSS staff also monitored emergency voicemail during office closures. - Continue advocating for Brown Act modernization to permit advisory bodies to meet virtually as a standing intergovernmental priority. Ladysch said the county’s existing approach, relying on the California Attorney General’s opinion about remote attendance as a reasonable accommodation, does not address broader access for consumers and providers. - Allow online participation for presenters and members of the public during board meetings to increase equity and accessibility, including closed captioning for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. - Maintain county funding for IHSS and the public authority to protect services if federal or state funding streams change.

Board questions and staff responses Supervisor Allen asked whether the county could expand 2‑1‑1 or other existing contracts to operate as an after‑hours point of contact; IHSS public authority staff said they had explored contacts with 2‑1‑1 and that confidentiality and access to case data would be limiting factors, but that collaboration is an option to pursue. Staff said there is a Home Care Now coordinator who can place consumers with local Home Care Now providers during business hours; outside business hours would require additional funding.

Supervisor Villegas and others pressed committee leaders and staff on recruiting advisory‑committee consumer members for underrepresented districts and on getting secure email addresses for outreach; Ladysch said the committee is working with the California IHSS Consumer Alliance on state paperwork changes that could permit collection of consumer email addresses for outreach and recruitment.

Clarifying details - County IHSS caseload and provider counts: committee reported approximately 35,100 consumers and nearly 35,100 providers; committee said consumer caseload rose about 8.5% in the most recent year. (Committee presentation.) - Home Care Now request volume: staff estimated roughly 20 requests per week on average; not all requests are fulfilled. (IHSS staff.) - Committee membership: committee said it is a consumer‑majority advisory body and currently seeks four more consumer members and one community member. (Committee presentation.)

Action: no formal board vote was required on the update. The board took the committee report and asked staff and supervisors to continue working on access, recruitment and funding priorities.

Ending: Committee materials, an executive summary and additional data are available in English and Spanish on the Health Department’s website; committee members asked supervisors to publicize the committee’s meetings and membership openings.