San Francisco DAS approves budget proposal to send to mayor amid citywide reduction targets

The Department of Disability and Aging Services voted to approve its FY2020-21 and FY2021-22 budget proposal and authorized staff to submit the packet to the mayor—s office on Feb. 21.

Dan Kaplan, Human Services Agency deputy director, told the commission the city is facing a funding gap of roughly $195 million in the coming budget year and $224 million in the following year, and that the mayor—s office has instructed agencies to cut discretionary general-fund costs by 3.5% in year one and 7% in year two. He said the HSA—s shared reduction target across departments that include DOS is $2.2 million in year one and $4.4 million in year two. "The city is facing some financial challenges," Kaplan said during his presentation.

Why it matters: DOS oversees major programs for older adults and people with disabilities, including the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program and Dignity Fund grants. The commission—s packet outlines how the department plans to balance required cuts without staff layoffs, program eliminations or reductions in client benefits.

What the proposal includes: Staff framed the budget as a mix of base funding and optional initiatives for the mayor to consider. Highlighted concepts include funding for 20 residential care, facility-for-the-elderly (RCFE) placements in year one (rising to 40 ongoing placements in the second year) to support the public guardian program; two additional beds for Adult Protective Services for short-term placements; and a concept to repurpose or retrofit a building to preserve small board-and-care assisted living capacity for lower-income residents. The packet also includes position "substitutions," repurposing existing roles rather than adding net new positions.

Revenue and technical context: Emily Gibbs, agency budget director, told commissioners staff project approximately 26,600,000 hours of IHSS service across individual providers and contract mode this year, with roughly 21,000 clients in individual provider mode and about 900 in contract mode. Gibbs said recent state budget actions have helped improve the IHSS maintenance-of-effort (MOE) outlook, reducing a previously forecasted local IHSS cost from about $144 million to roughly $136 million for the current fiscal year.

Commissioners pressed staff on details including the composition of CBO grant funding, the Dignity Fund—s share, one-time ERAF transfers that will not reappear in the next budget, and how work-order (interagency) recoveries changed. Kaplan and Gibbs said many differences reflect one-time versus ongoing items and the way certain set-asides are excluded from the mayor—s reduction calculation.

Public comment and vote: Jessica Lehman of Senior and Disability Action commended the department—s clarity and urged that any proposals to expand RCFE or assisted living beds be paired with investments in permanent independent housing. After public comment the commission took a voice vote and the chair stated the motion to approve the budget proposal carried.

What comes next: The DAS proposal will be part of the mayor—s budget released June 1, after which the Board of Supervisors will hold hearings and ultimately vote on the city budget in late spring and summer.