COLUSA COUNTY, CA (MPG) – Health and Human Services directors from all 58 California counties, including Colusa County, are asking the state to help bridge the funding gap between the amount the state pays for the in-home care of low-income elderly and disabled adults and the actual cost to the counties to administer the program.
The In-Home Supportive Services program is considered an alternative to out-of-home care, such as nursing or board and care homes, but an increasing population of low-income baby boomers and the governor’s addition of undocumented immigrants into the Medi-Cal system has put a strain on the local department, said Colusa County HHS Director Elizabeth Kelly.
“The state just doesn’t cover the cost for us to implement the program with our caseload,” Kelly said at the Board of Supervisors March 12 meeting. “The number of cases since I’ve been here has doubled. I think we were close to 200, now we’re over 400 and it’s going to keep growing because of those that are now eligible.”
So far, in the 2023-24 fiscal year, Colusa County’s costs to administer the IHSS program has exceeded revenue by about $50,000, Kelly said. In fiscal year 2021-22, the state allocated $231,811 to Colusa County to administer the program, but the county incurred costs of more than $500,000, out of which $266,238 was paid by the HHS department.
Kelly said the increased demand for in-home care will continue to trend upward with the addition of newcomers to the program, although Governor Gavin Newsom’s proposed 2024-25 budget reduces funding to counties for the state-mandated program.
Kelly asked the Board of Supervisors to approve a letter to the state supporting the County Welfare Directors Association’s request for additional funding to bridge the shortfall in 2024-25 and to update the 2017 funding methodology to take effect in 2025-26 to provide the funding necessary to ensure the IHSS Program can meet the growing demand by older adults and persons with disabilities in the future.
According to the CWDA, there were more than 750,000 adults receiving IHSS services in California last year from about 599,000 workers. That number is expected to increase dramatically from the new laws that broaden eligibility into the program, including the elimination of an “asset test,” and population growth of older and disabled individuals, including the undocumented, officials said.
The Colusa County Board of Supervisors “enthusiastically” voted 5-0 to sign a letter of support asking the state to fund the program so older and disabled adults can receive services that allow them to remain safely in their homes and community, thus avoiding costly hospitalizations and institutionalizations, which would also be paid for by taxpayers.
Colusa County Chief Administrative Officer Wendy Tyler said all reductions in state funding for their mandated programs will continue to consume the county’s realignment dollars. She also warned the Board of Supervisors of the state’s proposed cuts to other HHS programs, including CalWorks, which provides benefits to low-income families in need and helps them bridge the barriers to finding work.