In-home caregivers in California are voicing concerns about proposed changes Gov. Jerry Brown plans to make to the state’s budget, CBS Los Angeles reports.
Brown announced his revised budget plan at noon today at the Reagan State Building.
California finance budget analyst Phuong La confirmed that the budget for In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) was unchanged from the governor’s earlier budget proposal that has upset some disabled rights activists.
The proposed budget cuts are rumored to include a 40-hour weekly cap, CBS reports.
The governor’s 2014-15 budget summary includes proposals to prohibit providers from working overtime. The detailed budget proposal was not yet available via the governor’s website on Tuesday.
“This restriction will require some recipients to hire and train additional providers to fully provide their authorized services,” the budget summary states. “The IHSS workforce will need to increase to accommodate this change.”
Disabled rights activists say the plan for capping payments for in-home care is scheduled to go into effect January of next year.
“They want to put it on hold in a compromise so this plan could be put into effect January 2016 so they’d have time to iron out the proposal’s reported problems,” CBS reports.
In an interview with CBS2/KCAL9 political reporter Dave Bryan, California resident and in-home caregiver Sharon Brady spoke about how the proposed budget cuts would impact her family.
Brady has been caring her daughter, Lauren, for 17 years.
“Lauren was born with Rett Syndrome, a debilitating disease that denied her the ability to walk or talk,” CBS reports. “Through the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program, Brady is paid less than $10 an hour to tend to her daughter.
“[Brady] says no longer getting paid for overtime would force her to either get outside work and put her daughter in an institution or staying home with her daughter and endure the financial consequences.”
IHSS Consumers Union co-founder Nancy Becker Kennedy said Brown’s plans will break up homes and negatively impact taxpayers, as those who could previously be cared for at home will likely be moved into institutions, CBS reports.
Written by Cassandra Dowell
