CA Proposed Budget: Sweeping Cuts in Support Services

Editor’s note (February 9, 2012): There is a petition against the proposed cuts to the California Caregiver Resource Centers for Governor Brown’s proposed FY 2012-13 budget. You can view and sign the petition here: http://www.change.org/petitions/dont-balance-californias-budget-on-the-backs-of-family-caregivers

California Governor Brown released the proposed state spending plan for FY 2011 to 2012 today with broad cuts in support services for aging and disabled adults and children included in the over $12.5 billion reductions. In his press statement released today Governor Brown stated, “These cuts will be painful, requiring sacrifice from every sector of the state, but we have no choice,” Brown said. “For 10 years, we’ve had budget gimmicks and tricks that pushed us deep into debt. We must now return California to fiscal responsibility and get our state on the road to economic recovery and job growth.”

The cuts include:
•In Home Support Services (IHSS):A continuation of a 3.6% in current reductions (FY 2010-11) and an additional 8.6% reduction for the next fiscal year, totaling 12% reduction in hours for the over 436,000 IHSS recipients
•IHSS: For those children and adults who reside in a “shared living arrangement” with a relative, friend or other person, hours for domestic and related services are eliminated. 48% of the IHSS population falls into this category.
•IHSS: Elimination of state funding for all IHSS Advisory Committees at the local levels
•Adult Day Health Care Services (ADHC): Eliminated as a Medi-Cal benefit. Most clients of the 37,000 ADHC Centers are Medi-Cal eligible and the centers receive $37/day reimbursement for older adults with multiple chronic care conditions.
•Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP), the case management program for over 11,000 older adults funded through Medi-Cal waivers, will eliminate all optional benefits such as payments for ADHC, housing assistance, personal care and chore assistance, protective supervision, respite, transportation, meal services, social services and communication devices.
•Development Services: A reduction of $750 million in state general funds to the statewide system.

If temporary tax increases are allowed to expire at the end of this fiscal year, there will be deeper cuts to all segments of CA governmental services. The CA State Legislature is charged with placing on a special ballot in June, the question of extending these tax increases and any other revenue enhancements. In order to place these measures on a June ballot, there needs to be a two-thirds vote by the legislature. Also included in the budget is a massive realignment of functions back to the counties from the state resulting in a reduction of state oversight and administration from the state.

For more CA budget information:

CA Department of Finance: http://www.dof.ca.gov/budget/

Office of Governor Jerry Brown: http://gov.ca.gov/index.php