Community Living Campaign

Cultivating connections to help seniors and people with disabilities age and thrive at home.

Cultivating connections to help seniors and people with disabilities age and thrive at home.

Medi-Cal

Our Thanks”Captain, Bill,” a Leader at the Department of Aging and Adult Services

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At the end of June 2014, Bill Haskell retired from the Department of Aging and Adult Services.  He may be retiring, but has left quite a legacy.  Bill was the staff guru behind the Long Term Care Coordinating Council (LTCCC)  and the development of its many and diverse projects and work groups.  Looking back even further, he has been a mainstay in the movement to plan and develop home and community-based services and support in San Francisco.   This includes work to develop the first residential care hospice program for people with AIDS, Coming Home Hospice.

Read more about the Long Term Care Coordinating Council History (thanks in part to Bill’s hard work) in his “last memo”.

Last week, friends and colleagues of Captain Bill  joined together to applaud Bill’s leadership.  We look forward to seeing what he does as an encore.  Happy travels, Captain Bill, our Superhero!

Special Conference on In-Home Supportive Services Draws Hundreds

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The IHSS Public Authority drew hundreds of In-home Supportive Services (IHSS) recipients, home care providers and their supporters at a special conference on February 20th. The IHSS Program is facing uncharted waters as the state of California seeks to integrate IHSS into a “managed care” healthcare system. The day was packed with speakers who could tell attendees what to expect and answer questions.

And across the hall from the main program area, the Community Living Campaign and our partners in the SF Connected Program showcased how seniors and people with can get connected and stay informed by learning to use computers, iPads, Android tablets, assistive technology and much more. There were even fun introductions to Skype, Wii, CLC’s own “Twitter Mirror,” and our new mascot.

To learn more about the San Francisco IHSS Public Authority, visit their website.

To learn more about how to use computers, tablets and other fun tools for connection, visit www.SFConnected.org/home or CLC’s classes at www.sfcommunityliving.org.

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Governor’s Budget Disappoints Around Long-Term Services and Supports

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The California Collaborative for Long Term Services and Supports is a coalition of statewide organizations that reach millions of seniors and persons with disabilities.   In December, the organization raised a number of issues with Governor Brown, putting into focus many of the issues important to preserving and to expanding a network of long term services and supports.  

While the State’s improved economic forecast has provided some good news, it’s not so good when it comes to services and supports for seniors, adults with disabilities and their hands on care providers.

Does the budget… 

Eliminate a 7% cut to In Home Supportive Services (IHSS) scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2014.

NO

Restore a 10% rate cut (made in June, 2011) for adult day health programs, now called Community Based Adult Services (CBAS).

NO

Shore up services that have been reduced by federal sequestration, including senior nutrition programs, housing vouchers, and programs authorized through the Older Americans Act.

NO – Governor comments that seniors and persons with disabilities in California are among the best off.

End reductions in Medi-Cal optional benefits, including eyeglasses, incontinence supplies, psychiatry, and durable medical equipment, and restoring the dental benefit to its 2009 level.

NO

Restore SSI/SSP to the purchasing power it had five years ago.

NO – only a modest cost of living increase included.

Address the housing needs of persons wanting home and community based services instead of institutional care.

NOT ADDRESSED

Adjust the caps on rates for home and community based services within the state’s Medi-Cal waivers, so that these rates reflect the state rates for people with similar needs who are in nursing homes or other institutions.

NOT ADDRESSED

Meet, within Budget Act appropriations, the new requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act as they apply to IHSS providers working overtime.

NO – In fact, the proposed budget does the opposite: it disallows any overtime pay for IHSS consumers, forcing those who have a caregiver working more than 40 hours per week to find someone else for hours above 40.  Also applies to a caregiver who serves more than one client: no more than 40 hours total per week across all clients.

Medi-Cal rate cut:

NO, those already cut will not be repaid.  However, where litigation blocked some cuts, the state won’t go back to try to get money.

PACE:

NO restoration for PACE rate reductions

So the message is clear – these issues will not be addressed unless we mobilize and engage individually and through organizations that have clout in Sacramento.   Get ready!

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The Medi-Cal Expansion: Opportunities and Challenges

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California will take a significant step forward toward achieving access to health care for all in January 2014, when Medi-Cal expansion and subsidized coverage through Covered California will provide millions of low and middle income Californians with access to care.

We love the Medi-Cal Expansion.  It will provide no-cost, comprehensive health insurance to 40,000 people in SF.

The Medi-Cal Expansion raises particular challenges and opportunities for older people and people with disabilities, so Friday’s forum was held to educate service providers  and community leaders so they can help seniors and people with disabilities get the coverage and benefits they need. 

·      The good news about the Medi-Cal Expansion is:

o    It will make it possible to get coverage for a larger number of  people whose disabilities;

o    It will be a huge financial help for people who are under 65 and have to pay a Share of Cost (SOC) to use Medi-Cal each month; they may be eligible for the Expansion with no Share of Cost.

·      The challenges are:

o   We don’t yet know how people on the Expansion will get long-term services and supports if they need them.  We’re still waiting for federal guidance to clarify this.

o    People on the Expansion may face disruptions in coverage when they turn 65 or qualify for Medicare, because the two programs have different applications and different income & asset limits.

The Forum was sponsored by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, Senior and Disability Action (SDA), the SF Dept. of Aging and Adult Services, Bayview-Hunters Point Senior Center, Caring Across Generations, Family Services Agency, Community Living Campaign, California Alliance for Retired Americans, Openhouse, Coalition of Agencies Serving Elderly, ElderCare Network, and Shanti.

The handouts provided at the Forum, as well as other useful information, is available through the links below.

NSCLC Medi-Cal Expansion Factsheet

SDA Medi-Cal Factsheet

ACA & Medi-Cal Expansion Scenarios

Resources for Understanding Your Options

Share Your Story Flier

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