The In-Home Supportive Services program provides care to more than 450 thousand elderly and disabled Californians. But program supporters say care would be compromised under a proposal in Governor Jerry Brown’s budget.
Brown wants to limit IHSS workers to 40 hours a week, and prohibit overtime. A pool of temporary caregivers would take up the slack.
Mary Burch is certified to care for her 40-year-old developmentally disabled daughter and is paid through IHSS.
“I do everything for her. She can’t use the microwave, cut her own food, bath independently or even dial 911 without assistance,” Burch said. “She has seizures, which means she has to be watched 24/7.”
Burch said if she’s not allowed to work overtime she may lose her house.
The Brown administration says a change in federal law would require home care workers to be paid time-and-a-half for overtime. That could cost California $600 million a year.
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