BILL NUMBER: SB 1503	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Senator Steinberg
   (Principal coauthor: Assembly Member John A. Pérez)

                        FEBRUARY 24, 2012

   An act relating to in-home supportive services.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SB 1503, as introduced, Steinberg. In-Home Supportive Services
program.
   Existing law provides for the county-administered In-Home
Supportive Services (IHSS) program, under which qualified aged,
blind, and disabled persons are provided with services to permit them
to remain in their own homes and avoid institutionalization. Under
the Medi-Cal program, similar services are provided to eligible
individuals, with these services known as personal care option
services. Under existing law, home and facility care services that
are subject to Medi-Cal reimbursement include nursing facility care
services and home- or community-based care services, as specified.
   This bill would state that it is the intent of the Legislature to
enact legislation that would integrate the IHSS program with other
long-term care services, including nursing facility care and
community-based services, to increase timely access to adequate
long-term care services and enhance care coordination across
long-term care settings.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  The Legislature hereby finds and declares all of the
following:
   (a) The In-home Supportive Services (IHSS) program, as described
in Article 7 (commencing with Section 12300) of Chapter 3 of Part 3
of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, is an integral
component within California's long-term care delivery system.
   (b) The IHSS program provides home-based care that is compatible
with the health condition, mental status, and long-term needs of each
consumer, and allows each consumer to safely remain at home.
   (c) The IHSS program relies on providers who can meet a consumer's
supportive service and personal care service needs, as defined in
Section 12300 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, within each
consumer's home.
   (d) The Legislature hereby declares its intent to enact
legislation that would integrate the IHSS program with other
long-term care services, including nursing facility care and
community-based services, in order to increase timely access to
adequate long-term care services and enhance care coordination across
long-term care settings. This integration shall preserve
consumer-directed care within the IHSS program that will allow
consumers to continue to hire, fire, and supervise their home care
providers when they are able.