November 21, 2019

CSAC hosted an In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) Training Wednesday for counties in partnership with the County Welfare Directors Association (CWDA) and the California Association of Public Authorities (CAPA). More than 200 county staff and public authority staff from nearly every county gathered in Sacramento for a full day of training about the new IHSS Maintenance of Effort (MOE) that was enacted by Senate Bill 80 (Chapter 27, Statutes of 2019).

The enactment of the new County IHSS MOE was the culmination of two years of effort by CSAC — in partnership with counties, county affiliates, and other stakeholders — to advocate for a more sustainable fiscal structure for counties to manage IHSS costs and continue to deliver vital services on behalf of the state. The training provided an overview of the numerous and complex IHSS provisions of SB 80, information about the latest implementation updates, and an opportunity to engage with other counties about IHSS. 

Napa County Supervisor Belia Ramos, co-chair of CSAC’s IHSS Working Group, and Kim Johnson, Director of the California Department of Social Services, provided opening remarks and talked about the important state and county partnership on IHSS. The training then provided participants with detailed presentations from CSAC, CWDA, and CAPA about the various aspects of the new MOE. Key topics included:

• Advocacy efforts for the new MOE
• Funding for IHSS administrative costs
• County amounts of the new MOE
• Wage and benefit tools
• IHSS collective bargaining

Moving forward, CSAC will continue to partner with counties, the Department of Social Services, and the Department of Finance on implementing various aspects of the new MOE. IHSS resources that have been developed can be found on CSAC’s IHSS page.