CSAC’s officers met for about an hour with Governor Brown this week, discussing a variety of issues important to counties. Chief among them was the IHSS cost shift. They also touched on the overall state budget, transportation funding and other local issues.

The IHSS issue remains a difficult one. In 2012, the state took on a larger fiscal role in providing In Home Supportive Services. It did so believing that it could save money by coordinating that care with other health services being provided to the same clients. The 2012 “Maintenance of Effort” agreement capped how much money counties would have to contribute to IHSS at the 2012 level, plus an annual inflator.

On January 10, Department of Finance Director Michael Cohen issued notice that the state will end the Coordinated Care Initiative (CCI) and dismantle the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) Maintenance of Effort (MOE) deal enacted in 2012 and 2013.