IHSS Consumers: Important Notices to be Mailed 12/15/11

The State of California will be sending out IHSS 20% reduction notices to consumers by December 15, 2011.  Only consumers whose IHSS services are being reduced by the 20% will receive an IHSS service hour reduction notice.  (The State will also inform providers of the reduction through a statement which will appear on the provider's time sheet.)

• The 20% cut goes into effect 1/1/2012, unless a consumer gets approved for an IHSS Care Supplement.   
• The IHSS Care Supplement application will be mailed to the consumer by 12/15/2011.
• The IHSS consumer must submit the IHSS Care Supplement application by the deadline to apply to keep the cut from happening.

IHSS consumers who apply for, and qualify for an IHSS Care Supplement will get back some or all of their reduced hours.  IHSS services will continue at the same level if an IHSS consumer submits an IHSS Care Supplement application by January 1, 2012, or within 15 days from receiving the IHSS 20% reduction notice.  This is called "aid paid pending."  State law says IHSS consumers can get an IHSS Care Supplement only if they are at risk of out-of-home placement, unless they get back some or all of their IHSS hours
("Out-of-home placement" means that the consumer would have to leave her/his own home and go live somewhere else, such as a board and care home, or a nursing home).

Some consumers will automatically receive an IHSS Care Supplement...  

• Consumers who receive the maximum of 283 hours per month.
• Consumers who receive Protective Supervision.
• Consumers who receive services under a Home and Community Based Services Waiver, such as:

Acquired Immune Deficient Syndrome (AIDS) Waiver; Home and Community-Based Services Waiver for the Developmentally Disabled (HCBS-DD); Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP); Nursing Facility/Acute Hospital (NF/AH) Waiver, and; In-Home Operations (IHO) Waiver

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