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Chelsea Martin
Chelsea Martin realizes she may be luckier than most people who need the help of others to get by.
Martin, 24, lives in a simple apartment with a patio and a cat. Martin was born with spina bifida, yet is mobile enough to take classes at Sierra College four days a week and use public transportation when she needs to.
Legislators and advocates for the disabled continue to wrangle over $5.4 billion spent to keep people like Martin relatively independent, with advocates saying that cost is cheaper — and more humane — than leaving the disabled to enter nursing homes.
Gov. Schwarzenegger is proposing to slash 90 percent of spending for In-Home Support Services to help close a $26.3 billion budget shortfall, and legislative republicans want fixes for alleged fraud in the system.
“I try not to think about it too much,” Martin said. “It makes me angry.”
When she needs help, Martin's mother, Kathleen Soga, helps with laundry, cooking, vacuuming and transportation, and is with her every day of the week. Soga earns $8.56 an hour for the work, paid through In-Home Support Services.
Assemblyman Dan Logue, R-Linda, said Republicans want to curb what many see as payments made to people who don't use the money for its intended purpose.
“We want to make sure we don't have the fraud and abuse,” Logue said. “There is a lot of fraud in the system, and the taxpayer should not be paying for a system that is broken.”
State Sen. Sam Aanestad, R-Grass Valley, “has said that all areas of the budget must be scrutinized, and that includes IHSS,” spokesman Bill Bird said.
In Nevada County, 647 people like Martin rely on the IHSS program to pay for help with daily chores such as cleaning, cooking and taking out the trash, allowing them to stay in their homes.
If people lost their IHSS services, local convalescent facilities could absorb about 20 additional patients, estimated Spring Hill Manor administrator Brian Collier.
“We hardly have enough room for the people who need us. We have a waiting list,” said Lori Fuller, admissions coordinator for Spring Hill Manor, which has 86 beds.
The state's plan to save money could wind up costing it more.
“Skilled nursing is far more expensive than in-home care,” Collier said.
Skilled nursing costs $6,000 a month at Spring Hill Manor. A home-care provider working for $8.56 an hour at a maximum of 283 hours a month can make $2,422. Few reach that maximum.
“This is a very lean program,” said Ann Guerra, executive director of the Nevada Sierra Regional IHSS Public Authority.
The state contributes 37 percent, the federal government pays 50 percent and the county pays the remainder.
More rigorous background checks and a detailed audit system would help curb some of the abuse, Logue said. At this point, the state has no idea how the money paid to caregivers is being used.
Some republicans are proposing fingerprinting in-home care workers and having them submit reports “to make sure the people who need the help are going to get it,” Logue said.
Martin gets around on either a conventional or motorized wheelchair, and has lived with her condition long enough to know how to get things done. She's better off than most, she admits.
“We've had to work very hard at that, and I have to credit my mother,” she said. “Because I do have a level of independence, I'm worried less for myself than for other people who need a higher level of care.”
Last week, 20 county residents joined more than 100 advocates, disabled people, seniors and caregivers at the state Capitol, where they formed a human barricade in front of the governor's office.
Ten people in wheelchairs and one blind man were arrested when they refused to move. They were protesting the governor's plan to cut the In-Home Support Services program by as much as 90 percent.
“We're not going to be like a bunch of sheep and blindly go to slaughter,” said Janine Ford, a disabled woman who lives in an old trailer in North San Juan. She was among the protesters arrested.
“The governor doesn't have the right to take away our IHSS help and send us to a convalescent hospital,” she said.
Martin, 24, lives in a simple apartment with a patio and a cat. Martin was born with spina bifida, yet is mobile enough to take classes at Sierra College four days a week and use public transportation when she needs to.
Legislators and advocates for the disabled continue to wrangle over $5.4 billion spent to keep people like Martin relatively independent, with advocates saying that cost is cheaper — and more humane — than leaving the disabled to enter nursing homes.
Gov. Schwarzenegger is proposing to slash 90 percent of spending for In-Home Support Services to help close a $26.3 billion budget shortfall, and legislative republicans want fixes for alleged fraud in the system.
“I try not to think about it too much,” Martin said. “It makes me angry.”
When she needs help, Martin's mother, Kathleen Soga, helps with laundry, cooking, vacuuming and transportation, and is with her every day of the week. Soga earns $8.56 an hour for the work, paid through In-Home Support Services.
Assemblyman Dan Logue, R-Linda, said Republicans want to curb what many see as payments made to people who don't use the money for its intended purpose.
“We want to make sure we don't have the fraud and abuse,” Logue said. “There is a lot of fraud in the system, and the taxpayer should not be paying for a system that is broken.”
State Sen. Sam Aanestad, R-Grass Valley, “has said that all areas of the budget must be scrutinized, and that includes IHSS,” spokesman Bill Bird said.
In Nevada County, 647 people like Martin rely on the IHSS program to pay for help with daily chores such as cleaning, cooking and taking out the trash, allowing them to stay in their homes.
If people lost their IHSS services, local convalescent facilities could absorb about 20 additional patients, estimated Spring Hill Manor administrator Brian Collier.
“We hardly have enough room for the people who need us. We have a waiting list,” said Lori Fuller, admissions coordinator for Spring Hill Manor, which has 86 beds.
The state's plan to save money could wind up costing it more.
“Skilled nursing is far more expensive than in-home care,” Collier said.
Skilled nursing costs $6,000 a month at Spring Hill Manor. A home-care provider working for $8.56 an hour at a maximum of 283 hours a month can make $2,422. Few reach that maximum.
“This is a very lean program,” said Ann Guerra, executive director of the Nevada Sierra Regional IHSS Public Authority.
The state contributes 37 percent, the federal government pays 50 percent and the county pays the remainder.
More rigorous background checks and a detailed audit system would help curb some of the abuse, Logue said. At this point, the state has no idea how the money paid to caregivers is being used.
Some republicans are proposing fingerprinting in-home care workers and having them submit reports “to make sure the people who need the help are going to get it,” Logue said.
Martin gets around on either a conventional or motorized wheelchair, and has lived with her condition long enough to know how to get things done. She's better off than most, she admits.
“We've had to work very hard at that, and I have to credit my mother,” she said. “Because I do have a level of independence, I'm worried less for myself than for other people who need a higher level of care.”
Last week, 20 county residents joined more than 100 advocates, disabled people, seniors and caregivers at the state Capitol, where they formed a human barricade in front of the governor's office.
Ten people in wheelchairs and one blind man were arrested when they refused to move. They were protesting the governor's plan to cut the In-Home Support Services program by as much as 90 percent.
“We're not going to be like a bunch of sheep and blindly go to slaughter,” said Janine Ford, a disabled woman who lives in an old trailer in North San Juan. She was among the protesters arrested.
“The governor doesn't have the right to take away our IHSS help and send us to a convalescent hospital,” she said.
To contact Staff Writer Laura Brown, e-mail lbrown@theunion.com or call 477-4231.
