Schwarzenegger Cuts Funding for Elderly, Blind, and Disabled Californians in Proposed State Budget

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

$4 billion annual program currently serves 400,000 elderly, blind or disabled consumers; projected caseloads expected to reach 500,000 by 2012

By Jovan Agee
Political and Legislative Director
United Domestic Workers of America

Governor Schwarzenegger today dismissed any possibility of new state revenues to close a growing budget gap and instead proposed cuts to a popular state program that allows more than 400,000 California seniors and people with disabilities to receive home care and avoid unnecessary, expensive and unwanted institutionalization.

"We understand the magnitude of the budget deficit and that tough choices must be made,” said Evan LeVang, Co-Chair of the Quality Homecare Coalition. “However, we do not believe that the health and welfare of seniors and people with disabilities should be compromised in order to balance the budget.”

Since elected in 2003, Schwarzenegger has made it an annual practice to cut funding to the state’s In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program, attempting to balance the budget on the backs of the elderly, blind and people living with disabilities.

"The Legislature would be well-served to automatically dismiss these cuts as foolish and short-sighted, since the IHSS program ultimately saves state tax dollars compared to costly alternatives, including institutional care,” said Herb Meyer, 76, a disabled consumer of IHSS services in Marin County. “We are forced to remind lawmakers of this simple fact every year.”

“As the Legislature is forced to demonstrate each year in response to the Governor's budget, there is ample research and bipartisan recognition that it is far cheaper to provide in-home services than to pay for those same services in institutions,” said Deborah Doctor of Protection & Advocacy Inc. “The Governor has started off 2008 with another hypocritical spending plan; giving lip service to the most vulnerable Californians while cutting crucial state funding that allows those same Californians to live independently.”

“We need a fair balancing of this deficit crisis with a combination approach that includes some revenue raising as well as targeted program cuts to non-essential services (as opposed to across the board),” said Frances Gracechild, Co-Chair of the Quality Homecare Coalition and Executive Director of Resources for Independent Living. “Some of the tax relief that was prematurely given during the early Schwarzenegger administration should be returned by the wealthiest Californians that benefited.”