IHSS Statewide Authority: About Us

In 2012, the Legislature enacted the Coordinated Care Initiative (CCI) to promote integrated delivery of medical, behavioral health and long-term services and supports for older adults and persons with disabilities who are dually eligible for both the Medicare and Medi-Cal health insurance programs. Seven of the 58 counties in California will be participating in the CCI. In conjunction with the CCI, the California In-Home Supportive Services Authority (IHSS Statewide Authority) was created to serve as the employer of record of IHSS providers in the CCI counties for collective bargaining purposes only. IHSS recipients retain their exclusive right to hire, fire and supervise their providers. The CCI Counties include Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Mateo and Santa Clara.

The IHSS Statewide Authority, as a Joint Powers Authority, is a separate public entity authorized to meet and confer in good faith for wages, benefits, and other terms and conditions of employment with representatives of recognized employee organizations representing individual providers in the CCI counties. Local Memoranda of Understanding (MOU)/bargaining agreements transition to the IHSS Statewide Authority when the Director of the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) issues a letter confirming that CCI enrollment in a county is complete. The IHHS Statewide Authority officially assumed collective bargaining responsibility for the first county to complete CCI enrollment, San Mateo, on February 23, 2015. Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties transitioned on July 2, 2015. For planning purposes, the anticipated transition timeline for the two remaining counties is as follows: 

• January 2016:  Santa Clara
• August 2016:  Orange

The IHSS Statewide Authority appointed a 13-member Advisory Committee to provide ongoing advice and recommendations regarding the IHSS program to the IHSS Statewide Authority and Departments of Social Services (CDSS) and DHCS. The Committee, consisting of consumers, providers, union representatives and advocates, was formally established on August 6, 2015.  

CDSS and the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) are jointly supporting the IHSS Statewide Authority. CDSS provides administrative and operations support to both the IHSS Statewide Authority and IHSS Stakeholder Advisory Committee. CalHR, under the direction of the IHSS Statewide Authority, is responsible for day-to-day labor relations, collective bargaining and contract administration with recognized employee organizations in the seven demonstration counties.