Russel Huesby cares for his disabled wife, and now he and his union say that the county is cutting back on an in-home assistance program and it's putting a strain on many people trying to makes ends meet. We asked the county if the quality of care is being compromised. They say state guidelines make sure the program helps everyone effectively.
Russell Huesby says he's having a hard time paying bills after the county reduced the amount of money he's paid for taking care of his disabled wife. Huesby works through a program called in home support services. The state wide service offers compensation to those who care for the sick, elderly or disabled. Care providers are paid by on a task by task basis, like giving a patient a bath, or taking them to the bathroom. In 2005 the state standardized the amount of time it takes to do a task. Once a year social workers visit the client or patient to reassess their situation. Recently a social worker came to the Huesby home to asses the amount of hours allotted to Russell for his wife's care. Those hours directly relate to how much money the Huesby's are given; money Russell says is essential to their survival. Huesby says the county cut his hours in half and that now he can't even pay his bills.
Kris Grasty, from Kern County Aging and Adult Services, says they haven't cut back the program. She says since the standardization in 2005 some providers have had a reduction in hours but points out that the standardization has also helped some providers who deal with severely debilitated patients receive *more* hours. We asked Grasty if the standardization has cut back on the quality of care, and she says no. According to Grasty even if a provider's hours are cut they can still take action by appealing the decision within 90 days after they receive notice that their hours have been cut.
Huesby says he will appeal the decision so he can continue to give his wife what he feels is the best care possible
The United Domestic Workers Union says many of the 4,000 providers they represent are upset over their decrease in hours but they could not give an exact number of those unhappy with their reassessments.