Final Reports

Each facility was found to be well maintained and clean.

On-site comprehensive medical services are available at each detention facility.

On-site educational programs for detainees are available at both the Sheriff’s Detention Center and the Juvenile Detention Center.

The Stanislaus Regional 911 staff is highly trained and, based on observation, has the ability to triage emergency and non-emergency calls.

The Modesto Police Department’s Real Time Crime Center can triage developing incidents and provide crucial information to responding officers and other first responders prior to their arrival.

The Stanislaus County Coroner’s Facility is state-of-the-art and has space for future expansion. 2019-2020 Stanislaus County Civil Grand Jury – COMMENDATIONS: C1. SCCGJ commends the staff of each facility toured for adopting practices that maintain the state-of-the-art facilities and emphasize education and evaluation of programs to meet future needs. C2. SCCGJ commends the staff at each toured facility for a strong sense of pride, dedication, commitment and ownership in executing their responsibilities. Reports issued by the Grand Jury do not identify individuals interviewed. Penal Code section 929 requires that reports of the Grand Jury not contain the name of any person or facts leading to the identity of any person who provides information to the Grand Jury. 2019-2020 Stanislaus County Civil Grand Jury – 2019-2020 Stanislaus County Civil Grand Jury Case #20-12GJ In Home Support Services 2019-2020 Stanislaus County Civil Grand jury Case #20-12C In Home Support Services SUMMARY The Stanislaus County Civil Grand Jury (SCCGJ) initiated an investigation of the In Home Support Services (IHSS) program. The IHSS program is administered by the Community Services Agency (CSA) in Stanislaus County. The investigation was initiated in response to a citizen complaint of mismanagement and poor oversight of the IHSS program. The allegations included the following:  Delay of initial assessments  Delinquent reassessments  Delayed caretaker payments  IHSS budget reduction  Issuance of a state corrective action plan  Unsafe work conditions  Poor social worker retention  Limited social worker promotion opportunities IHSS is a necessary and valuable program for elderly and disabled citizens of Stanislaus County. Approximately 7,000 recipients receive services through the IHSS program. Established in 1973, IHSS is part of a statewide program that provides domestic and personal care services for qualified elderly and disabled citizens in Stanislaus County. IHSS is funded by a combination of county, state and federal programs. Between January and November 2019, IHSS received a total of 2,963 new applications. Due to a carryover of pending applications from the prior year, a total of 3,095 applications were completed. The stated goal of the IHSS program is to provide assistance to those “eligible aged, blind and disabled individuals who are unable to remain safely in their own homes without this assistance.” IHSS is an alternative to out of home care. The extent of services offered to citizens is in part determined by the availability of funds earmarked and disbursed by the state. Funds are forwarded to the county for budget review and a final IHSS budget is formulated. GLOSSARY SCCGJ Stanislaus County Civil Grand Jury CAP Corrective Action Plan CDSS California Department of Social Services CSA Community Services Agency IHSS In Home Support Services ICT Inter-County Transfer 2019-2020 Stanislaus County Civil Grand Jury – BACKGROUND The IHSS program, part of a statewide program established in 1973, is under the purview of the Community Services Agency (CSA) in Stanislaus County. The objective of IHSS is to provide assistance to citizens enabling them to remain safely in their own homes as an alternative to out of home care. All new IHSS applications are designated a ranking of 1, 2 or 3 depending on the acuity level of the applicant. Applicants with a 1 ranking are in dire circumstances that require urgent in-home care and are assessed within two business days. Applicants with a 2 ranking have an above average need for care and are assessed within ten business days. Applicants with a 3 ranking receive a standard response within thirty days of the application date. Inter-County Transfers (ICT) are to be evaluated within thirty days. In addition to the Health Certification form, the application package includes the following:  Needs Assessment  Application for Social Services  Recipient/Employer Responsibility Checklist  Individualized Back-up Plan and Risk Management  Voter Preference form  Notice to Applicant of Health Care Certification Requirement  Caregiver Fingerprinting Information  Community Resources. State guidelines for the completion of the initial assessment are in conflict. Most applicants seeking services first contact IHSS by telephone. The first contact date triggers a thirty day application completion requirement. However, the applicant has up to forty-five days to submit the medical certification. Due to extenuating circumstances, the forty-five day requirement can be extended even further. Hospitalization of the applicant, withdrawal of the application, declining cognitive functioning and physician delays in completing paperwork may all contribute to an incomplete or delayed application. On average it takes three months for an applicant to receive a determination on a request for services. On September 7, 2017 the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) notified the Stanislaus County CSA that the IHSS program was being placed on a Corrective Action Plan (CAP), because of failure to meet the required minimum reassessment rate of 80%. In order to address the deficiency, three Social Worker III positions were added as well as an increase in management oversight. METHODOLOGY SCCGJ used the following methodology to investigate the complaint:  Interviewed complainant  Interviewed CSA and IHSS personnel  Reviewed the Citizen Complaint Form and attachments  Reviewed Social Worker I-III Pay Ranges  Reviewed relevant IHSS documents 2019-2020 Stanislaus County Civil Grand Jury – DISCUSSION SCCGJ interviewed personnel regarding the IHSS program and was informed that training a new IHSS social worker can take as long as six months. As social workers gained experience and expertise they were eligible for promotion to a Social Worker II position. However, after being promoted to Social Worker II, experienced employees would often leave IHSS as no path towards additional promotion existed. This promotional limitation resulted in hiring difficulties that contributed to excessive reassessment delinquencies. This was recently corrected by the addition of Social Worker III positions in the IHSS program. Interviews indicated that delayed caretaker payments were caused by service provider timecards which were frequently inaccurate, not properly signed or delayed due to mail delivery problems. To remedy this problem the state is in the process of implementing an electronic timecard system in Spring-Summer 2020. SCCGJ confirmed through interviews and documentation that the IHSS program was placed on a corrective action plan (CAP) for failing to complete at least 80% of the annual reassessments within 12 months. The IHSS program was removed from the CAP for Fiscal Year 2018-2019 with an increased reassessment compliance rate of 80.53%. Due to additional hiring and increased oversight, the program remains in compliance with an 86% reassessment rate. SCCGJ considered all of the allegation made by the complainant and chose to focus on the allegation of mismanagement and poor oversight. Other issues raised by the complainant related to personnel matters which are beyond the scope of SCCGJ’s mission. Other avenues are available to the complainant to address such matters. FINDINGS