Ruling could stop cuts in elderly, disabled care

[alp227]

Bob Egelko, SF Chron

States can't cut in-home care for elderly and disabled people if there's a serious risk they'll be forced into nursing homes, a federal appeals court has ruled in a decision that could forestall a 20 percent reduction in services to 372,000 Californians.

Friday's ruling by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco did not directly involve California and came instead from Washington state, where officials reduced home-care hours for 45,000 residents by 10 percent in February.

But the issues are similar to those now before a federal judge in Oakland, who has scheduled a Jan. 19 hearing on whether to let California eliminate one-fifth of the care it provides in the in-home supportive services program.

The program serves low-income residents who need help with daily tasks, like dressing, bathing and preparing meals. U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken issued a restraining order Dec. 1 that blocked the scheduled Jan. 1 implementation date, and said there are "serious questions" about whether the cutback would violate federal disability law.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/12/19/BA181MEHEG.DTL

[HarryPowell]

1. Stop The Corporate Plundering, Profiteering Warehousing of the Disabled

It is far cheaper to have adequate, superior in-home care.

The Medical-Dental Corporate Complex only wants more money for less care. End this inhuman juggernaut for the highest price of so-called health care.

I was in one these hell-holes recovering from major traffic accident injuries. The attitude of administration socio-pathic. I was threatened with expulsion and the with-drawal in-home assistasnce if I wasn't back in the concentration game at a set time. I was attending my mother's funeral. I got back late, but they could do nothing because while I was at the funeral, my doctors released me. I went home the next day. My doctors and physical thersapist were outstandfing and I am forever grateful to them.