In the last month, I’ve been to the Emergency three times because my legs produced an infection and swelling. Having no place to elevate them makes it rather difficult to get rid of the swelling. Just as I was having my legs checked for blood clots, the same nurse I encountered before, told me about care providers making $35 dollars an hour now. I haven’t found any evidence yet of this, but why doesn’t anyone listen to me when I talk?
I’ve mentioned so many times I used to be a care provider for my man Todd until he died and what it did to my life, no words can express. I was with him 24-7 no days off, and no vacation, it compromised my health emotionally, mentally, and physically. I never considered taking care of someone at least not in the way, that I did, but to do it again, I can’t, I tried going back to work after Todd died and I was sick to my stomach. It took me a moment to realize how much healing I needed and to care for my own health, which could take a couple of years.
Let me tell you what I experienced with this state agency, IHSS PROGRAM. They deliberately make everything so difficult from getting the hours and pay, a care provider is entitled to have. And support, which NO ONE ever gives! Social Workers Don’t Care!
Orientation day was ridiculous, numerous people attended an orientation after being fingerprinted (which you have to pay $60 dollars for) at the Social Service Office. During this orientation vague information was provided with numbers of people to call for various reasons, none of which were working numbers. The spokesperson provided no INTEL of what “share of cost” taxes, and scrupulous tactics, the detailed information a person needs to know. Of course, they don’t, it’s obvious to me now.
With that being said you are completely clueless as to what can happen and how to navigate possible problems. Frankly, I believe this is done with intent because the agency doesn’t care and wants to find cause to terminate the case. There is NO EXCUSE for laziness and stupidity, but a lack of care for human life is threatening and caused by the elites.
1) This program is “income-restricted”, so if you make say 40,000 to 50,000 there is a good chance you DON’T qualify. It’s for people who have nothing. An example is my aunt who died of CANCER and was rejected because she used to be a mail carrier, so therefore, now that she was ill and couldn’t work anymore, they told her NO! She couldn’t have her daughter be a care provider to help with her needs. This demonstrates how shitty the agency is with judgment.
Yet a Pakistani woman with the same illness gets approved, who lives with her daughter, who has a nice house, drives a BMW and her husband owns a dental business, she works. I reported to her, this is someone who should NOT be on the program because both sisters are too lazy to care for their mother. These women just don’t want to pay out of their own pocket.
2) The client you caring for is considered the Employer (this can cause many problems if the person can not speak for themself). The social worker comes to the home and speaks to the client, to determine the needs, which in turn will provide how many hours you can work, Which in our case was Intake Worker Derico Rabaja, this mother fucker never looked at Todd’s records when I gave them to him. I called so many times and he refused to answer my calls. I had to call numerous times to Janice Hahn’s Office another joke, and all the fucken assholes who work there. As for the paperwork to sign the main social worker will provide everything during his visit. This will help to access the employer’s portal and sign off your time sheets for them. So if the client can’t speak tell the social worker, and share with the social worker all problems, it makes a difference.
In addition, I struggled and never received any credit toward my college loans for this. You can as a public service worker. The social worker knows about this and most forms you can find online or on the website. IHSS needs to be helpful with this program from FED LOAN and their not. Do your homework to understand the program thoroughly.
3) Share of Cost is a seriously fucked up way to cheat people, if the Employer has SSI (social security) and you are physically living with that person while caring for them, the agency has a white bitch call pretending to care. Her only intent is to manipulate you, so you confess how much money you make as a care provider. DON’T MAKE THAT MISTAKE, TELL HER NOTHING!!! SHE CAN’T DO SHIT IF YOU DO NOT ADMIT TO IT. I TOLD THE BITCH, IT’S NONE OF YOUR FUCKEN BUSINESS!!!!
Of course, she already knows, she just needs you to say it. This is so they can cut into Social Security and your pay. Just lie and give another address that you live somewhere else. However you won’t be able to be “federally exempt” from taxes, but if the employer is only getting say $1000 dollars and your making the max of 283 hours, which is about $5000 a month, then let the SSI go and support the both of you, as I did. You can only do one or the other because it’s linked together.
I can understand why certain people have attitudes, because of those who cheat like the Pakistan woman I mentioned and ruin it for the rest of us, but the social worker’s judgment and biased attitude doesn’t help. This is what I encountered with the Intake worker who came to our home. Todd was a strong man and still had the use of his legs, so the worker was always judging. He asked for Todd’s medical records, which I provided, and never once did he look at them. Again laziness. No one bothered to ask or understand Todd’s past the trauma he encountered and his abusive childhood which does damage to people.
I mentioned how social security and this IHSS program are linked, yes they are. The social worker had to administer a code (INQY) and the social security office knows this, they deliberately sabotaged the case which caused nothing but a problem to cause an overpayment. Frankly, I think it’s done with intent (I still don’t understand this today) only because Whitter Social Security never bothered to explain a fucken thing, they just create an overpayment with intent and made it sound like it was IHSS’s fault. Later Todd had to sign a paper that they made seem like it was our fault. When I demanded to speak to the supervisor of this FAT LAZY bitch (MS. ESPINOZA) at Norwalk, she refused to get off her ass. Again STUPIDTY, lazy, and ignorant!!
After putting Todd through hell and myself, seeking help and support, WHICH NO ONE PROVIDED!!! I noticed Todd was changing and NOT being diagnosed correctly, and Todd’s doctor Mr. Gonzales, MIA on us. I was so fucken angry about the ignorance I was dealing with from so many people. Doctors, hospitals, and the social worker now was Mr. Armen Ghukasyan . I had to yell at these people to look and his records. I literally had to start calling supervisors and bitching up the ladder.
CALLING COUNTY SUPERVISOR AND YELLING AT PEOPLE, TO HAVE IHSS WORKERS GET OFF THEIR ASSES!!! This is what takes when people refuse to move their asses and do their job.
I had no money, (I asked Tina, Todd’s sister to help, but the bitch ignored me) we were barely getting by because this program was cheating me of pay and hours over a year, Todd was getting worse with medical problems and all I got from everybody was NO SUPPORT and too many assholes trying to lock him up in a convalescent hospital so the state can make money. At one point Mr. Armen told me the state doesn’t care. So in reality always know in your mind, if they could do away with this program, they would, but it’s AGAINST THE LAW AND HUMAN WILL TO LOCK A PERSON UP IN A FACILITY AGAINST THEIR WILL!!!
After all this heartache and bullshit, Mr. Armen calls me and says he is approving me for the full 283 hours a month, to care for Todd. I was grateful, I received most of the retro-pay that I was owed and moved us out of the apartment to a new place. The reason I moved was due to the manager harassing me so much. I was constantly having problems with the racism at Somerset, then the Census Bureau was harassing us, Todd’s sister Lisa was talking shit and his cousin Cindy enjoys causing trouble. In turn between these bitches and Whittier Hospital’s negligence the APS was lying to the police and harassing us weekly. Only when I started exploiting everybody and moved is when it stopped.
Overall it’s not a bad job, if you’re working for a stranger, it can be a good experience, but many clients who are old can be challenging and not everyone has a stomach for cleaning up shit. However, to make a decent paycheck or to try and survive, you will have to work 70 hours a week, so with that, you can have 1 client or several clients to have that 283 hours, and the overtime kicks in, so you can survive. You just have to work so much to do it. 283 hours a month is the max you can get. Me, I can’t do this again for anyone, especially after my own life is compromised. I love Todd and still do, but I was angry with everything and no one cares at all. With all the harassment and bullying, threats, and lack of cooperation, it will take years for me to heal.
You can help friends, family members, and people you know. To find clients I would suggest placing ads. Otherwise, if you’re not getting the hours, ask your employer to re-evaluate with the social worker, because only they can tell the worker what they need to increase the time. The more needs they have, the more hours they get. Good Luck to You!