In-Home Supportive Services Provider On-Line Orientation

About the Program

Category: Information Technology (Best in Category)

Year: 2021

The In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) Program helps pay for personal care services provided to eligible persons who are 65 years of age or over, legally blind, or disabled adults and children so they can remain safely in their homes. In April 2020, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) developed the IHSS Provider On-Line Orientation (POLO) Application as an alternative to the in-person orientation required to become an IHSS provider. IHSS providers offer critical services to IHSS recipients and are considered an alternative to nursing homes or board and care facilities. The online orientation not only streamlined the enrollment process but also complied with COVID-19 social distancing requirements.Before the implementation of the POLO Application, IHSS provider applications, including the mandatory orientations, were conducted in person in district offices. The State mandates orientations for all prospective IHSS caregivers. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and to comply with social distancing guidelines, the provider orientations could no longer be provided in person at DPSS offices. To address this problem, DPSS quickly designed an innovative way to conduct remote on-line training, send and collect enrollment materials and forms, and continue registering new IHSS providers with minimal interruptions to services. With the implementation of the POLO Application:• IHSS benefit recipients are now ensured ongoing, uninterrupted services;• Potential IHSS providers have been granted the ability to complete the orientation process, electronically, from the comfort of their own homes, or from an alternate location; and• The Department has enhanced IHSS operations by allowing staff, which was previously assigned to conduct in person orientation sessions, to work on other IHSS program activities.