In-Home Supportive Services Quality Improvement Initiatives

About the Program

Category: Human Services (Best in Category)

Year: 2018

In 2014, San Bernardino County Department of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS) began implementation of the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) Quality Improvement Initiative. DAAS’ quality improvement initiatives exceeded the minimum standards set by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) and have enhanced the quality of casework, thereby improving the customer experience overall. CDSS mandates counties to perform quality assurance activities, such as routine scheduled desk reviews, home visits, targeted reviews, general verification of receipt of services, third-party liability, and cooperation with data match and error rate studies. Additionally, CDSS performs annual monitoring reviews throughout California's 58 counties. In Fiscal Year 2014-15, CDSS adopted a new process for establishing minimum standards for case reviews. In an effort to achieve high quality casework and compliance with program regulations, DAAS instituted case review standards significantly higher than CDSS’ minimum requirements for Fiscal Year 2014-15 and ongoing, as compared to similar counties. Additionally, DAAS implemented several new initiatives, including best practices, tools, and training to ensure a complete understanding of the expectations of the IHSS program and improve the quality of the program, especially the services being authorized for approximately 30,000 IHSS beneficiaries in San Bernardino County.