(a) On or before January 1, 2003, each county shall act as, or establish, an employer for in-home supportive service providers under Section 12302.2 for the purposes of Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 3500) of Division 4 of Title 1 of the Government Code and other applicable state or federal laws. Each county may utilize a public authority or nonprofit consortium as authorized under Section 12301.6, the contract mode as authorized under Sections 12302 and 12302.1, county administration of the individual provider mode as authorized under Sections 12302 and 12302.2 for purposes of acting as, or providing, an employer under Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 3500) of Division 4 of Title 1 of the Government Code, county civil service personnel as authorized under Section 12302, or mixed modes of service authorized pursuant to this article and may establish regional agreements in establishing an employer for purposes of this subdivision for providers of in-home supportive services. Within 30 days of the effective date of this section, the department shall develop a timetable for implementation of this subdivision to ensure orderly compliance by counties. Recipients of in-home supportive services shall retain the right to choose the individuals that provide their care and to recruit, select, train, reject, or change any provider under the contract mode or to hire, fire, train, and supervise any provider under any other mode of service. Upon request of a recipient, and in addition to a county’s selected method of establishing an employer for in-home supportive service providers pursuant to this subdivision, counties with an IHSS caseload of more than 500 shall be required to offer an individual provider employer option.
(b) Nothing in this section shall prohibit any negotiations or agreement regarding collective bargaining or any wage and benefit enhancements.
(c) Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect the state’s responsibility with respect to the state payroll system, unemployment insurance, or workers’ compensation and other provisions of Section 12302.2 for providers of in-home supportive services.
(d) Prior to implementing subdivision (a), a county may establish an advisory committee as authorized by Section 12301.3 and solicit recommendations from the advisory committee on the preferred mode or modes of service to be utilized in the county for in-home supportive services.
(e) If a county establishes an in-home supportive services advisory committee pursuant to Section 12301.3, the county shall take into account the advice and recommendations of the committee prior to making policy and funding decisions about the program on an ongoing basis.
(f) In implementing and administering this section, no county, public authority, nonprofit consortium, contractor, or a combination thereof, that delivers in-home supportive services shall reduce the hours of service for any recipient below the amount determined to be necessary under the uniform assessment guidelines established by the department.
(g) Any agreement between a county and an entity acting as an employer under subdivision (a) shall include a provision that requires that funds appropriated by the state for wage increases for in-home supportive services providers be used exclusively for that purpose. Counties or the state may undertake audits of the entities acting as employers under the terms of subdivision (a) to verify compliance with this subdivision.
(h) On or before January 15, 2003, each county shall provide the department with documentation that demonstrates compliance with the January 1, 2003, deadline specified in subdivision (a). The documentation shall include, but is not limited to, any of the following:
(1) The public authority ordinance and employee relations procedures.
(2) The invitations to bid and requests for proposal for contract services for the contract mode.
(3) An invitation to bid and request for proposal for the operation of a nonprofit consortium.
(4) A county board of supervisors’ resolution resolving that the county has chosen to act as the employer required by subdivision (a) either by utilizing county employees, as authorized by Section 12302, to provide in-home supportive services or through county administration of individual providers.
(5) Any combination of the documentation required under paragraphs (1) to (4), inclusive, that reflects the decision of a county to provide mixed modes of service as authorized under subdivision (a).
(i) Any county that is unable to provide the documentation required by subdivision (h) by January 15, 2003, may provide, on or before that date, a written notice to the department that does all of the following:
(1) Explains the county’s failure to provide the required documentation.
(2) Describes the county’s plan for coming into compliance with the requirements of this section.
(3) Includes a timetable for the county to come into compliance with this section, but in no case shall the timetable extend beyond March 31, 2003.
(j) Any county that fails to provide the documentation required by subdivision (h) and also fails to provide the written notice as allowed under subdivision (i), shall be deemed by operation of law to be the employer of IHSS individual providers for purposes of Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 3500) of Division 4 of Title 1 of the Government Code as of January 15, 2003.
(k) Any county that provides a written notice as allowed under subdivision (i), but fails to provide the documentation required under subdivision (h) by March 31, 2003, shall be deemed by operation of law to be the employer of IHSS individual providers for purposes of Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 3500) of Division 4 of Title 1 of the Government Code as of April 1, 2003.
(l) Any county deemed by operation of law, pursuant to subdivision (j) or (k), to be the employer of IHSS individual providers for purposes of Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 3500) of Division 4 of Title 1 of the Government Code shall continue to act in that capacity until the county notifies the department that it has established another employer as permitted by this section, and has provided the department with the documentation required under subdivision (h) demonstrating the change.
(Amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 8, Sec. 34. (SB 72) Effective March 24, 2011. This version became inoperative on September 22, 2012, upon operation of the amendment by Stats. 2012, Ch. 439, and resumed operation on June 27, 2017, when Stats. 2017, Ch. 25, repealed that amended version.)