05/16/2026
On Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance announced the administration will withhold over a billion dollars in federal Medicaid payments from California for alleged failure to combat fraud in the public health insurance program. As of yesterday, the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has deferred $1.1 billion in funding for California’s In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program. Drastic cuts to essential services under the pretense of combatting fraud is likely to do great harm to disabled people in America.
Learn more and read the full statement at the link: https://www.disabilityrightsca.org/latest-news/federal-deferral-of-funds-for-in-home-supportive-services-is-an-attack-on-the
This action threatens critical supports for hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities and older adults who rely on IHSS to live safely in their homes and communities. IHSS is a federally approved Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) program and a cornerstone of California’s efforts to help people avoid unnecessary institutionalization and live in the most integrated settings as required by state and federal law.
Programs like IHSS make it possible for people to remain in their homes, maintain family and community connections, and avoid more restrictive and costly institutional care. IHSS providers help with getting out of bed, eating, bathing, dressing, taking medications, and other essential daily activities that allow people to remain safely in their homes and chosen communities.
A decision that destabilizes this system disregards the people who rely on these services and devalues the workforce that makes independent community living possible for disabled Californians. DRC urges the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to immediately restore the deferred IHSS funds and avoid actions that threaten access to IHSS and other Home and Community-Based Services.
