Evidence snapshot covering wages vs. cost of living, wage bargaining history signals, Public Authority/County performance indicators, training (for completeness), context, and source links.

Wages vs. Cost of Living

• IHSS provider wage (current): $17.25/hr — cross-checked on current county lists; see Sources.
• Living wage (MIT, 1 adult / 0 kids): $22.62/hr (updated Feb 10, 2025) — MIT Butte County
• Gap: −$5.37/hr (IHSS ≈ 76% of living wage)

County History of Fair Bartering for Wages

• 2005–2006 (historic baseline): Assembly Budget doc shows Butte near $7–$8/hr in mid-2000s (context for long-run comparison).
• 2014–2015: MOU between the Department of Employment & Social Services (DESS) and the IHSS Public Authority outlines roles and ABX4 19 implementation (admin structure).
• 2016: PA salary plan item (governance/ops); not a provider-wage change but signals board-level action on PA operations.
• 2018: New County–PA MOU restructuring PA operations (moved away from contracted positions to DESS staff support).
• 2020–2021: Board item moved provider wage from $13 → $14/hr to meet the Jan 1, 2021 minimum-wage standard (rate change request to CDSS).
• 2024 (minutes): PA minutes note plan to keep IHSS wage above state minimum (rising by $0.25/year toward $1.50 over minimum by 2028).
• Union pressure (historical): Caregivers publicly criticized the County for years-long contract lags and resisting raises (documented advocacy/news posts).

Pattern: Longstanding reliance on step-ups tied to state minimum wage; documented periods of delayed agreements and advocacy pressure.

Public Authority & County Support for Caregivers and Clients (Performance)

• Timeliness benchmark (state oversight): Approve within 30 days (or 45 with medical certification) and begin services within 15 days after approval.
• Access/contacts: IHSS & PA phones: 530-538-7538 or 855-398-8899; PA site lists address (78 Table Mountain Blvd, Oroville) and toll-free line.
• Evidence gap: No county-posted KPIs for average approval time, call-answer time, or backlog. Use Board/PA minutes and CDSS QA guidance as proxies until county publishes metrics.

Available Training (for completeness)

• Enrollment/orientation: PA facilitates provider orientation & enrollment; handbooks posted online.

Other Relevant Context

• Back-Up Provider pay: PA registry application notes BUPS (Back-Up Provider System) providers are paid +$2/hr above the current wage for back-up shifts (limited pool; not the base wage).
• County IHSS hub: Program overview and application routing on the Butte County site.

Sources & Links

• Current wage:
  IHSS Advocate — 2025 county wages;
  IHSS Law — 2025 wages;
  official hub: CDSS County IHSS Wage Rates.
• Living wage:
  MIT Living Wage — Butte County (updated Feb 10, 2025).
• County & PA pages:
  Butte IHSS Program;
  Public Authority site;
  PA Contact;
  Provider Enrollment.
• Bargaining / operations documents:
  2014 DESS–PA MOU;
  2018 MOU restructure;
  2020 wage to $14/hr (for 2021);
  2024 PA minutes (over-minimum plan).
• State oversight / standards:
  CA State Auditor 2020-109;
  CDSS IHSS Wage Rates hub.
• Back-Up Provider detail:
  PA Registry Application (BUPS +$2/hr).