Evidence snapshot covering wages vs. cost of living, wage-bargaining history, Public Authority/County performance signals, available training (for completeness), and primary sources.

Wages vs. Cost of Living

• IHSS provider wage (current): $18.15/hr (2025 county list referencing CDSS; aligned with union ratification update).
• Living wage (MIT, 1 adult / 0 kids): $21.82/hr (dataset updated Feb 10, 2025).
• Gap: −$3.67/hr (IHSS ≈ 83.2% of living wage)

County History of Fair Bartering for Wages

• Jan 28, 2025 (BOS action): Board adopted an MOU between the IHSS Public Authority and United Domestic Workers of America (UDW) for the period 7/1/2024–12/31/2027; authorized the PA to submit a Rate Change Request to CDSS and approved a related budget amendment.
• Union ratification note (2025): UDW announced members voted to accept a contract raising the IHSS wage to $18.15/hr effective upon ratification.
• Nov 24, 2015 (BOS letter): Board ratified an agreement (9/22/2015) with UDW including health and wage increases over the ensuing two years; PA notes CDSS approval process can take up to 60 days and wage adjustments start the first day of the month after final approval.
• Mar 4, 2014 (side-letter): PA and California United Homecare Workers (CUHW/UDW) side letter on health coverage; background cites a 2012 two-year MOU and consolidation of provider medical coverage.

Public Authority & County Support (Performance Signals)

• Program scale (county report): “Over 6,200 individuals receive in-home support from over 5,000 caregivers” in Imperial County.
• Employer of Record & registry: PA acts as Employer of Record and operates a screened registry with referral system and background checks; provides access to provider/recipient training.
• Advisory Committee: Active IHSS PA Advisory Committee; meets the first Thursday of every other month; agendas/minutes posted on the PA site.
• Public KPIs: No county-posted metrics located for average application→enrollment days, call-answer time, or payroll timeliness. Board packets/documentation are primary visibility into process commitments (e.g., rate-change timelines).

Available Training (for completeness)

• PA training offerings: PA advertises provider/recipient trainings; posts EVV/ESP/TTS resources and links to state IHSS education materials and Career Pathways.

Sources & Links

• Current wage:
  IHSS Advocate — county wage list;
  IHSS Law — 2025 wages;
  official hub: CDSS County IHSS Wage Rates.
• Living wage:
  MIT Living Wage — Imperial County (updated Feb 10, 2025).
• BOS MOU adoption (2025):
  Board agenda — PA–UDW MOU (7/1/2024–12/31/2027) & CDSS rate request.
• Union ratification:
  UDW post — $18.15/hr effective upon ratification.
• Historic bargaining:
  BOS letter (2015);
  Side-letter (2014) with CUHW/UDW.
• PA & program pages:
  Imperial County DSS — Aging & Disability Services;
  Imperial County IHSS Public Authority;
  Training;
  Advisory Committee.