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): $17.25/hr (2025 county wage lists referencing CDSS).
• Living wage (MIT, 1 adult / 0 kids): $22.10/hr (page updated Feb 10, 2025).
• Gap: −$4.85/hr (IHSS ≈ 78.1% of living wage)

County History of Fair Bartering for Wages

• Union representation: SEIU Local 2015 represents Inyo IHSS providers.
• Contract status: Providers have been without a contract since 2023; union notes ~two years without a contract as of Sept 2025, with multiple rallies calling for wage and healthcare improvements.
• Oct 27, 2020 (Board minutes): New IHSS MOU included supplemental wage increases on top of state/federal minimum over the next two years; county’s nonprofit consortium described the bargaining as “long and arduous,” reflecting difficult negotiations.
• Registry operator shift: Community Service Solutions (CSS) began overseeing the IHSS provider registry in Inyo in Oct 2021 (operational change; does not itself set wages).

Public Authority & County Support (Performance Signals)

• Program structure: Inyo administers IHSS through HHS with a nonprofit/PA model; registry operations currently handled by CSS.
• Advisory Committee: IHSS Advisory Committee page is active (member recruitment/info posted); limited public posting of agendas/minutes observed.
• Transparency: No county-posted KPIs found for application → enrollment days, call-answer time, or payroll timeliness.
• State timeliness benchmarks (oversight standard): Application approval within ~30 days (or 45 with medical certification) and first services within ~15 days after approval.

Available Training (for completeness)

• Eastern Sierra IHSS: Training page links provider/recipient orientation resources and CDSS ESP/EVV videos; scheduling is coordinated via CSS.

Sources & Links

• Current wage:
  IHSS Advocate — county wages;
  IHSS Law — 2025 wages;
  official hub: CDSS County IHSS Wage Rates.
• Living wage:
  MIT Living Wage — Inyo County (updated Feb 10, 2025).
• Union updates:
  SEIU 2015 — rally after two years without a contract;
  SEIU 2015 — September updates.
• Board record (history):
  Inyo BOS minutes (Oct 27, 2020) — notes supplemental wage increases and “long and arduous” bargaining; consortium role.
• Program pages:
  Inyo HHS — IHSS;
  Eastern Sierra IHSS;
  Training;
  Advisory Committee;
  CSS — IHSS registry.
• Oversight:
  California State Auditor 2020-109.