SEIU 1021members with the Valley Mountain Regional Center (VMRC), who provide critical wraparound services for people with disabilities in San Joaquin County, have been overwhelmed with higher case load numbers than are legally to be assigned. They packed a recent board meeting on Wednesday, August 27, to share their struggle and how it takes a toll on both the workers and the clients they serve. 

“You hear numbers in an aggregated data presentation, and that just doesn’t speak to the reality we face day to day,” VMRC Chapter President Emily Orth pleaded to board members. ”We need you to know what our reality is — what we are facing with our caseload. What we really need is for you to prioritize filling unfilled positions for us to be able to do the job the best we can. The staff here is so dedicated. Many of them consider this a calling.”

Each worker held up a sign that read who they help, how many case loads they should have, and how many they are dealing with instead. Many of them are working with more than 10 people over the number they should be assigned. One man’s sign read, “As a senior service coordinator, my caseload should be 31. My case load is 42. And I am covering 140 uncovered caseloads. ”

These SEIU 1021 members, who are in the middle of bargaining a new contract, insist this trend has been going on far too long and is a disservice to their clients. Higher caseloads risk the quality care they promise to uphold. There is also concern that the problem is chasing away both long-term and new employees. They pointed to recent hires who left the job almost immediately and a dedicated employee of over two decades who put in her two weeks’ notice. 

“She was amazing; she loved her families. She was my senior service coordinator,” said Megan Gascon, a VMRC service coordinator. ”I absolutely love my job, I love my families, and I love what I do. It’s just the expectations are unreasonable with what’s going on and with caseloads. We are losing amazing people. It’s not an easy job…waking up in the middle of the night wondering what services didn’t get done.”

VMRC workers are also advocating for flexibility in how they show up for their clients. They say the ability to work remotely is imperative to balancing client availability when traveling across three county lines for home visits.