What help can look like
Typically covered vs. not — the county assessment decides.
State law (WIC 12300) and CDSS regulations (MPP 30-757) list the only service categories IHSS may authorize. The county still has to assess each task. The lists below are educational, not a guarantee. Your notice from the county is the only list that counts.
Often authorized when the assessment supports it
- Personal care such as bathing, grooming, dressing, and toileting
- Help moving safely at home, transfers, and related personal care the assessment supports
- Meal preparation, meal cleanup, and help with eating
- Laundry and housecleaning related to staying safely at home
- Shopping for food and other authorized errands
- Accompaniment during necessary travel to health-related appointments or alternative resource sites
- Protective supervision, when the county finds it is needed because of a mental impairment or mental illness
- Paramedical services only when ordered by a licensed health professional and authorized
- Heavy cleaning or yard hazard abatement only in the limited situations the county authorizes (hazard removal — not general chores)
Usually outside IHSS
- Skilled nursing, therapy, or medical procedures that must be done by licensed staff (that is a different benefit, such as home health)
- Care while you live in a hospital, nursing facility, or licensed community care facility
- A promise of 24-hour live-in coverage just because the family wants it — hours follow the assessment
- Home repairs, major modifications, or ordinary landscaping (yard hazard abatement is a separate, limited service)
- Companionship-only visits with no authorized hands-on or household task
- Transportation or driving that is not authorized accompaniment to a health-related appointment or alternative resource site
- Routine childcare or supervision of a child that is not authorized IHSS (protective supervision for a minor is only for the child’s functional limitations)
If you are unsure whether a task is in scope, ask the county social worker. California Home Help will not invent a yes to win a form fill.
Official program pages: CDSS IHSS, IHSS for children, DHCS Medi-Cal, and county IHSS offices.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is California Home Help a county or Medi-Cal office?
No. We are a private service operated by Sevah Robotics, Inc. We help families understand IHSS and complete paperwork. Approvals, hours, and payments are made by the county and the state.
Do you guarantee that I will be approved or paid?
No. Nobody except the county IHSS program and Medi-Cal can decide eligibility, authorized hours, or provider enrollment. We will not tell you that you “qualify” from a website form.
Can a family member be paid?
Often yes for an adult child, other relative, friend, or neighbor who finishes provider enrollment. A spouse, or a parent of a child under 18, is generally not paid under PCSP. Other IHSS sub-programs can allow it. Check with the county rather than treating a national article as California law.
Does the family ever pay the caregiver?
The State issues the provider check for authorized hours. If the recipient has a Medi-Cal share of cost, CDSS says unpaid share of cost can be deducted from that check and the recipient then pays the provider. Ask the county whether a share of cost applies. We will not quote an amount.
Is this the same as home health or a nursing facility?
No. IHSS is in-home personal and household help for people who can live at home. Skilled nursing and therapy are different Medi-Cal or Medicare benefits.
What do you need from me to get started?
A name, a way to reach you, your county if you know it, and whether you are the caregiver or the person who needs care. Please do not send medical records or diagnoses through the form.
We handle the paperwork.
Tell us whether you give care or need it. A coordinator helps with IHSS and Medi-Cal forms. The county still decides.
Get started