Getting Listed so the County Can Speak with You

Why the worker goes quiet on the phone

You may have filled every page and driven to the clinic for SOC 873. The file can still be closed to you. County staff protect recipient information. If your parent has not authorized a conversation with you, the worker may confirm nothing useful. That is ordinary procedure, not a judgment about your family.

Ask for the listing step as soon as you know you will be the person returning calls. Do it while your parent can review the page. Waiting until a notice arrives makes the next callback harder. The families page includes this on the adult-child list for that reason.

Ask the local office for their authorization step

Counties do not all use the same sheet. Some use a release on the application. Some use a separate contact form. Some accept a signed note that names you and says what you may hear. Use the CDSS county IHSS office list and ask that office, not a statewide rumor.

1. Find the IHSS office for the county where your parent lives.
2. Ask how an adult child is listed so staff can discuss the case.
3. Ask whether Medi-Cal needs a separate release.
4. Ask where to return the signed page and how you will know it is on file.
5. Keep a dated copy with the rest of the packet. See tracking paperwork.

Talking to the county office covers what is reasonable to ask on a first call. Written follow-up helps when names and case numbers matter.

What listing does, and what it does not do

Listing usually lets the county share case status, missing pages, visit scheduling, and notice questions with you. It does not let you authorize hours. It does not enroll you as the provider. It does not replace your parent as the employer of the individual provider. Those roles stay separate on purpose.

• Listed contact: information the county is allowed to share
• Applicant and recipient: your parent, who remains the person on the case
• Provider: the person who finishes enrollment and records authorized time
• Employer: generally the recipient, who hires and can end the provider relationship

If you will also give the care, finish provider enrollment on its own track. If several siblings want updates, name one listed contact and share notes inside the family. Coordinating siblings keeps the county from hearing three versions of who is “the” child.

Put the request in writing when you can

A phone call can tell you which page to use. A signed page is what staff can file. Include your parent’s name as it appears on Medi-Cal, the case number if you have one, your name, your relationship, and a way to reach you. Ask whether they want you named for IHSS only or for related Medi-Cal questions as well.

If your parent later wants to change who may be called, ask the same office how to update the file. Moves, new providers, and new contacts are local file edits. Moving counties is a different step if the home itself changes counties.

Keep this page with the rest of the packet

The listing page is easy to lose because it is not SOC 295 or SOC 873. File it with those forms. When a worker says they cannot speak with you, you can send the dated copy rather than starting the explanation over. If you want help keeping contacts and forms in one place, ask for help. California Home Help helps families navigate that paperwork. The county still decides the case.