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Helping a parent
How to Apply for IHSS in California: County Process
Updated September 16, 2026. Reviewed September 16, 2026 against public CDSS, DHCS, Medicare.gov, VA, and CareScout 2025 California tables. County wages, hours, and wait times still change. Official .gov pages decide.
CDSS and county steps to apply for In-Home Supportive Services: Medi-Cal, SOC 295, SOC 873, the home visit, and the Notice of Action. The county decides.
About 4 minutes to read. Based on CDSS and DHCS public program pages retrieved 2026-09-16. County offices apply these rules. Hourly rates, hour totals, and wait times are local and change.
Short answer
To apply for IHSS, confirm the person lives in California in a home they choose, start or confirm Medi-Cal, give SOC 295 to that county’s IHSS office, return the Health Care Certification the county accepts, prepare the in-home assessment, and read the Notice of Action. If you will give the care, finish provider enrollment after the county authorizes tasks. Timing, hours, and wages come from the county, not from this page.
Who decides
County Medi-Cal staff decide coverage and any share of cost. County IHSS staff decide whether the file is complete, which tasks are authorized, and who may be paid. CDSS publishes the statewide program pages and forms.
What to do next
Open the CDSS county IHSS office list, download SOC 295 and SOC 873 from the CDSS forms catalog, and start or check Medi-Cal on BenefitsCal. Ask for help with the packet if you want a coordinator to sit with the order. The county still files the case.
What this process page is for
Families search “how to apply for IHSS” when they need a county sequence, not a story about talking with a parent. CDSS describes In-Home Supportive Services as in-home help so an eligible aged, blind, or disabled person can remain in a home of their choosing. This page follows that published path: Medi-Cal, the application the county accepts, the health certification, the visit in the home, and the written notice. Helping a parent apply stays on the adult child’s role. How IHSS works step by step stays on how the program is built. Here the job is the filing order.
No page on this site can tell you how long a county will take, how many hours a parent will receive, or what the local provider wage is. Those answers live on CDSS wage tables, on the county notice, and in the office that runs the file. Cite CDSS IHSS and the county office list when you need the official desk.
The county process, in order
- Confirm the person lives in California in a home they choose. File in that county, not the hospital’s county unless that is also the home.
- Start or confirm Medi-Cal on BenefitsCal or at the county Medi-Cal office. IHSS is built on that determination.
- Download SOC 295 from the CDSS forms catalog and submit it to the IHSS office on the CDSS county list.
- Return SOC 873 or the alternative the county names. A licensed health professional signs the usual certification.
- Prepare a typical-day list for the in-home assessment. Ask to be listed on the case if you need the county to speak with you.
- Read the Notice of Action. If you will be the provider, finish enrollment after the county authorizes tasks.
Print the IHSS application document checklist if you want boxes. Official PDFs still come from CDSS. Spanish readers can use cómo solicitar IHSS.
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Questions people ask
- Can I apply before Medi-Cal is approved?
- Some counties will take SOC 295 while Medi-Cal is pending. IHSS still needs a Medi-Cal determination. Start both tracks. Ask the county office which packet they want.
- Do I list hours on SOC 295?
- Describe what the person cannot safely do alone. The social worker authorizes hours with state tools. Do not copy a weekly total from a forum or from another county.
- Where do I find the local wage?
- CDSS publishes county IHSS wage rates. Your county office can confirm the current number. California Home Help does not reprint a statewide wage.
- Is this the same as helping a parent apply?
- The companion guide is about an adult child’s gathering role and the typical-day conversation. This page is the CDSS and county sequence itself.
Official sources for this guide
Related pages on California Home Help
Reviewed against CDSS, DHCS, Medicare.gov, and CareScout public pages. We do not quote IHSS wages. County IHSS offices and Medi-Cal decide eligibility, hours, and pay. For current county wage rates, use the official CDSS wage page. CDSS county IHSS wage rates.
Official program pages: CDSS: In-Home Supportive Services, CDSS: IHSS for children, County IHSS offices, CDSS: IHSS providers, CDSS: county IHSS wage rates, CDSS: provider orientation, CDSS: Electronic Visit Verification, CDSS: Electronic Services Portal, DHCS: Medi-Cal, Apply for Medi-Cal, BenefitsCal, CDSS: hearing requests, CDSS: forms catalog, CDSS: IHSS overtime and workweek, DDS: regional centers.