A Family Checklist for the IHSS Assessment Visit

This is a factual list, not a performance plan

A family helping a parent after a hospital stay, or a grandparent after a fall, often wants a checklist they can hold. Preparing for the home visit is the parent-journey companion. What to expect at the assessment is the statewide visit explainer. This page is the kitchen-table list: what to have in hand, what to leave in place, and what not to do.

The social worker uses Functional Index Rankings and Hourly Task Guidelines. You do not need to quote those tools. You need an accurate typical day. Do not inflate. Do not shrink.

Paper and identification

• Confirm SOC 873 or acceptable alternative documentation reached the county
• Medi-Cal case number if you have it, spelled as it appears on the file
• A copy of SOC 295 and the date it was submitted
• Identification the county asked the recipient to show
• Written permission so the county can speak with a listed family contact, if that is not already on file

Do not stack the entire medical chart on the coffee table unless a worker named a page. Extra unlabeled records slow a visit. Keep discharge instructions for your own care routine.

Typical-day notes in task words

For a few ordinary days, write what help actually occurs. Use task words, not diagnosis names and not hour totals.

• Bathing, grooming, dressing, and toileting: who does which part, and whether hands-on help is needed
• Moving from bed to chair, or in and out of the shower, including whether a second person steadies
• Meal preparation, meal cleanup, and help with eating
• Laundry, housecleaning tied to staying safely home, food shopping, and other related household tasks
• Accompaniment to health-related appointments when someone must go along
• Nighttime help that actually happens, described as tasks, not as a request for around-the-clock coverage

If confusion or a mental impairment creates specific risks, describe those facts. That is not a cue to claim protective supervision as a package. The worker decides categories.

The home as it is used

Leave the walker, cane, shower chair, raised toilet seat, and hospital bed where they are used. If the person dresses in a chair because standing is unsafe, say so in that room. If meals are prepared in a microwave because the stove is not used, show that kitchen. A staged independent setup teaches the wrong day.

If two people in the home both have IHSS cases, keep the visit focused on the person being assessed. Two cases in one home is the household explainer. Do not blend two typical days into one story.

Who will be present

The recipient decides who may sit in. An adult child can be there if wanted. Let the recipient answer first. Add the tasks they skip or minimize. If siblings disagree, pick one extra speaker for this hour. You can sort family politics after the worker leaves.

Workers often cannot discuss the file later with a relative who is not listed. Ask about that authorization on the same day if it is still open. Who the county can talk to is the follow-up.

What not to do

• Do not inflate need to chase hours
• Do not shrink need to look brave
• Do not request around-the-clock coverage as a single product
• Do not quote a wage or an hour total from another family
• Do not argue the Functional Index tables unless you are answering a question about a task

Read CDSS IHSS and your county office. If you want help turning typical-day notes into a calm folder, you can ask for help.