IHSS Eligibility in California, Decided by Your County

What CDSS publishes, and what the county still does

Families often look for a single statewide yes-or-no list. The CDSS IHSS program page does publish core criteria. Those criteria tell you whether In-Home Supportive Services is even the right program to apply for. They do not approve a person. Approval happens in a county file, after Medi-Cal staff and an IHSS social worker finish their parts.

That split matters if you are an adult child helping a parent. You can gather forms, check Medi-Cal, and describe a typical day. You cannot self-certify hours or skip the medical page. The county applies the published rules to one household, one home visit, and one Notice of Action.

The statewide criteria, in plain language

CDSS frames IHSS around people who need in-home help to remain safely where they already live. The published pieces usually line up this way. Each one has a deeper guide on this site because families stall on different steps.

• The person lives in California.
• There is a Medi-Cal eligibility determination. IHSS builds on that step. See how Medi-Cal and IHSS work together.
• The person lives at home or in an abode of their own choosing. A hospital, nursing facility, or licensed community care facility is not “own home.” See the own-home rule.
• A completed Health Care Certification (SOC 873), or acceptable alternative documentation, reaches the county before services are authorized. See SOC 873.
• A county social worker completes an in-home assessment and authorizes tasks and hours. See who decides IHSS hours.

IHSS is framed for aged, blind, or disabled people, including some children. The county and Medi-Cal apply those population definitions. This site does not invent medical tests the worker uses.