IHSS Functional Index Rankings in Plain Language

What Functional Index Rankings are

Functional Index Rankings are the scale a county social worker uses to record how independently someone can perform each assessed function. CDSS pairs those rankings with Annotated Assessment Criteria so workers apply the same ideas across counties. The ranking is about the person’s ability to do the task safely, with or without help, not about a diagnosis code.

Think of each function as a question: can this person bathe, dress, prepare food, or move in the home without another person, with prompting only, with some hands-on help, or only if someone else does the task? The worker listens, observes the home, and records a rank. You do not fill that box. You supply the facts.

How Functional Index Rankings relate to authorized help

A function the person can do safely alone does not usually generate paid time for that function. A function that needs another person can support authorized help in the matching service category. Personal care, domestic and related tasks, and other categories on the coverage page are assessed one by one. A high need in bathing does not automatically create shopping hours.

Rankings also interact with Hourly Task Guidelines. For many household tasks, the guideline time depends on the ranked need and on how the worker documents the home. Protective supervision and paramedical services have their own rules. Ask the worker which tool applies to the task you are asking about.