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Moving to Another California County with IHSS
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.
IHSS is statewide, but the new county runs the local case. How to ask both offices what to transfer, without inventing processing times.
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
IHSS exists in every California county, and the county where your parent lives runs the local case. When the home moves, ask the old office and the new office what they transfer, what they need again, and how provider enrollment and timesheets follow the new address. Do not invent a processing time.
Who decides
The new county IHSS office and Medi-Cal run the case after the move. The old county can tell you what they send. Hourly rates and some local rules can change with the new employer of record.
What to do next
Write the old and new addresses and move date, then ask both county IHSS offices on the CDSS list what they need to transfer the case.
Statewide program, local case
The California Department of Social Services administers IHSS statewide. County social services offices take applications, assess need, and authorize tasks. When your parent’s home moves from one county to another, the new county becomes the office that runs the file. That is ordinary administration. It is not a new eligibility theory. What IHSS is still applies. The door on the building changes.
Use the CDSS county IHSS office list for both numbers. Talking to the county office is the tone. You gather the addresses and the case numbers. The two offices tell you what they transfer.
Ask both offices the same short list
- Give the old address, the new address, and the date the home actually changes.
- Ask the old county what they send and what you should carry yourself.
- Ask the new county how they open or receive a case from another county.
- Ask whether Medi-Cal must be updated in the new county on its own track. Start with BenefitsCal if they point you there.
- Ask whether a new SOC 295 or a new SOC 873 is required.
- Ask whether a new home visit is required in the new county.
- Ask how the provider file, timesheets, and EVV follow the move.
Write the answers into the folder. Tracking paperwork matters more during a move than during a quiet month. Do not invent a number of days for the transfer. Each office can tell you what is typical locally.
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Questions people ask
- Does my parent have to start IHSS from scratch?
- Ask both offices. Some information can transfer. The new county still runs the local case and may need pages or a new visit. Do not assume either a full restart or a silent handoff.
- Will the hourly rate stay the same?
- Not necessarily. Rates are local. Ask the new county or Public Authority for the current rate after the case sits there.
- What if we move while an application is still pending?
- Tell both offices immediately. An application filed in the old county may not follow the new address unless someone updates it.
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.