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Common situations
Moving an Elder to California: Medi-Cal First, Then 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.
When a relative moves an elder to California, establish residence, apply for Medi-Cal on BenefitsCal, then file IHSS SOC 295. This is not a county-to-county transfer.
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
If you are moving an elder to California from another state, the usual order is California residence, then Medi-Cal through BenefitsCal or the county Medi-Cal office, then an IHSS application (SOC 295) in the county where they will live. IHSS builds on a Medi-Cal determination. This is not the same as transferring an IHSS case between California counties. Timing is local. The county and Medi-Cal decide.
Who decides
County Medi-Cal staff decide California Medi-Cal eligibility. The county IHSS office then decides IHSS eligibility, authorized tasks, and hours after that determination and the home assessment.
What to do next
After the elder is living in California, apply for Medi-Cal on BenefitsCal or with the county Medi-Cal office, then ask the county IHSS office on the CDSS list how to submit SOC 295.
Residence in California comes before the IHSS packet
A relative moving an elder to California from another state is assembling a new coverage life, not forwarding a folder. In-Home Supportive Services is a California Medi-Cal program administered statewide by CDSS and run by counties. The person has to live in California and have a Medi-Cal eligibility determination. A forwarding address on a moving truck is not, by itself, a finished Medi-Cal case.
Establish the home they will live in. That home has to be able to count as own home for IHSS later: a house, apartment, or other abode of their choosing, not a hospital or licensed community care facility. What own home means is the setting guide. Then start Medi-Cal.
Medi-Cal first: BenefitsCal or the county office
Apply for Medi-Cal through BenefitsCal or the county Medi-Cal office. DHCS: apply for Medi-Cal and the DHCS Medi-Cal page are the statewide coverage sources. Applying on BenefitsCal is the family walkthrough.
Bring identity, California address, and the income and household facts the application asks for. Do not invent income limits on this page. County Medi-Cal staff apply MAGI or non-MAGI rules to this household. If a share of cost is assigned later, that can affect an IHSS provider warrant. Ask the Medi-Cal office, not a relative in another state.
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Questions people ask
- Can we bring another state’s home-care case with us?
- Another state’s program does not become California IHSS. You start California Medi-Cal and, when that path is open, California IHSS in the new county. Ask both the old state’s office and the new county what records are useful. Do not assume a transfer.
- Is this the same as moving from one California county to another?
- No. [Moving counties with IHSS](/guides/moving-counties-with-ihss) is for a person who already has California IHSS. Coming from another state is a new Medi-Cal and new IHSS file.
- Should we wait to apply for IHSS until Medi-Cal is approved?
- Ask the county IHSS office. Some counties take SOC 295 while Medi-Cal is pending. IHSS still cannot complete without the Medi-Cal determination. Do not invent a wait time.
- Does the elder have to be a U.S. citizen?
- Medi-Cal eligibility, including immigration-related rules, is a county Medi-Cal and DHCS question. This page does not decide that. Ask the Medi-Cal office as you apply.
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.