The County Public Authority Registry for IHSS Providers

The registry is a finding list, not the IHSS case

CDSS says providers may include someone from a county Public Authority list after enrollment. That list exists because not every recipient has an adult child, sibling, or friend who can take on bathing and transfers. The Public Authority is the local organization that supports IHSS providers and recipients. One of its jobs is a registry: a way for a recipient to look for an individual provider.

The registry does not assess need. The county social worker still authorizes tasks and hours. The registry does not issue the check. The State does, after timesheets. The registry does not become the employer. The recipient is the employer of the person they hire from the list.

When families usually call

Call when the recipient wants help finding a person, or when a family member or friend can cover only part of the authorized plan. Do not wait to apply for IHSS until a registry name appears. The application, SOC 873, and assessment run on the recipient’s case whether or not a provider has been named. Start provider enrollment for whoever will give the care as soon as that person is known.

If an adult child will be the provider, you usually skip the registry and go straight to orientation and forms. If that adult child later cannot continue, the registry is how many recipients look for the next person without starting from a blank page.

What to ask the Public Authority

• How a recipient requests names from the registry, and what information they should have ready (county, language, schedule preferences, authorized task types).
• Whether people on the list have finished orientation and the background check, or are still in process.
• Which orientation a new provider should attend if the recipient already has someone in mind who is not on the list.
• The current local hourly rate, which unions and the county employer of record set.
• How EVV is set up for a provider who is new to the county.

Do not ask this site for a wait time. Timing varies by county. The Public Authority can tell you what is typical locally. Daily calls rarely create a name that is not on the list.

Hiring from the list still uses the employer model

A registry referral is an introduction. The recipient still interviews, hires, trains, supervises, and can fire. They should explain how they want personal care done. They should keep copies of what the county sent. If the match does not work, they can ask for other names and enroll someone else. Choosing a provider is that decision, whether the person came from family or from the list.

Contracted providers and homemakers are a different door

CDSS notes that some counties offer a contractor or a county homemaker instead of, or in addition to, the individual-provider model. That is not the same as the registry of individual providers. If a worker says “we will send someone,” ask whether that person is an individual provider the recipient employs or a contracted or homemaker model. The timesheet and EVV steps can differ.

Providers who want to join a registry

Someone who wants to work for more than one recipient still completes the published enrollment: orientation, SOC 426, SOC 846, background check where required, and authorization to work in the United States. Ask the Public Authority how listing on the registry works after that file is in. Listing does not create hours. A recipient still has to hire you onto an authorized case.

Official sources

Start with CDSS providers, orientation, IHSS, and the county IHSS offices. The county listing is how you find the local Public Authority contact. If you want help deciding between family enrollment and a registry call, ask for help after you know which county has the case.