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Regional Center Personal Assistance and IHSS Are Different Programs
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.
DDS regional centers and county IHSS are separate. Different applications, different funding, and different parent-provider rules. One does not replace the other.
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
California regional centers, under the Department of Developmental Services, and In-Home Supportive Services, under CDSS and county offices, are different programs. They use different applications, different funding, and different rules about when a parent can be paid. A person can have both when each program's rules are met. One does not replace the other.
Who decides
The regional center decides its own services under DDS rules. The county IHSS office and Medi-Cal decide IHSS eligibility, authorized tasks, and who can be paid as an IHSS provider.
What to do next
Ask the regional center service coordinator which personal assistance, if any, is on the IPP, and ask the county IHSS office about SOC 295, SOC 873, and the child's or adult's IHSS sub-program.
Two agencies, two doors
A family helping a child or an adult with a developmental disability often hears personal assistance, respite, and IHSS in the same sentence. They are not the same program. Regional centers are part of the California Department of Developmental Services. In-Home Supportive Services is a Medi-Cal home care program administered statewide by the California Department of Social Services and run by county offices.
DDS publishes a regional center list. CDSS publishes IHSS and IHSS for children. Bookmark both. A coordinator at one agency cannot authorize the other agency's hours.
Different applications and different plans
Regional center eligibility and services run through intake and an Individual Program Plan. IHSS runs through Medi-Cal, SOC 295, SOC 873, and a county in-home assessment. The Notice of Action is the IHSS list that counts. The IPP is the regional center list that counts. Keep copies of both. Do not send the IPP as a substitute for SOC 873 unless a county worker asked for a specific page.
IHSS for children still requires a home that counts as own home and a Medi-Cal determination. Regional center involvement does not skip those IHSS pieces. Medi-Cal staff still decide coverage. IHSS staff still authorize IHSS tasks.
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Questions people ask
- If we already have regional center hours, do we still apply for IHSS?
- Often yes, when the person may also meet IHSS rules. Regional center services do not automatically become IHSS, and IHSS does not automatically become regional center funding. Ask both offices how they coordinate. Do not assume one application covers both.
- Can a parent be paid by both programs at once for the same hour?
- Do not claim the same hour to two payers. Each program has its own rules about parent-providers and about what it funds. Ask the regional center and the county IHSS office how they want overlapping help documented.
- Is the IHSS assessment the same as an IPP meeting?
- No. An Individual Program Plan is a regional center document. An IHSS assessment is a county social worker visit that ranks IHSS tasks. Bring typical-day facts to each. Do not treat the paperwork as interchangeable.
- Where do I start if we have neither?
- For developmental disability services, start with [DDS regional centers](https://www.dds.ca.gov/rc/). For IHSS, start with Medi-Cal and the [county IHSS office](https://www.cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/county-ihss-offices). Many families walk both paths. Timing is local.
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.