IHSS in San Mateo County

Peninsula IHSS through San Mateo County social services

San Mateo County is the Peninsula county between San Francisco and Santa Clara County. Families here often have a parent in one city and a job in another, and they try to file where the commute is easier. IHSS does not follow your workplace. It follows the recipient’s home. San Mateo County social services owns the case when that home is in San Mateo County.

Statewide eligibility still requires California residence, a Medi-Cal determination, living at home, SOC 873 or accepted alternative documentation, and an in-home assessment. A hospital or licensed community care facility is not “own home,” including a facility just over the San Francisco line.

How Peninsula families find the San Mateo office

Open the CDSS county IHSS office list and find San Mateo County. Use that listing. This guide will not invent a street address or a phone number. A San Francisco city-county window is the wrong door for a San Mateo County resident, even when the drive is short.

Ask the listed office how to deliver SOC 295. If the parent lives in San Mateo County and you live in San Francisco or Santa Clara County, you still file in San Mateo County. If you only have a city name on the Peninsula, confirm the city is actually in this county before you pick a CDSS row.

Forms, the home visit, and an adult child

Helping a parent apply and families describe the sequence. Confirm Medi-Cal on BenefitsCal. File SOC 295. Return SOC 873. Attend the visit if the parent wants you there. Read the Notice of Action. Enroll if you will give the care. Ask San Mateo County how to be listed so staff can speak with you.

• SOC 295 is the application the county IHSS office accepts.
• SOC 873, or accepted alternative documentation, must reach the county before services are authorized.
• The home visit is where the social worker sees what the parent can safely do alone.
• The Notice of Action is the authorized task list.

This guide will not invent San Mateo County wait times. Call once about a complete file. Ask the office what is typical locally. The social worker uses Functional Index Rankings and Hourly Task Guidelines. Extra clinic printouts do not replace a missing signature.

Who can be paid after San Mateo County enrollment

Get paid to care for a parent and caregivers cover the usual yes: adult children, other relatives, friends, and neighbors after orientation, SOC 426, SOC 846, and a DOJ background check where required. The recipient is the employer. The State issues the payment. The county Public Authority can explain registry options.

Do not copy a San Francisco or Santa Clara County wage. Ask San Mateo County for the current rate. Ask which sub-program applies before you assume a spouse or a parent of a minor can be paid. PCSP generally leaves those roles unpaid. CFCO, IPO, or IHSS-Residual can allow payment.

Share of cost on the Peninsula

Some Medi-Cal recipients have a monthly share of cost. Unpaid share of cost can be deducted from the provider warrant, and the recipient then pays the provider that amount. Ask county Medi-Cal staff. This page does not quote an amount.

EVV after the San Mateo County notice

EVV may use ESP, TTS, or the EVV app. Live-in providers who self-certify on SOC 2298 have different steps. Ask San Mateo County or the county Public Authority which method to use. Do not copy a San Francisco city-county setup without asking.

What not to assume in San Mateo County

• Do not file in San Francisco or Santa Clara County for a San Mateo County resident.
• Do not invent wait times or wage rates.
• Do not treat a Peninsula hospital packet as the CDSS office list.
• Do not skip SOC 873.
• Do not expect payment before enrollment and authorized timesheets.

Official sources: CDSS IHSS and the office list. For packet help, ask for help.