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Common situations
Starting IHSS: Phone, Office, SOC 295, and SOC 873
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.
How families start IHSS: find the county office on the CDSS list, call or walk in as the county allows, file SOC 295, and return SOC 873 before services are authorized.
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
Start IHSS with the county office where the person lives. CDSS publishes the county IHSS office list. Counties take applications by phone, walk-in, mail, or upload as they allow. File SOC 295. Return SOC 873 from a licensed health professional before services can be authorized. Start provider enrollment in parallel if a family member will give the care. Wait times are local.
Who decides
Your county IHSS office accepts the application, assigns the social worker, and authorizes tasks. Medi-Cal still has to be determined for the case to finish.
What to do next
Look up the county IHSS office on the CDSS list, ask how they take SOC 295, confirm Medi-Cal, and take SOC 873 to the licensed clinician the person already sees.
Find the county office first, then pick the door they use
Common questions families ask include whether IHSS starts online, at a hospital, or with a statewide number. The application belongs to the county IHSS office for the county where the person lives. CDSS administers the program statewide. The county takes SOC 295, assigns the social worker, and authorizes tasks.
Call that office and ask how they accept applications: phone intake, walk-in, mail, fax, or upload. Rules are local. A neighboring county's website is not your instruction. Write down the name of the unit, the fax or portal they name, and the date you called.
SOC 295 is the application
SOC 295 is the IHSS application CDSS publishes. The recipient is the applicant. A family member can fill pages, gather signatures, and deliver the packet. Use the name that already appears on Medi-Cal when you can. Get the signature the form asks for. Keep a dated copy.
- County office from the CDSS list for the home address
- How that office wants SOC 295 returned
- Medi-Cal status, or a BenefitsCal application in motion
- How a family contact can be listed on the case
Incomplete packets sit. Extra hospital records rarely speed a file that is missing a signature. What to send with an application is the companion list. If you are helping after a hospital stay, that situation page adds discharge-specific cautions.
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Questions people ask
- Can I start everything with one phone call?
- Some counties will take information by phone and tell you how to return signed pages. You still need SOC 295, SOC 873 or acceptable alternative documentation, and later an in-home assessment. Ask that office which door they use.
- Do I have to wait for SOC 873 before I file SOC 295?
- You can often file the application and work on the Health Care Certification at the same time. CDSS says the certification must reach the county before services are authorized. Do not skip it.
- Should the provider wait to enroll until the notice arrives?
- Start enrollment when you know who will give the care. Orientation and background checks sit on a different clock from the assessment. Paid time still needs both tracks.
- What if Medi-Cal is not approved yet?
- Ask the IHSS office whether they will take SOC 295 while Medi-Cal is pending. Apply for Medi-Cal on BenefitsCal or with the county Medi-Cal office either way. IHSS cannot complete without that determination.
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.