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Checklists and next steps
Talking to a County IHSS Office
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.
What is reasonable to ask, what belongs in writing, and how to use the CDSS county office list to find the right door.
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
Find the county IHSS office on the CDSS list, ask one clear question with the case number, and put names, dates, and missing-page requests in writing when you can. Daily status calls rarely move a complete file. Workers often cannot speak with an adult child until that is in writing.
Who decides
The county IHSS office assigned to your parent’s home runs the local case. Medi-Cal may be a different unit in the same building. CDSS publishes the office list. It does not staff your phone call.
What to do next
Look up the county on the CDSS county IHSS office list, write the case number and your question, and ask how you can be listed if you need a callback.
Find the right county door first
IHSS is statewide. The office that can see the file is the county where your parent lives. CDSS publishes a county IHSS office list. Start there. A number from a search result or from a relative in another county is a common wrong door.
Medi-Cal, IHSS social work, and provider enrollment can be different units. The first person who answers may transfer you. That is ordinary. Write who you spoke with and which unit they named. Moving counties is the extra step if the home itself changed.
What is reasonable to ask
- Whether SOC 295 and SOC 873 are on file
- Whether a social worker has been assigned, and the visit status if one has
- How an adult child is listed so staff can speak with you
- Which provider packet and orientation the county uses
- Whether EVV applies and which method
- Whether a share of cost applies, or which unit can answer that
- How to request a new assessment if needs changed
- How to change a provider or update an address
It is reasonable to call once to confirm a packet is complete. Daily calls rarely speed a complete file that is waiting for a worker. Your county office can tell you what is typical locally. The first week guide keeps the family side moving while you wait.
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Questions people ask
- Which number do I call?
- Use the [CDSS county IHSS office list](https://www.cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/county-ihss-offices) for the county where your parent lives. Provider questions sometimes go to the Public Authority. Ask the first person who answers which door handles your issue.
- Why will they not tell me anything?
- You may not be listed. Ask for the local authorization step. See [getting listed](/guides/being-listed-on-parent-ihss-case).
- Is email better than a call?
- A call can tell you which page they want. A dated written note is easier to file. Use both when the issue is a missing form or a provider change.
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.