California Home Help

California Home Help

Hospital and skilled nursing social work, case managers, and transition nurses

Add your program name here before you print if you want a co-branded copy.

Discharge planner kit for a parent returning home

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.

Use this when a California family is leaving a hospital or skilled nursing stay and hopes to go home. Print the family page. Paste the email. Point them to official CDSS and DHCS links. California Home Help can help organize paperwork. The county still files the case.

Family one-pager

  • IHSS is California’s Medi-Cal home care program. It can pay an enrolled family member or other individual provider for authorized tasks in the person’s own home.
  • A hospital or nursing facility is not “own home.” The county looks at the home the person will return to.
  • Start or confirm Medi-Cal (BenefitsCal or the county). Then send SOC 295 to the IHSS office for that home county.
  • Ask a licensed health professional to complete SOC 873, the Health Care Certification, or the alternative documentation the county names.
  • Medicare skilled home health, if ordered, is a different benefit and is usually short. It is not IHSS.
  • Print californiahomehelp.com/checklists/hospital-discharge and the county page for the home address.
  • Do not quote wages or hours. Point families to the CDSS county wage-rate page and the Notice of Action.

Copy-paste email

Subject: After discharge: Medi-Cal, IHSS, and the home county office

Hello,

I am sharing a short California Home Help packet for families considering a return home after a hospital or skilled nursing stay.

IHSS (In-Home Supportive Services) is California’s Medi-Cal home care program. It may pay an enrolled family member for authorized tasks in the person’s own home. The county IHSS office and Medi-Cal decide eligibility and hours. A hospital is not “own home.”

Next steps families usually take:
1. Confirm Medi-Cal (https://www.benefitscal.com/ or the county).
2. Send SOC 295 to the IHSS office for the home county (CDSS office list: https://www.cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/county-ihss-offices).
3. Ask a licensed health professional about SOC 873.
4. Open the county page and hospital checklist at https://californiahomehelp.com/checklists/hospital-discharge

If they want help lining up paperwork, they can use https://californiahomehelp.com/get-started

This is educational. It is not a county filing and not a referral contract.

Thank you.

Back to the partner kit.

Official California sources

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.

See if IHSS may apply

A coordinator can walk through Medi-Cal, county forms, and the home visit with you. The county still decides eligibility and hours.

For example: starting an IHSS application, provider enrollment, or county forms. Keep medical records and diagnoses for the county packet.