California Home Help

Hospital and skilled nursing social work

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A parent may be able to stay home with IHSS

In-Home Supportive Services is California’s Medi-Cal home care program. After a hospital stay, an adult child can start the county packet so a parent can return to their own home. The county still decides the case.

• •IHSS can pay an enrolled family member or other individual provider for authorized personal care and household tasks.
• •A hospital or nursing facility is not “own home.” The program looks at the home the person will return to.
• •Start Medi-Cal and the IHSS application (SOC 295) for that home county. Print californiahomehelp.com/checklists/hospital-discharge.
• •Skilled Medicare home health is not the same as IHSS. See californiahomehelp.com/pay/ihss-vs-medicare-home-health.
• •Start Medi-Cal if it is not already in place. Then send SOC 295 to the county IHSS office for that home.
• •Ask a licensed health professional to complete SOC 873, the Health Care Certification.
• •The county social worker visits the home later and writes a Notice of Action. That notice is the plan that counts.

Official pages: CDSS IHSS, county IHSS offices, DHCS Medi-Cal.

California Home Help is educational help operated by Sevah Robotics, Inc. Official rules live on CDSS and DHCS pages.