IHSS in Sonoma County: helping a parent stay home

How to find the Sonoma County IHSS office

Do not collect unofficial phone numbers or street addresses from blogs, hospital flyers, or social posts. The California Department of Social Services publishes the current county IHSS office list. Open that page, find Sonoma County, and use only the contact path listed there. If the list points you to a more specific filing instruction, follow that instruction. Medi-Cal applications and renewals often start on BenefitsCal. Some households work with a Medi-Cal unit that sits next to IHSS in the same county department. Ask the office on the CDSS list how those two files connect.

• CDSS: county IHSS offices
• BenefitsCal
• CDSS: In-Home Supportive Services
• DHCS: Medi-Cal
• SOC 295 (official PDF)

An adult-child path in this county

1. Confirm the parent lives in their own home in Sonoma County and that Medi-Cal is active or in process on BenefitsCal.
2. Submit SOC 295 to the Sonoma County office named on the CDSS county IHSS office list.
3. Return SOC 873 from a licensed health professional, or the alternative documentation the county accepts.
4. Meet the social worker at the parent’s home and describe a typical day’s help.
5. Read the Notice of Action. It is the only authorized task list that counts.
6. If you will give the care, finish provider enrollment before you expect a State check.

Some counties accept an IHSS application while Medi-Cal is still pending. IHSS still cannot finish without a Medi-Cal determination. Ask Sonoma County how to be listed so staff can speak with you.

If you live near a county line

Sonoma County borders Mendocino County, Lake County, Napa County, Solano County, and Marin County. File with the county where the person who needs care lives. An adult child who lives in a neighboring county does not create a second IHSS office by commuting. If the parent later moves, that is a county transfer, not a first-time application in the new home.

If the parent is moving from another California county, read moving counties with IHSS. That is a transfer, not a first-time file.

If you will be the paid provider

Adult children are commonly allowed after county and State provider enrollment. The recipient is the employer of an individual provider unless the county offers a contractor or homemaker option. Enrollment usually includes orientation, provider forms, and a background check where required. Pay rates are set locally and change. Ask the Sonoma County office or Public Authority for the current hourly figure instead of copying a number from a neighbor or a blog. A spouse, or a parent of a child under 18, depends on the IHSS sub-program. Ask the county which program applies before making plans around that.

Questions people ask

Does Sonoma County have its own IHSS eligibility rules?

No. CDSS publishes the statewide criteria. Sonoma County social services applies those rules, assesses need in the home, and issues the Notice of Action. Ask the county how it wants the packet filed.

Which office do we use if the adult child lives in another county?

File with the county where the parent lives. If that home is in Sonoma County, use the Sonoma County entry on the CDSS county IHSS office list even if you live in Mendocino County, Lake County, Napa County, Solano County, and Marin County.

Can an adult child be the paid IHSS provider in Sonoma County?

Adult children are commonly allowed after provider enrollment. The recipient hires the individual provider and is that person’s employer. The State issues the provider payment once hours are authorized and enrollment is finished.

Where do we find the official office contact?

Use the CDSS county IHSS office list and BenefitsCal. Those are the public sources this site trusts for office paths. Do not treat an unofficial phone list as the county’s filing door.