IHSS orientation checklist
A yes, no, or not-sure walk through published statewide criteria. It points to next steps. It does not decide the case.
Open the orientationTools
Shareable IHSS tools for families
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 these pages to orient yourself, pack for the county visit, walk an educational scenario, or take the next step after a hospital stay. They are educational. Checking a box here does not file a case or authorize hours. Your county IHSS office and Medi-Cal decide eligibility, hours, and who can be paid.
Share a tool with a sibling or a discharge planner. Official rules still live on CDSS and DHCS pages.
What to bring to the assessment
A printable packing list for the in-home visit: typical-day notes, copies, and what to leave in the county packet.
Open the packing listPost-hospital checklist
An adult-child path after discharge, with links to hospital guides and the county page for the parent’s home.
Open the hospital listCalifornia cost of care
CareScout 2025 statewide medians for home care, assisted living, memory care, and nursing homes, with a live calculator. IHSS pay is set by county.
Open the cost of care hubIllustrative cost planner
Live private-pay monthly ranges for licensed home care, assisted living, memory care, and nursing homes, using published California figures. IHSS pay is set by county.
Open the cost calculatorPrintable checklists
Hospital discharge, IHSS documents, and questions to ask a licensed home care agency. Print or save as PDF.
Open checklistsDoes Medicare or Medi-Cal pay?
Direct answers on home care, assisted living, IHSS, VA, and insurance, with official .gov links.
Open pay answersCounty office finder
Search all 58 counties, open the local IHSS page, then use the official CDSS office list. We do not invent phone numbers.
Find a countyCare-path decision flow
Walk IHSS, private home care, assisted living, memory care, or a nursing facility. Educational next steps. Counties and facilities still decide.
Open the care pathEmbed the cost calculator
Iframe and script instructions for hospitals, AAAs, and counsel who want the planning calculator on their own site.
Open embed docsCost snapshot and IHSS directory
Quotable CareScout 2025 California medians plus official county IHSS links. No invented wages.
Open the data hubScenario calculators
Educational scenario calculators
Pick a parent situation, price private-pay settings with live totals, compare care settings, walk a discharge week, or choose a paperwork track. The cost planner uses published California medians. None of these tools files a case, authorizes hours, or quotes an IHSS wage. Your county and Medi-Cal decide the IHSS file.
California cost of care hub
Statewide CareScout 2025 medians for home care, assisted living, memory care, and nursing homes, plus metro and county pages. Planning estimates. Not an IHSS wage.
Open the cost of care hubIllustrative cost planner
Live monthly and annual private-pay ranges for licensed home care, assisted living, memory care, and nursing homes. IHSS is shown as a program path, not as a household paycheck.
Open the illustrative cost plannerCare-path decision flow
Answer setting and need questions. Get an educational next path for IHSS, private home care, assisted living, memory care, or a nursing facility.
Open the care-path toolCare-need scenario
Choose a parent situation. See educational next steps, the illustrative cost planner, task categories, and which guides to open.
Open the care-need calculatorCompare care options
Set notes about mobility, memory, daytime watch, and medical complexity. Compare home, licensed agency, and facility paths.
Open the care comparisonAfter-discharge timeline
Mark days since discharge or an upcoming assessment. Get a week-by-week checklist that ties to the post-hospital tool.
Open the discharge timelinePaperwork scenario
New case, already applied, or provider enrollment. See a form sequence with official CDSS PDFs and CHH guides.
Open the paperwork calculatorPrintable checklists
Hospital discharge, IHSS documents, and questions to ask a licensed home care agency.
Open checklistsWho typically pays
Medicare, Medi-Cal, IHSS, VA, and insurance answers with official .gov links.
Open pay answersCounty office finder
Search by county name. Each page explains how IHSS works locally for an adult child helping a parent. For the official office contact, use the CDSS county IHSS office list. This site does not publish unofficial phone numbers.
Type to search all 58 counties
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.