After-discharge timeline
A week-by-week list after a hospital stay
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.
Mark where you are: still in the hospital, a week at home, or waiting on the county visit. The checklist is educational. Counties differ by a wide margin. This page does not promise that a visit, a notice, or hours will arrive in a set number of days.
This page is educational. It is not county advice, a Medi-Cal determination, an hours authorization, or a wage quote. Your county IHSS office and Medi-Cal decide eligibility, hours, and who can be paid. Licensed facilities and home care agencies decide their own admissions and private-pay terms. County IHSS staff decide whether a home-care file is complete and which tasks to authorize. County Medi-Cal staff decide Medi-Cal eligibility and share of cost. A facility or agency is a separate conversation. Timing varies by county; not a guarantee. Day ranges on this page are wide and cautious. They do not promise a visit, a notice, or hours in a set number of days.
Enter a whole number if you want this page to suggest a week. The mapping is illustrative. Some counties reach an in-home visit in a few weeks. Others take longer. Ask the county. Never treat a day count here as a deadline the county owes you.
Week-by-week discharge checklist
Timing varies by county; not a guarantee
Before discharge
Still in the hospital or SNF
Confirm the home they will return to. A hospital or nursing facility is not own home.
Week 1 at home
First week at home
Confirm SOC 295 reached the county. Keep a copy of what you sent and when.
Week 2 at home
Second week at home
Ask the county whether the packet is complete. Use the incomplete-packet guide if something was sent back.
Weeks 3 to 4
Weeks 3 to 4 at home
Ask whether an in-home visit has been scheduled. If not, ask how to check status. Do not invent a wait time from a forum.
Assessment week
Assessment is scheduled
Use the packing list and the “what to say” guide.
After the notice
Notice of Action arrived
Read the notice. It is the plan that counts.
This week’s list
Mark where you are: still in the hospital, a week at home, or waiting on the county visit. The checklist is educational. Counties differ by a wide margin. This page does not promise that a visit, a notice, or hours will arrive in a set number of days.
Open the printable post-hospital checklistGuides and county pages for this week
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.