California Home Help

Orientation

IHSS orientation checklist

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.

Walk through the published statewide pieces of In-Home Supportive Services. Every answer here is for orientation. Your county IHSS office files the application. Medi-Cal staff decide coverage and any share of cost. A social worker authorizes tasks after the home visit.

This checklist organizes next steps. It is not a county filing, a Medi-Cal determination, or an hours calculator. Two people with the same diagnosis can receive different notices. County IHSS staff decide whether the file is complete and which tasks to authorize. County Medi-Cal staff decide Medi-Cal eligibility and share of cost.

  1. Question 1 of 6

    Does the person who needs care live in California?

    IHSS is a California Medi-Cal home care program. A parent who still lives in another state starts with that state’s programs, then California Medi-Cal after a move.

  2. Question 2 of 6

    Do they live in their own home, or will they return to that home?

    CDSS treats a hospital, nursing facility, or licensed community care facility as not “own home.” The program looks at the home they will live in.

  3. Question 3 of 6

    Do they have Medi-Cal, or is a Medi-Cal application in progress?

    IHSS builds on a Medi-Cal eligibility determination. Some counties will take SOC 295 while Medi-Cal is pending. The IHSS case still waits on Medi-Cal.

  4. Question 4 of 6

    Do they need help with personal care or household tasks to stay home?

    Think bathing, dressing, toileting, meals, laundry, and related listed tasks. Companionship visits on their own are usually a different need.

  5. Question 5 of 6

    Is a licensed health professional available to complete SOC 873?

    The Health Care Certification, or acceptable alternative documentation, must reach the county before services are authorized.

  6. Question 6 of 6

    Do you know which California county holds the home?

    File where the person who needs care lives, even if an adult child commutes from another county.

What these answers suggest

Answer the questions you can. Leave the rest as Not sure. Then use the next-step list. The county still reads the real file.

No combination of answers here files an application or authorizes hours. Your county IHSS office and Medi-Cal decide the case.

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.

Want help lining up the packet?

A coordinator can walk through Medi-Cal, SOC 295, and the county visit with you. The county still decides the case.

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