Child/Adult Abuse & Neglect Hotline: 805-654-3200
IHSS: Most Asked Questions
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In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) provide people with low income who are blind, disabled, or 65 years old or older with personal assistance and in-home services so they can safely stay in their homes or continue working. Services range from assistance with household chores to personal care and paramedical services. IHSS is often seen as an alternative to assisted living or nursing facilities.
California residents can apply for IHSS if they:
- Are SSI/SSP or Medi–Cal eligible AND
- Are blind, disabled OR 65 years of age or older AND
- Are living in a home, apartment or residence of choice (not including a hospital, nursing home, assisted living or licensed care facility) AND
- Are unable to live safely at home without care.
If you already have Medi-Cal or once you’re approved for it, you can come into the office or call 805-654-3236 to submit an application, or fax your completed application to 805-654-3206, or email it to HSA-IHSS-Applications@ventura.org.
Once your application and Healthcare Certification are received, a social worker will come to your home to conduct an assessment of your mental and physical abilities and limitations to determine whether you qualify for the program.
After the in-home assessment with a social worker, IHSS will send you a letter called a Notice of Action that will let you know if you have been approved or denied services. If approved, you will be notified of the services and number of hours authorized for each service. If services are denied or you are not happy with the number of hours authorized, you have the right to appeal by requesting a State Hearing. The back of the Notice of Action has information about how to appeal.
If you have Medi-Cal with no Share of Cost (SOC), you will not have to pay for services.
Your Share of Cost is a set monthly amount similar to a deductible that is calculated by the Medi-Cal program based on your income. IHSS does not determine your SOC; however, IHSS providers are paid through Medi-Cal funding and therefore your Medi-Cal SOC is applied to your IHSS services. After you pay your SOC each month, Medi-Cal will then pay your provider for any remaining hours worked in the month.
IHSS authorized services may include:
- Domestic services (housecleaning, shopping, preparing meals and laundry)
- Personal care (dressing, bathing, toileting, feeding, bowel & bladder care, ambulation & transfer)
- Paramedical services (help with injections, colostomy and catheter care, etc., under the direction of licensed healthcare provider)
- Accompaniment to a medical appointment when IHSS tasks must be provided either in transit or while at the appointment. Accompaniment is not covered for transportation purposes only.
- Protective supervision (for individuals who, due to a mental impairment or mental illness, need to be observed 24 hours per day to protect them from injuries, hazards or accidents)
Yes, if the family member is authorized to work in the U.S. and meets all other IHSS provider eligibility requirements.
No. If you live in a nursing home or other assisted living facility, you do not qualify for IHSS. If you plan to live in your own home in the future, you can apply for IHSS while you are in the facility. An IHSS employee can do a preliminary needs assessment while you are still residing at the facility. Once you move out of the facility and into your own home, IHSS will do another assessment in your home.
You, the recipient of In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS), or your authorized representative, are responsible for hiring, firing, and supervising your caregiver.
Yes. When a provider works for more than one recipient, a provider cannot exceed working more than 66 hours in a workweek.
