In-Home Supportive Services
In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) serves aged, blind, or disabled persons who are unable to perform activities of daily living and cannot remain safely in their own homes without help. Through IHSS, qualified recipients may receive assistance with daily tasks, such as:
• bathing
• dressing
• cooking
• cleaning
• grooming
• feeding
To be eligible for IHSS services, a person must receive Medi-Cal. In addition, the individual must be either:
• 65 years or older or
• blind or
• permanently disabled
Anyone who recognizes that a person is in need of in-home assistance may refer the individual to IHSS. The individual referred will be contacted to confirm they want to apply for IHSS. If the individual wants to apply they will need to complete a Medi-Cal eligibility determination and submit a Health Care Certification completed by a healthcare professional. Then, a social worker will conduct an assessment to determine the applicant’s need for service. The determination will take into consideration the applicant’s medical condition, living arrangement, and resources that may already be available. If the applicant is determined eligible for IHSS then they will identify the individual(s) they want to provide the care.
The recipient may identify a friend or relative , or if the recipient needs assistance to find a provider a referral may be made to the IHSS Public Authority Registry. The Registry will provide a list of potential providers for the recipient to interview.
Once the recipient has selected a care provider the selected individual must complete the provider enrollment requirements including fingerprinting and a Department of Justice (DOJ) background check. If the selected individual is determined eligible to be a care provider they will be enrolled into the IHSS payrolling system and issued timesheets. The recipient is s the employer of the care provider for purposes of hiring/ firing, training, supervising and signing time sheets. Timesheets are submitted to, processed and pay checks issued by the State. IHSS and the careprovider strive to ensure that each recipient is able to remain in familiar surroundings – safely, comfortably and with as much independence as possible.
Contact the Sacramento County Department of Health and Human Services, Senior and Adult Services at (916) 874-9471 for more information. Insist on filing an application if they say you are not eligible.