IHSS in California

The California Department of Social Services says you apply by sending an application to your county IHSS office. You must be a California resident, have a Medi-Cal eligibility determination, live at home, and submit a health care certification before services are authorized. A county social worker interviews you at home. The worker uses information from you and, if appropriate, from family, friends, and your physician.

CDSS publishes a county office list. For timesheet questions, the county page lists a service desk at (866) 376-7066. That number is for timesheets, not for deciding your hours.

Be available for the interview at home. Have the certification ready if the county has asked for it. This site does not give you a script for symptoms or a list of documents the county did not publish. Ask the county what to have on the table.

Disability Rights California publishes a fair hearing guide for IHSS terminations or reductions, dated June 15, 2026. Read their guide for the steps. They say you can ask for a hearing by phone at 1-800-743-8525, TDD 1-800-952-8349, online, or by mail using the back of the Notice of Action. They also discuss aid paid pending if you appeal before the change takes effect, and a longer deadline if you miss that date. Those are their citations to state rules, not our advice.

The same guide is where to read about services that can be cut, including protective supervision. We are not restating the clinical rules. SOC 293 is the assessment form they say is in the case file. Do not treat this paragraph as an hour calculator.

An IHSS hearing is not a Social Security appeal. The 60-day Social Security helper does not apply here.