IHSS Recipients

Important Information

ATTENTION IHSS RECIPIENTS: CONTINUOUS MEDI-CAL COVERAGE ENDED ON MARCH 31, 2023

Due to the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency protections for Los Angeles County, on March 31, 2023, the continuous Medi-Cal (MC) coverage ended. You will receive an annual renewal letter about your MC coverage by U.S. postal mail. The letter will tell you if more information is needed to renew your MC or if your MC was renewed automatically. If you are asked to provide information to renew your MC, a renewal form will be provided.

Note: Your health coverage will not stop. However, if requested, you will be required to renew your MC benefits during your next scheduled annual renewal. Your contact information, including name, address, telephone number, and email address must be updated.

For more details, visit the DPSS Medi-Cal Health Care page.

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Basic Eligibility Requirements

To qualify for IHSS you must:

Be 65 years old or older, blind, and/or disabled as defined by Social Security Administration (SSA) standards. Disabled children are also potentially eligible for IHSS;
Be a California resident;
Live in your own home. Hospitals, nursing homes, and licensed community care facilities are not considered “own home”;
Be eligible for Medi-Cal benefits;*
- *IHSS applicants must complete a Medi-Cal eligibility determination or redetermination. Individuals whose income is too high to qualify for Medi-Cal with no share of cost (SOC) may still be eligible for IHSS with a Medi-Cal SOC. The share of cost may be applied towards the receipt of Medi-Cal and/or IHSS benefits.
Participate in a home assessment interview; and
Obtain a health care certification from a licensed health care professional (LHCP) such as a physician, psychiatrist, psychologist, etc., indicating that you are unable to safely perform one or more activities and without IHSS, would be at risk of placement in out-of-home care. Applicants may provide the SOC 873 - In-Home Supportive Services Program Health Care Certification Form to certify their need for IHSS.

*Also available in the following languages:

SOC 873 Spanish (Español)

SOC 873 Chinese (中文)

SOC 873 Armenian (Հայերեն)

SOC 873 Cambodian (ភាសាខ្មែរ)

SOC 873 Korean (한국어)

SOC 873 Russian (Pусский)

SOC 873 Tagalog (Tagalog)

SOC 873 Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)

SOC 873 Farsi (فارسی)

Your health care professional may return this form via fax, U.S. Mail or you may return it in-person.

You may submit other acceptable forms of alternative documentation, signed by a LHCP, if the SOC 873 is not available. This documentation must:

Indicate that the applicant/recipient is unable to independently perform one or more activities of daily living;
Describe the applicant’s/recipient’s condition or functional limitation that has contributed to the need for assistance; and
Be signed and dated by the LHCP within 60 calendar days of submission to the Social Worker.

Examples of alternative documentation include, but are not limited to:

Hospital discharge plans; and
Nursing facility discharge plans.

Recipient Frequently Asked Questions

If you need assistance in locating a provider, you may call the Personal Assistance Services Council (PASC). The PASC is the Public Authority for Los Angeles County. They operate a Provider Registry and will provide you with referrals to providers. You may contact PASC at (877) 565-4477 for more information.

A Share of Cost (also referred to as a SOC) is the amount of money you are responsible to pay towards your medical related services, supplies, or equipment before Medi-Cal will begin to pay. You, as an IHSS recipient, may have to pay a certain dollar amount each month toward your medical expenses as part of your SOC.

Twice a month, both you and your provider who works for you will receive an "Explanation of IHSS SOC" letter that will tell you how much money to pay the provider. Remember, the SOC is part of provider's salary. You, as the IHSS recipient, must pay the SOC, if any, to the provider monthly. The SOC may change from month to month.

For questions regarding SOC, contact your Social Worker at (888) 822-9622.

Service authorizations are assessed during the needs assessment, which is a comprehensive review of the recipient’s medical history/diagnosis, medications/purpose, emergency contacts, physicians’ information, household composition, functional index rankings, mini-mental health assessment, necessary referrals to Adult Protective Services (APS), Child Protective Services (CPS), Fraud, community services, etc., language preferences and whether an interpreter is needed, and a full biopsychosocial assessment. The social worker needs to document all service needs and justify the services and hours authorized.