Three Facts (and One Big Myth) About IHSS

In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) is a Medi-Cal program that provides home-based personal care and related services so that people with disabilities can remain safely in their communities instead of being placed in an institution due to their significant care needs. Figuring out where to start with IHSS can be confusing and there are also misconceptions about this public benefit. Below are three facts—and one big myth—about IHSS.

Fact #1: Eligibility isn’t income-based

We hear from many families who assume they are not eligible for IHSS, or are erroneously told that eligibility is income-based. Eligibility for IHSS is not income-based; it is based on assessment of age-appropriate skills, with the level of support depending on whether the recipient is deemed “severely impaired” or “non-severely impaired.”

IHSS hours are awarded for allowable services to the extent that a child’s needs exceed those of a typically developing child of the same age. Technically, there is no minimum age to receive IHSS hours, but because babies require total care from their parents regardless of ability, hours for infants and young toddlers are typically limited to paramedical services and accompaniment to disability-related specialist visits and therapies. As a child gets older, “personal care hours” may be provided from IHSS for services such as feeding, dressing, ambulation, toileting, bathing and hygiene, menstrual care, and other age-appropriate self-care tasks that typically developing children usually carry out themselves.

To learn more about eligibility, check out In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS): The Essentials of Eligibility.

Fact #2: Your child must be enrolled in Medi-Cal first

IHSS is part of a broader network of Medi-Cal funded supports. As a result, your child must be enrolled in Medi-Cal before you apply for IHSS. If your child is not currently enrolled in Medi-Cal, you can create an account on BenefitsCal to start an application for your child. Also, we provide step-by-step guides for applying for Medi-Cal benefits; create an account to get started.

The first and most typical way to be eligible for Medi-Cal is by household income (modified adjusted gross income). A second eligibility route is if your child receives Supplemental Security Income (SSI); SSI qualification is income and disability based. If you don’t qualify by any of the financial thresholds and your child is a Regional Center client, a third route is qualification for the Medi-Cal institutional deeming waiver for people with developmental disabilities.

Fact #3: Parents can be paid as IHSS providers

If your child’s extensive disability-related needs at home require more care than a typically developing child of the same age—and you currently provide that care—you may be paid to serve as your child’s IHSS provider. You can also hire a third party, such as another family member, a friend, or a trained professional found through an agency. For more information, see our article on finding or acting as an IHSS provider.

Note that if both of a child’s parents want to become IHSS providers, they need to each fill out the forms and make sure that together they do not exceed the total authorized hours. You can find more details about the process in our step-by-step guide for becoming an IHSS parent provider.

The One Big Myth

And the one big myth is related to fact #3 and is a misconception we frequently hear from parents. IHSS is not about paying parents to stay home and do what they are “supposed to do”—only for what is above and beyond what a parent would be expected to provide to a typically developing child of the same age. See our full article about IHSS providers to learn about what situations parents can qualify as a provider and where it would be permitted to hire outside help.

To learn more about IHSS, check out the resource links below. And consider an Undivided membership so you can access step-by-step guides and a customized planning and organization platform for your child.