PhD/PsyD California IHSS Programs / Protective Services

[calimich]

I've been asked to consult on a case involving an adult who appears to have dementia and one of their family members who is seeking to be certified to provide In-Home Supportive Services. The patient is 65+ and receives full scope medi-cal.

Any of y'all familiar with this CA program and able to offer some guidance?

DB101 California - IHSS Programs

The family has very limited financial resources and I'm working pro bono on this one. Also, because I've know this family personally for my whole life I made it clear to them that I can not be the one to sign off on the attached documents.

any thoughts?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Temperance]

IHSS pays for a provider to assist the beneficiary in daily living tasks, and certification as an IHSS provider is a relatively minimal process involving attending an evening of in-person training on responsibilities, limits of the IHSS provider role, and mandated reporter requirements. The beneficiary would be granted a certain number of hours per month based on Medi-Cal's determination of how much care the beneficiary needs, and provider(s) are limited to working within that amount of hours. IHSS sanctions providers who go over this limit. A beneficiary can have one or even multiple providers at the beneficiary's discretion. Medi-Cal, if they believe that the beneficiary no longer needs a higher level of care, can reduce the amount of hours, but I'm not familiar with how they make these decisions beyond consulting with the beneficiary's health care providers.

My familiarity with the program is limited to knowing someone who received IHSS services and someone who worked as an IHSS provider, so others may be able to provide more specific guidance. I hope this helps! It sounds like the family may benefit from having IHSS cover the costs of caregiving that they may already be providing.

 

[calimich]

this is helpful, thanks.
The would-be provider has gone through the requisite trainings, and also reported them to be fairly minimal.

It sounds like the family may benefit from having IHSS cover the costs of caregiving that they may already be providing.

This is pretty much the scenario. In your experience, do you remember if the forms required a physician's signature or did a psychologist's suffice?

 

[Temperance]

In your experience, do you remember if the forms required a physician's signature or did a psychologist's suffice?

The person I knew was receiving IHSS services for purely medical reasons, so I don't know the answer to your question.

 

[calimich]

update: was able to refer the family to a friend/colleague in Southern California who has experience with this process. Also found out that yes, psychologists are able to evaluate and certify a person to receive IHSS benefits.