In-Home Support Services
What is In-Home Supportive Services?
The In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) Program provides financial assistance to low-income aged, blind, and disabled individuals who are unable to remain safely in their homes without help from caregivers. The program’s purpose is to prevent nursing home placement. In-Home Supportive Services achieves this objective by paying or subsidizing the salaries of caregivers that the IHSS recipients choose.
What Services are Available Through the IHSS Program?
- Assistance with walking or ambulating outside of the home
- Assistance with transferring in or out of bed or vehicles
- Administration of medicines, shots, or range of motion exercises approved by your physician
- Assistance with bathing and dressing
- Assistance with feeding
- Accompaniment to and from medical appointments
- Protective Supervision
- Preparing meals and clean up
- Shopping and errands
- Laundry
- Light housekeeping
How Do You Qualify for IHSS?
Eligible applicants for IHSS must be disabled, blind, or age 65 and older. Your savings and investments cannot exceed $2,000 for a single person or $3,000 for a couple (the home and its equity are exempt from this rule). Other assets not counted toward your eligibility include:
- One automobile
- Income property
- A business and its assets (e.g. trucks, computers, office)
- Term life insurance policy
- How Does Being on IHSS Affect Your Kaiser Permanente membership?
- Receiving IHSS has no affect on your Kaiser Permanente membership. You can receive IHSS and still be a Kaiser Permanente member.
Where To Apply for IHSS
To apply for IHSS, in Alameda County call 510-577-1800 and for Contra Costa County call 925-335-8720 for a mail-in application. For other counties look for the closest county welfare department office listed under the County Government Section in the telephone book.