Why IHSSHours.com exists, who it's for, and what we promise to do (and not do) along the way.
IHSS shouldn't feel like a maze. We built IHSSHours.com to translate California's IHSS policies, regulations, and procedures into practical, plain-English guidance — so you can walk into your assessment, your appeal, or your first day as a provider already knowing what to expect.
To become California's leading independent IHSS education platform by translating complex IHSS policies, regulations, and procedures into practical, plain-English guidance that empowers applicants, recipients, providers, families, advocates, and community organizations.
To build the most trusted independent educational resource for IHSS in California — complementing official government resources through clarity, accuracy, and practical education, rather than competing with or replacing them.
The IHSS assessment process, the Hourly Task Guidelines, Protective Supervision, the appeals process — these are all real, well-documented parts of California's program. But they're scattered across regulations, county handbooks, and dense policy language that very few people have the time or background to fully untangle on their own.
IHSSHours.com is a centralized educational hub for exactly that: the assessment process, policies, appeals, Protective Supervision, and provider education, explained in language built for the people actually living through it — not for social workers or policy analysts.
If you're new here, you're most likely preparing for a first IHSS assessment — that's who we built this for first. But IHSS touches a lot of people in a lot of different roles, and we try to serve all of them:
Three tools, each built around a specific moment in the IHSS process:
We're an independent educational resource. We are not a government agency, a law firm, or a substitute for your county social worker — and we'll never claim to be. Every estimate we provide is exactly that: an estimate, grounded in California's published guidelines, meant to prepare you for a conversation a real social worker will ultimately have with you.
Our core promise is simple: help families navigate the unknown, while encouraging better-prepared applicants, recipients, and providers — which is good for families and for the system alike.