IHSS Assessment Checklist
Published by IHSSHours.com ·
🌐 Leer en Español →The documentation you bring to your IHSS in-home assessment can make a significant difference in the hours authorized. Social workers rely on what they observe and what they're told — supporting your claims with written documentation from medical professionals and specific incident examples strengthens your case considerably.
- Your IHSS Hours Estimate — a pre-filled preliminary assessment mirroring the county's own evaluation criteria, with CDSS-style narrative language for each task
- Physician letters — a letter from the primary care physician documenting diagnoses and how they affect daily functioning
- Specialist evaluations — neurologist, psychiatrist, orthopedist, or other specialist reports relevant to the recipient's conditions
- Medication list — current prescriptions, dosages, and any medications requiring administration assistance
- Recent hospital or ER records — especially any admissions related to falls, unsupervised incidents, or condition deterioration
Build the file around awareness of danger, not around the danger itself. MPP 30-757.172 bars Protective Supervision where the claim rests on deliberate self-destructive behavior or on preventing anti-social or aggressive behavior, so documentation that describes what the person cannot recognise or judge carries weight that documentation of the incident alone does not. Describe what happened and why, rather than labeling it.
- Neuropsychological or cognitive evaluation results
- Behavioral health records
- Documentation of wandering, elopement, or unsafe incidents (dates, descriptions)
- A physician letter specifically recommending 24-hour supervision
- Police or emergency services records if applicable
Be specific and honest. Describe what happens when the recipient attempts each task without help — not what they could theoretically do on their best day, but what typically happens. Social workers are trained to ask about the "worst case" scenario and the most common scenario.
Do not minimize. Many recipients and family members instinctively downplay difficulties out of pride or habit. This is one of the most common reasons hours get under-authorized.
If this is a reassessment rather than a first visit, request a copy of your previous SOC 293 from your county worker beforehand. It lists the Functional Index rank assigned to every task last time. Going in knowing that a task was scored a 3 lets you speak to that specific task and what has changed, instead of describing your situation in general terms and hoping it lands. You have the right to review your case file (MPP 22-051.1), and the worker can print the form from the county system if it is not in there.
- SOC 293 — the IHSS assessment form recording Functional Index ranks and the hours assigned to each task
- MPP 22-051.1 — the right to review information in your case file, including social worker notes
- WIC 12309.1, MPP 30-754 — the SOC 873 health care certification
- MPP 30-757.172 — the five situations in which Protective Supervision shall not be authorized
- ACL 15-25 — nonself-direction, physical capability, and how excluded behavior interacts with eligibility built on other grounds
- ACL 09-30 — hours are authorized on assessed need, never solely on a diagnosis
- WIC 12301.2, MPP 30-758 — time-per-task and frequency
Citations verified against the CDSS Manual of Policies and Procedures and All-County Letters. Educational information, not legal advice. More on our sources and method: How we calculate estimates.
Educational information, not legal advice. Only your county can authorize IHSS services, and only after an assessment. IHSSHours.com is an independent resource and is not affiliated with CDSS or any county IHSS office. · More IHSS guides