IHSS Reassessment

Published by IHSSHours.com · September 13, 2026 · Updated October 11, 2026

IHSS is not a one-time authorization. Recipients are reassessed periodically — typically once a year — and hours can increase or decrease based on the new evaluation. Knowing how to prepare for a reassessment is just as important as preparing for the initial application.

How Often Reassessments Happen

The rule is in WIC 12301.1(b)(1): a county must assess a recipient’s continuing monthly need at varying intervals as necessary, and at least once every 12 months. Annual is the floor, not the schedule.

Two things can move it in either direction:

Later. A county may extend a reassessment by up to six months beyond the 12-month point — so up to 18 months — but only case by case, and only where it documents that every one of several conditions is met: at least one reassessment since intake, no known change in your needs in the previous 24 months, no adult protective services involvement since the last assessment, no change of provider for at least six months, and that you are able to direct your own care (WIC 12301.1(c)(1)).
Sooner. A county may reassess in less than 12 months if the social worker has information suggesting your need is expected to decrease (WIC 12301.1(b)(3)).

Reassessments are also triggered by a move to a new county, a change in living situation, or a county-initiated review.

Reassessment by Phone or Video

Since ACL 24-72 (October 2024), reassessments can be done by phone or video call rather than in person, for recipients who choose that option and whom the county determines eligible. It is not something a county can impose on you, and it is not automatic.

To be eligible you need stable care needs, an initial in-person assessment, and at least one in-person reassessment already behind you. You must still be in your home environment during the call. If the county cannot see you and your home well enough over video, it has to ask questions to obtain the same information it would have gathered in person, and document that. All the usual forms still apply, and ones requiring an original signature still need one.

Worth thinking about before you agree. A telehealth reassessment is convenient, but a social worker on a video call cannot see the things that often support a higher authorisation — how long it actually takes you to cross a room, the state of the bathroom, a stair you have stopped using. If your needs have grown since the last visit, an in-person reassessment is usually the better choice, and you are entitled to one.

Hours Can Go Up or Down

Reassessments are not automatically favorable. If your condition has improved — or if the social worker perceives it to have improved — hours may be reduced. This is why preparation and documentation are just as important at reassessment as at the initial evaluation.

If your condition has worsened, a reassessment is an opportunity to get more hours. Many recipients accept whatever they receive at their initial assessment without realizing conditions often qualify for more hours over time.

How to Prepare for Reassessment

Update your medical documentation to reflect any changes in condition since the last assessment
Document any new incidents — falls, hospitalizations, behavioral events, or loss of function
Ask your physician to write a letter specifically addressing any condition changes
Complete a new IHSS Hours Estimate to establish a current baseline before the visit
Review your current authorized hours and identify any tasks you believe are under-authorized

Requesting a Reassessment

You do not have to wait for the annual cycle, and this is stronger than a courtesy. Under WIC 12301.1(d) a county shall assess your need any time you notify it of a need to adjust your authorized hours, or where there are other indications of a change in circumstances. It is an obligation on the county, not a favor.

You do not need a physician referral to ask. Contact your county IHSS office by phone or in writing, say that your care needs have changed, and bring documentation of the change — a new diagnosis, a hospitalisation, a fall, a loss of function. Whatever comes back is a new Notice of Action, which means it carries its own 90-day appeal window if you disagree with it.

Use IHSSHours.com before every reassessment. Completing the IHSS Hours Estimate before each annual visit gives you a clear, documented picture of your current needs — and a professional PDF to bring to the assessment that reflects any changes since your last evaluation.

Sources

WIC 12301.1(b)(1) — counties shall assess continuing monthly need at varying intervals as necessary, but at least once every 12 months
WIC 12301.1(b)(3) — a county may reassess sooner where it has information that need is expected to decrease
WIC 12301.1(c)(1) — reassessment may be extended up to six months beyond 12, case by case, only where the county documents each listed condition
WIC 12301.1(d) — a county shall assess whenever the recipient reports a need to adjust authorized hours, or there are other indications of changed circumstances
ACL 24-72 (October 8, 2024) — Telehealth Reassessment Option: available by recipient choice, requires stable care needs plus one prior in-person assessment and one in-person reassessment
AB 2262 (2022) — alternative annual reassessment process, implemented from January 2024
WIC 12301.2, MPP 30-758 — time-per-task and frequency; the basis on which hours are recalculated at each reassessment
WIC 10951 — 90 days to appeal the Notice of Action a reassessment produces

Statutory citations verified against the California Welfare and Institutions Code and CDSS 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