r/IHSS

I believe the IHSS program should mainly be limited to adults who are 18 years and older. While being in this Reddit forum, I’ve seen many people say they care for their autistic children or children with special needs and are getting paid through the program. In my opinion, parenting already comes with the responsibility of caring for your child, so I question why some parents are compensated for doing what other parents also do every day without pay. I understand that raising a child with special needs can be extremely difficult and demanding. However, families often have to make difficult decisions about who will work and who will stay home to provide care. I believe IHSS was originally intended to help individuals who cannot care for themselves remain safely at home instead of being placed in an institution or nursing facility. What parent is going to put their child in a placement? NONE! But overall, I believe there should be stricter evaluations and oversight because many people are taking advantage of this program. Meanwhile, there are elderly adults and disabled adults who genuinely need assistance but are being denied services or facing long delays because it everyone is trying to earn easy cash.

That’s just my perspective, and I know not everyone will agree.

My baby spent the first 5 and a half months of his life in the NICU due to a very rare metabolic disorder that caused brain, heart damage and developmental delays. I was instructed prior to his discharge by a social worker in the NICU to apply for SSI and IHSS and I thought to myself ok that will help since I haven’t been able to return to work because he has so many needs and I wouldn’t even trust another daycare to manage them even if they willingly accepted him. I applied about a week after discharge, got one of his specialist and ignorantly thought I would be getting back pay from the application date for all of the care that he requires. The caseworker assigned to my case called me earlier today to schedule an assessment for tomorrow and actually told me right away that it’s highly unlikely that I will qualify to get ihss for him because of his age and even if I do some medical care it would be considered paramedical and I would need to wait for a denial and then have that form filled out by a doctor and I just am surprised. I understand that this is my baby and nobody should pay me to take care of him however with his complex medical conditions, no daycare would probably be even qualified to watch him and I can’t return to work because I’m caring for him. Why would the hospital even suggest I apply for IHSS if the likelihood of me getting anything would be like zero? I am feeling discouraged because I’ve heard stories of some people actually getting a lot of hours for their babies and others that don’t. I’d also like to add that his condition wasn’t not expected even by the doctors, I had planned to return to work soon after I delivered him like I did with my other kids but things didn’t go as planned and I used my savings and my paid family leave to go back and forth to the hospital for almost 6 months so I really thought that I would be finally getting some help with backpay. I am sorry if I overshared I’m just really bummed and not too optimistic.

I was told during orientation that if you have 2 recipients or more, you are eligible for Travel Claim.

I have one live-in recipient and the other is several miles away. I work on them the same day.
I submitted the form for travel claim, but only the non-live-in recipient shows up on my portal.

For the last few weeks, I keep waiting for the status to change as I always see I was ineligible. But today it says I have 4 Travel Claims available.

I put in the last 3 pay periods, it's around 5 hours per pay period.

But after submission, I check their status and they are all zeroed out!

So confused. Does anyone know why? I did a quick chatGPT search and it says if you live with one recipient, they are not counted/eligible. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Another episode of —those skrewing the system screws those in need— want to start by saying I have a 9 year old non verbal, non self directed, IEP, behavior intervention plan and documented self injury behaviors I am not worried about him losing PS based on his needs and data! especially with all of our documentation.
However i cannot help but notice all the parents who are pulling their children to home-school to eliminate the IEP. So that sw cannot ask for it.
What documents do they go off of?
I’ve seen posts and social media videos of people claiming they homeschool so they don’t need the IEP to give.
It seems rather fishy if they’re doing it just to not provide a IEP. It usually posts who say their child is doing well and the IEP is contradicting their ps claim.
That puts people like my son in danger of losing ps if we choose to homeschool I’ve been considering it because my sons behavior with demands being placed on him is so significant that school actually increases his SIB.
I am concerned since I willingly give the IEP but may be forced to homeschool him in the future since our district doesn’t have the support and his 1:1 aide is always absent or they are always hiring a new one.

Mom is going to be in a rehab facility after her heart attack and stroke. I have no savings left (I actually miss my federal government job). As you all know... her being admitted into the hospital and then rehab... means no income for me... the only thing that sucks about ihss your income can stop just like that. Have any of you tried crowdfunding? Or is there something else I can do as an ihss provider?

I'm working to get approval for my three-year-old child, who is still learning right from wrong. I want to mention that they might hurt themselves because they haven't yet learned to care for themselves properly. I also need to change them frequently. Do you think my application will be approved? I believe it’s really important for them to have protective supervision since I handle everything for them.

I made this because the way some of you post here is quite disappointing. This program is intended to care for severely disabled individuals, not for watching your child that you chose to have. There are clear guidelines for IHSS, and many of you seeking “help” are only trying to cheat the system. Just like that tiktok lady that says to message her and she will help you prove your child's need for protective supervision. Since protective supervision become more popular, many are attempting to get approved solely for financial gain, which is both unfair and wrong. Meanwhile, elderly and severely disabled people are being denied assistance because of this misuse. Cheating the system is unacceptable, and most of the child related posts I see, especially involving CHILDREN that are still learning is crazy!

So my sister is in the process to become my provider. Just waiting for her to attend in-person orientation. She’s already completed all the other required tasks like background check and all the portal videos. She has a couple of questions though -

• How does she get paid for the current month while also trying to receive the back pay? Like if June is her first month in real time getting paid, does that check come in at the same time the back pay checks come in too?

• How long does the back pay take to get paid out?

• How long does direct deposit take to register?

We’re in Riverside county. TIA.

My wife has several autoimmune diseases, including lupus, and she works remotely because her employer allows it. She’s barely managing day to day, so I also have to care for her while raising our two young kids.
I heard Colorado may have a state Medicaid program that allows a spouse to get paid as a caregiver. Here are a few details:
She makes about $35k/year
I make about $125k/year
Our house is in my name as her husband
From what I understand, there may be a Colorado exemption where only her income is considered, not mine, but the process is honestly very confusing.
How do I start this process, and what programs should I be looking into in Colorado?
Thanks everyone.

My son now 5, was a approved for 23 hours in June 2025 when he 4 years old .For bowel and bladder. I did not know about protective supervision at the time.i received backpay for 3 months from the initial application for the 23 hours i was approved for. however, I filled out and turned in the protective supervision form in January 2026. the SW said I had to wait for his annual reassement to see if he is approved for PS. I had it this past Friday on the 15th. if approved would I be able to claim the back pay for when I turned in the PS form in January 2026?

Was waiting for my direct deposit....nothing and pay stub is reflecting a share of cost deduction for every dime and I have no idea what and why. I have worked IHHS for several years and NO DEDUCTIONS ever other than my Union dues. No notice, letter or phone call that this would take place. This is going to do damage I will out be able to pull out of.

I currently receive ihss, and my fiancee is my live in provider. We have been together for nearly 8 years avoiding marriage as we don’t want to lose my benefits. Does anyone know if I will/how we can work around that if that’s possible? My situation doesn’t just change magically by getting married.. I don’t work at all and have none of my own income that I earn and not sure of that makes a difference either?

I’m stuck!

I need to reduce my mother’s share of cost which is astronomical. she suffered a severe stroke and I just won’t put her in a care facility. are these waivers still in existence? any information would be greatly appreciated. we are in the process of receiving our hours for ihss but I’m afraid the share of cost is too high for that to even make a difference. i really need help navigating all of this

My son is 18 and I get ps hours for him. My daughter gets 37 hours a month. She's level 1 autistic. They both get ssi however after recertification My daughters ssi was cut in half. I get a little calfresh and I know it shouldn't be counted. The ihss income I mean.

I’m pretty new to IHSS & this will be my first time doing sick hours. I only log a little over 3 hours a day for my mom’s care. The portal shows I have 40 hours available. How do I go about claiming these hours? I went through some posts here & I’m seeing contradictory information. The FAQ in the portal is confusing me even more lol help please

Hello, I have a question regarding the regional center. So my daughter is currently receiving Ihss for the last 2 years based on a medical diagnosis from 3 years ago that has nothing to do with autism. I'm her live in parent provider and have a concern. My daughter was assessed for autism by the regional center due to her doctor referring her. In addition when I spoke with the regional center coordinator during my interview, I informed her about my Ihss hours for my daughter. After the assessment was completed, the psychologist advised me that she didn't think my daughter had signs of autism. She confirmed that we would be receiving a report from them determining her diagnosis. My question is regarding this report, does this get automatically reported to Ihss? And can it effect my hours?

Hey everyone so I finally received my back pay btw chase only holds checks for a couple hours :)! I was wondering if I have to report this to

Social security since I am the live in provider for my child who’s a minor . Will they take the ssi and ebt away?

Does IHSS offer life insurance? I’m a live in provider for my wife and we are having difficulty getting life insurance for her. I read online that people can get life insurance through their employer.
I would appreciate any information thank you

My child is about to be 3 and her behavioral developmental doctor (Children’s Hospital LA) suggested looking into IHSS. For reference she has severe anxiety due to her sensory processing disorder, emotional deregulation, hyperactivity and impulsivity. She does not understand dangers and has already been removed from one school due to escaping the playground. While yes she does elope and harms out of impulse (not out of malice I believe) I feel like I’ll go through all the hoops and be denied bc of her age. Thoughts?