IHSS — In-Home Supportive Services
IHSS is a California program that pays for in-home help for people who would otherwise need a nursing facility. It is administered through each county's Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) and is available to eligible Medi-Cal members. The county determines a maximum number of authorized hours per month based on a home assessment. We do not set those eligibility rules — they come from the state and the county.
CalAIM Community Supports
CalAIM is California's broader initiative to modernize Medi-Cal. Community Supports are a menu of optional benefits that Medi-Cal Managed Care Plans may offer in place of more expensive care. Availability varies by plan and by county.
Medi-Cal directly
Medi-Cal itself is California's Medicaid program. It does not pay for non-medical home care directly outside of IHSS and the CalAIM Community Supports pathway. People often confuse Medi-Cal with Medicare — Medicare does not pay for non-medical home care at all, only for short-term skilled home health.
How we work with these programs
We serve both private-pay clients and Medi-Cal members. For IHSS recipients, we can be the hired provider against authorized hours. For CalAIM Community Supports we coordinate with eligible Managed Care Plans — contact us for more details.
Learn more
Not sure which path applies?
The assessment is where we sort through it together. No obligation.