IHSS and Respite are NOT the Same!
In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) is a personal care service that provides bathing, cooking, house cleaning, and other care to ensure that low income seniors and individuals with disabilities can receive support to avoid institutional placement. Regional Center funding is considered to be “payor of last resort” so they will ask individuals and families to acces IHSS as a “generic resource.”
If a family receives IHSS and they still have respite needs (which can be the case especially in families where the parent is the IHSS provider), respite can be authorized by the regional center and should be discussed during the planning team meeting.
To register for IHSS, the family must call the County to request an IHSS assessment, which usually takes place in the family’s home within 30 days. Once the family is notified that they have been awarded a specific number of IHSS hours, the family can refer someone they already know to apply with the VC Public Authority (the employer of record service for all IHSS workers), the parent can sign themselves up to be their child’s IHSS worker, and/or the parent can request a referral of an IHSS worker from the Public Authority.
Here are some helpful IHSS links:
- DRC Fact Sheet on Respite vs. IHSS
- Ventura County IHSS Page
- IHSS Self-Assessment Packet (prep for the IHSS Assessment and to help appeal a decision)
