October 31, 2017
Your client’s monthly IHSS hours are based on a social worker’s assessment of the kinds of care they need and guidelines on how long this care should take.
But this assessment may not reflect all the work you do for your client, or all the hours of care they truly need.
To find out if your client is eligible for more hours, you first need to record all the hours you work for them. Track everything you’re doing down to the minute, from tying shoes to changing bed linens. Then, fill out the worksheet, provided by Disability Rights California, which will help you calculate if your client is receiving all the hours of care they need.
Protective Supervision
Protection supervision is assessed when a client is a possible harm to him or herself when at home. People eligible for protective supervision are always given the maximum number of hours—at least 195 for non-severely impaired individuals or 283 for severely impaired individuals.
Your client may be eligible for protective supervision if they:
IHSS Paramedical Services
Paramedical services are prescribed by a doctor and require some training to perform, like injections, colostomy irrigation, catheter care, and tube feeding. Make sure you ask for enough time to complete these tasks, from preparation to clean up. The county can’t cut service hours ordered by a doctor.
Your client may be eligible for IHSS paramedical service hours if:
Filing an appeal for more hours
If you believe your client needs more hours of care, or if you think they may be eligible for protective supervision or IHSS paramedical services, you may file a request at any time. If you have received a Notice of Action that hours are being cut or terminated, you must request a hearing within 10 business days to keep your benefits during the appeal process. If you miss the deadline, you still have 90 days to file an appeal but will lose your benefits during the process. Here’s how you can appeal for more hours:
UDW caregivers can help!
Do you need help with this process? You are not alone, and your fellow caregivers are here to help!
Call your local UDW office to get personalized help, or find out when an advocacy workshop is happening near you. Our advocacy workshops can help you prepare for your client’s annual assessment, apply to have his or her Functional Index Score reassessed, prepare for unannounced home visits, understand a Notice of Action, and more.
We can protect our clients’ care together!
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