I’m hoping someone familiar with Medi-Cal or IHSS policy can help me quickly.
I’m an IHSS provider who lives with the person I care for. While helping with the Medi-Cal renewal packet, I’m confused about one thing:
Do I need to list my IHSS income on the renewal form?
I’ve seen conflicting information online — some say IHSS income is not counted for MAGI Medi-Cal if the provider lives with the recipient. Others say you still need to report it, even if it won’t affect eligibility.
If anyone has recent experience (2023–2025) or works in Medi-Cal eligibility, please let me know:
Should I write down my IHSS wages on the renewal form?Does the county automatically exclude it?Have any rules changed recently?
I would really appreciate quick answers from people who have gone through the process or who work in Medi-Cal/social services.
Thank you!
"The answer depends on some details (especially which kind of Medi-Cal program you’re on, and whether you are a “live-in” In‑Home Supportive Services (IHSS) provider living with the recipient). But yes — in many cases if you live with the IHSS recipient and are certified as a “live-in” provider, your IHSS income does not count toward Medi-Cal eligibility.
Here’s how it works (based on publicly available policy):
When IHSS income is generally not counted for Medi-Cal...
For “MAGI” Medi-Cal (the standard Medi-Cal eligibility pathway), wages paid to an IHSS provider are excluded from countable income if the provider lives in the same home as the recipient, regardless of relationship.
Equivalent wages are similarly excluded under many Medi-Cal waiver and home-care service programs when the “live-in provider” conditions are met.
That means that, for many people renewing Medi-Cal, a properly certificated live-in IHSS provider’s income doesn’t disqualify them — it’s as though those wages are “invisible” to the Medi-Cal income test.
What you should do on a Medi-Cal renewal packet...
You may still need to declare or indicate that you receive IHSS income (or mark “yes – I get IHSS wages / caregiver wages” and check that you live with the recipient), so that Medi-Cal staff know why income isn’t being counted. The system has a special checkbox/option (often “Lives with IHSS recipient” or similar) for exactly this situation.
If you fail to disclose IHSS income or mis-represent living arrangements, that could be considered inappropriate or even fraud under program rules.
Important Caveats: It depends on program type...
If you are on a non-MAGI Medi-Cal program (for example certain long-term care or institutional-spouse/HCBS programs), or if you are not “living with the recipient,” your IHSS wages might be counted as income under those rules.
Also, some other benefit programs (food assistance, housing assistance, etc.) have different rules — IHSS income might count for those even if it doesn’t for Medi-Cal.
Bottom line...
If you live with the IHSS recipient and are properly certified as a “live-in” IHSS provider, you generally do not need to have your IHSS income count toward Medi-Cal eligibility — but you still should declare that you receive IHSS income and living-with-recipient status on the renewal form."
"IHSS, or In-Home Supportive Services, is a California program helping low-income elderly, blind, or disabled individuals receive help at home, allowing them to avoid nursing homes by paying for care like bathing, cleaning, shopping, and meal prep from providers they choose, including family or friends, as an alternative to out-of-home care. Administered by counties, it's a Medi-Cal benefit."
While hopefully someone here is familiar with this California program, you have listed this as urgent. That means you need to call the program yourself to INSURE that you have the correct answer. A Forum is made up of caregivers from all over the states and not a few countries, and may not be up to date with California policies; moreover might be WRONG, and wrong is not something you can afford. So you have to dial the phone and go directly to the horse's mouth for this answer.
I wish you the best of luck; you may be in for up to an hour of on hold time on the phone, but are more likely to get great information.
A certified legal attorney (not mediCal) told me the most important thing is
DO NOT miss a deadline. The person who processes the recert will reach out to you (if you are the contact person) to clarify any confusion they might have.
I know it is difficult to reach the proper person by phone and the panic you must be feeling. Breathe and read over the answers you receive, make the best decision you can and don’t miss the deadline.
Good luck getting it completed.