Sponsor deeming for IHSS

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has issued guidance regarding changes to sponsor deeming for In Home Supportive Services – Residual (IHSS-R) recipients.  IHSS applicants who receive state-only full scope Medi-Cal are assessed under the IHSS-R program.  People who are denied Medi-Cal for a reason other than failure to comply with Medi-Cal requirements  or failure to complete the Medi-Cal eligibility process also can be eligible for IHSS-R.  Counties must process these IHSS-R application regardless of the applicant’s immigration status.  Sponsor deeming is counting the income of a sponsor of an immigrant as the immigrant’s income.

IHSS-R applicants who receive state-only funded full scope Medi-Cal are no longer subject to sponsor deeming for purposes of IHSS-R eligibility.

IHSS-R applicants who are not eligibile for Medi-Cal are subject to sponsor deeming.  For IHSS-R applicants who are not eligibile for Medi-Cal, sponsor deeming is limited to three years after entry to the United States as a lawful permanent resident.  In addition, applicants whose blindness or disability began after they entered the United States are not subject to sponsor deeming.

All IHSS applicants must have or apply for a Social Security Number, or must have an Individual Taxpayer Identification number.  This is because the IHSS recipient is the provider’s employer for certain purposes.  When someone without a Social Security Number applies for IHSS, the county must accept their application and assist with applying for an Individual Taxpayer Identification number.   (ACL 22-44, June 1, 2022.)