At what age can my child get IHSS hours for feeding or meal time?

Depending on your child's needs, they may be able to qualify for IHSS hours related to feeding and meal time. On the functional ranking index, IHSS services may be completely unavailable (rank 1; no assistance needed, the same as other children their age), possibly available (ranks 1–5; the recipient’s independence level is ranked based on how much assistance they need to complete the task), or available if the service is paramedical in nature (rank 6 is for paramedical services).

The categories of preparation of meals and meal clean-up are 1 or 6 until age 17 because it’s expected that parents of typically developing kids will cook and clean up their children's meals until age 17. For cooking and cleaning up, IHSS expects kids to be older before it’s no longer parent responsibility.

Hours for feeding can start at 8 years old because it’s expected that typically developing kids will be able to feed themselves once they’re that age. Feeding is listed as rank 6 for paramedical services, so that can be at any age. Kids who may qualify for feeding hours typically have parents administer g-tube feeds, make purées for kids old enough to be eating solid foods but who can’t because they’re a choking risk, etc.

You can find more information on ranking in our article In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS): The Essentials of Eligibility. If you're an Undivided member, see our training workshop series on IHSS services.