How do I document unmet need for IHSS?

Unmet need hours are hours for which there is an assessed need for IHSS-specific services beyond the maximum hours allowed. For a child meeting IHSS’s definition of “severely impaired,” the statutory maximum is 283 hours. Anything beyond that should be documented as unmet need. Look at your Notice of Action on page three to see if any hours of unmet need are documented already. If you are at your home visit and the case worker says, “We don’t need to assess in these additional categories because you’re already at the maximum so it won’t change anything,” you can request that the need be assessed anyway and documented as unmet need.

IHSS will not pay for hours of unmet need — that’s what they mean by “unmet.” However, it can be important to document them anyway, for several reasons. First, it can potentially provide a buffer in the event of funding cuts; this is not a guaranteed protection, but during past budget cuts, reductions in hours were applied to unmet need first. Second, you can refer to documented unmet need when requesting additional service hours from other agencies — for example, respite or personal care hours from the Regional Center or Waiver Personal Care Services (WPCS) for individuals on the Home and Community-Based Alternatives (HCBA) waiver.

Remember that unmet need only accounts for services that could have been authorized by IHSS in the first place; your child may require services that IHSS simply does not provide (e.g. a 1:1 aide for social and recreational activities in the community), and you can also address these needs in requests to different agencies.