What is a conditional withdrawal in an IHSS appeal?

After you file an IHSS appeal on the ACMS website, a “hearing specialist” might reach out from the county. They will ask whether you will withdraw your appeal if they do a certain action.

If you have filed an appeal in response to an IHSS denial, sometimes the county will offer you a reassessment in exchange for a conditional withdrawal. This might occur if you appeal because you think the initial assessment was incomplete or your concerns were disregarded by the caseworker.

You might get a call from the hearing representative to discuss why you want a hearing and your concerns. The representative will talk to IHSS social worker about it and come up with a solution, which you can agree to or continue with the hearing.

If you agree to a conditional withdrawal, you should review carefully anything you sign, in order to make sure that the appeal will pick up where it left off  — with the same protected date of application — if you disagree with the reassessment. Public Benefits Specialist Lisa Concoff Kronbeck advises, "You should always make sure the original application date is part of the conditions, as well as being able to reopen the appeal with the same protected date of application if you disagree with the outcome of the re-eval."

If you agree to a conditional withdrawal, it may be worthwhile to ask an advocate or attorney to review the agreement first to ensure that your original appeal rights are preserved if you disagree with the reassessment.