As part of the state Medicaid plan known as Medi-Cal, home health services can be covered for certain individuals. These home health services are only approved and paid for through Med-Cal when they are deemed medically necessary, including expenses such as medical equipment and skilled nursing care.
The need for extra support is very common among those who are experiencing either cognitive decline or are in need of physical assistance with basic activities of daily living. There are several possible solutions to such a challenge, but many older people want to stay in their own home when that is possible. It is a lot of change for someone to move into a facility, so many families first consider the options available for a loved one that don’t involve moving into assisted living or a nursing home. One such option is home health care.
For those individuals who need non-skilled and ongoing care for support with cooking chores and bathing, California offers the in-home supportive services (IHSS) program.
This IHSS program pays for those services under the umbrella of home care that are not deemed medically necessary in nature. These can include, but are not limited to, grocery shopping, cleaning, bladder and bowel care, meal preparation, laundry, protective supervision for a mentally impaired person and accompaniment to medical persons. An individual can only qualify for IHSS support when they are disabled, blind, or age 65 or older and are living in a home rather than an institution.
Additionally, any individual or applicant has to meet the financial criteria for Medicaid eligibility and must be unable to live at their home safely without the help of IHSS services. For more information about how Medi-Cal works and how to prepare your application, schedule a consultation with a Pasadena estate planning attorney to help you.
