How Can Seniors Prepare for an IHSS Reassessment?
IHSS recipients undergo periodic reassessments to evaluate their ongoing need for services. These reassessments can result in hours being increased, decreased, or maintained at current levels. Proper preparation can help ensure the assessment accurately reflects your needs and protects your benefits.
Understanding the Reassessment Process
IHSS reassessments typically occur annually, though they may happen more frequently if your condition changes significantly. The county will contact you to schedule a reassessment visit, which may be conducted in person at your home or by phone. During the assessment, a social worker evaluates your ability to perform various tasks and determines how many hours of assistance you need.
The social worker uses a standardized assessment tool that considers your functional abilities in multiple categories including domestic services, personal care, paramedical services, and protective supervision. Your authorized hours are based on the time it takes to complete tasks you cannot perform independently.
Gathering Documentation Before the Assessment
Medical documentation supporting your need for assistance is valuable during reassessments. Gather recent records from your physicians that describe your diagnoses, functional limitations, and how your conditions affect daily activities. Letters from doctors specifically addressing your need for help with specific tasks carry significant weight.
If you have been hospitalized or had changes in your health since your last assessment, document these changes. Records showing worsening conditions, new diagnoses, or complications support requests for additional hours. If your conditions fluctuate, ask your doctor to describe your functioning on your worst days, not just average days.
Documenting Your Daily Challenges
Before the reassessment, keep a log of difficulties you experience with daily tasks. Note specific incidents where you struggled, fell, or could not complete tasks safely. Record how long tasks actually take you and what help you need from your provider.
Many seniors unintentionally minimize their difficulties during assessments, either from pride or habit. Being honest about struggles is not complaining; it is providing accurate information needed to determine appropriate services. Think about your worst days, not your best, when describing your abilities.
What to Expect During the Assessment
The social worker will ask detailed questions about your ability to perform various activities. For domestic tasks, they will ask about cleaning, laundry, shopping, and meal preparation. For personal care, expect questions about bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, and eating. They may ask about mobility, transferring, and whether you need supervision due to cognitive issues.
Answer questions based on what you can do safely and independently, not what you can do with great difficulty or risk. If a task causes pain, exhaustion, or safety concerns, explain this. If you can sometimes do something but not consistently, describe the variability.
Having Support at the Assessment
You have the right to have someone present during your assessment. A family member, friend, or advocate can help ensure important information is communicated. They may remember incidents you forget or provide observations about your daily functioning that you might not mention yourself.
Your IHSS provider can also be present and may offer valuable perspective on the assistance you require. They observe your needs daily and can describe specifically how they help you and how long tasks take.
After the Assessment
After the reassessment, you will receive a Notice of Action informing you of any changes to your hours. Review this carefully and compare it to your previous authorization. If your hours are reduced and you believe this is incorrect, you have the right to appeal.
Remember that requesting a hearing before the effective date of any reduction allows you to continue receiving your current hours until the hearing is resolved. Do not wait to appeal if you disagree with a decision.
Getting Help with Reassessments
All Seniors Foundation assists IHSS recipients with reassessment preparation to help ensure accurate evaluations and protect benefits. We can help you gather documentation, understand the process, and advocate for appropriate hours. Contact us before your reassessment for guidance and support.
