IHSS El Dorado County: phone numbers, the Briw Road office and the $17.40 provider wage

IHSS eligibility in El Dorado County

According to the county, IHSS pays for supportive services that let people remain safely at home, and the county considers it a way to avoid out-of-home placement such as a nursing home or board and care setting. The person receiving help must be on Medi-Cal and be over 65, disabled or blind. Children with a disability are eligible as well.

According to the county IHSS FAQ, eligibility depends on income, assets and how much help you need. The Public Authority page adds that the number of hours depends on the level of disability.

Services that can be authorized include:

• housecleaning, laundry and grocery shopping;
• meal preparation;
• personal care such as bathing and grooming, help with bowel and bladder needs, and paramedical services;
• going with the recipient to medical appointments;
• protective supervision for people who are mentally impaired.

CDSS adds one firm rule that applies in every county: no services are authorized until the county has the Health Care Certification (SOC 873) back, completed by a licensed health care provider.

El Dorado County IHSS phone number and referrals

Referrals are taken by phone. Call (530) 642-4800 on weekdays between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.; the county FAQ calls this the IHSS Recipient Intake line. The same number is listed for both the Placerville office and South Lake Tahoe, so residents on either side of the county start the same way.

The county also links an IHSS brochure and a short recipient tutorial video on its IHSS page if you want an overview before calling.

After the referral. A county IHSS social worker assesses your needs and decides how many hours you receive. If your situation changes later and you think you need more time, the FAQ says to contact your social worker; hours are not changed by the Public Authority or the provider.

Who is the employer. CDSS states that an approved recipient hires their own individual provider and that it is up to the recipient to hire, train, supervise and fire them, while the state issues the paychecks. The county's Find a Provider page puts it the same way: the state pays your provider, but you select, hire and manage them. For interview questions and a written agreement template, read our guide to hiring a private caregiver.

How to become an IHSS provider in El Dorado County

In El Dorado County, provider enrollment is run by the IHSS Public Authority, not the IHSS intake office. A caregiver who wants to work for a recipient begins by emailing IHSSPA@edcgov.us. The Public Authority replies with a link to BOUNDS, a web-based enrollment system that holds the required videos, extra documentation and the forms that set up the recipient-provider relationship: the Provider Enrollment Agreement (SOC 846), the Recipient Designation of Provider (SOC 426A), and W-4 and DE-4 tax forms. The FAQ also says enrollment paperwork can be picked up at the Public Authority office.

The county lists these steps:

1. Enrollment forms. Complete the provider enrollment forms (SOC 426 and 426A), which come in your enrollment packet.
2. ID and Social Security card. Show a valid photo ID such as a driver's license, and your Social Security card, when you submit the forms.
3. Live Scan. Fill in the Request for Live Scan Service form and book a fingerprinting appointment; bring valid photo ID. If you use a Live Scan site other than the one suggested, you must take the form the Public Authority gave you. Staff can give you a list of other locations.
4. Orientation. The state video orientation runs about 90 minutes and is by appointment only. The Public Authority holds it three times a month at its Placerville office and once a month in South Lake Tahoe.

The county also posts an Excel timesheet calculator on the Public Authority page. The El Dorado pages we read do not state a Live Scan fee, so ask the Public Authority on (530) 621-6287. Our statewide walkthrough, how to become an IHSS provider, explains each step in more depth.

IHSS pay in El Dorado County: $17.40 an hour

On the October 2026 tab of the CDSS wage-by-county workbook, which we downloaded on October 15, 2026, El Dorado County individual providers are listed at $17.40 an hour, effective January 1, 2026. Of the 58 county rows, El Dorado is tied for 56th, so it is one of the lowest IHSS rates in California. CDSS explains why rates differ: unions bargain separately with the employer of record in each county.

The gap with the counties around it is wide, which matters if you live in El Dorado Hills or Cameron Park and could care for someone across the county line:

The county rows are from the CDSS workbook. No El Dorado locality, whether Placerville, South Lake Tahoe or the unincorporated county, shows up in the Labor Center at UC Berkeley's July 1, 2026 listing of local wage ordinances, so the state $16.90 is the floor. El Dorado's IHSS wage is 50 cents above it, and $1.98 below Placer's (our arithmetic, for illustration). The IHSS rate is paid for the recipient's case, so where the provider lives does not change it.

The 66-hour limit. When a provider works for several recipients, state law stops paid hours at 66 per workweek across all your cases, except under limited CDSS exemptions. Form SOC 2255 records how a provider's week and travel time are divided.

Sick leave. Providers receive 40 paid sick hours in the year that began July 1, 2026. They are credited after 100 hours of authorized work and unlock after a further 200 hours or 60 days of work, depending on which happens sooner. Whatever is left on June 30 expires. File the SOC 2302 or use the online portal. To compare all 58 counties, open IHSS pay by county.

IHSS Public Authority El Dorado County

The county explains that In-Home Support Network is the agency name for the IHSS Public Authority, a local agency created by a Board of Supervisors ordinance and legally separate from the county. Assembly Bill 1682, which became law in July 1999, required every county to set up an employer of record for IHSS by January 2003. The Public Authority is that employer for collective bargaining purposes.

Office: 3057 Briw Road, Placerville, CA 95667. Phone (530) 621-6287, fax (530) 663-8489, IHSSPA@edcgov.us. Hours: weekdays, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Asking the registry for a caregiver

Recipients can hire anyone, but not everyone has a relative or friend able to do the work. If you want referrals, contact the Public Authority; staff ask about your needs, preferences, schedule and location, then send a list of three to four matching providers by mail or email. You phone them, interview, and choose. The county adds that you are free to ask for references and check them yourself.

Applying to be a registry provider

The registry is a pool of providers the Public Authority has recruited, screened and trained. To get on it you must pass a Department of Justice background check and have positive work and personal references, then attend a registry orientation and sign a Provider Enrollment Agreement committing to the Public Authority's standards; breaking it can get you removed. Referrals are based on location, the recipient's needs and preferences, and your skills, and being accepted does not guarantee work. Call (530) 621-6287 for an application or download the Registry Application PDF from the Public Authority page.

Union, health benefits and training

El Dorado County IHSS providers are represented by UDW. Questions on dues, union activities and health benefits go to the UDW Home Care Providers Union, (916) 751-2450, 4220 Rocklin Road, Suite 3, Rocklin, CA 95677. The county FAQ confirms that UDW offers medical benefits to El Dorado providers. The Public Authority and the Family Caregiver Support Program run free classes on topics such as dementia, caregiver coping, long-distance caregiving and safety at home, and UDW lists further trainings.

Timesheets and the Electronic Services Portal

Providers and recipients register for the state Electronic Services Portal at www.etimesheets.ihss.ca.gov by choosing "Register Here" and following the prompts. For help with the website, phone the state's IHSS Service Desk on (866) 376-7066; it also answers sick leave questions on weekdays, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

• Wrong entry on a paper timesheet? Fill in a Timesheet Request Form and send it to the Public Authority to get a replacement.
• New address or phone number? Send the Change of Address Form to the Public Authority office.
• Training videos. The county links CDSS's ESP training materials and webcasts on registration and provider time entry.

The IHSS Advisory Committee also offers free brochures on request from the Public Authority, covering seniors and driving, bathing and personal care, bladder and bowel problems, a safe home environment and the basics of daily care.

IHSS for Placerville, El Dorado Hills and South Lake Tahoe

The process is identical across the county. Whether the recipient lives in Placerville, El Dorado Hills, Cameron Park, Shingle Springs, Diamond Springs, Pollock Pines or South Lake Tahoe, referrals go through (530) 642-4800 and enrollment through the Public Authority, and the $17.40 rate is the same. The one practical difference is orientation: Tahoe-basin providers can attend the monthly South Lake Tahoe session instead of driving to Placerville.

El Dorado Hills is an unincorporated census-designated place with no city government, so county IHSS services cover it directly.

• Placerville caregiver jobs and in-home caregivers in Placerville.
• Caregiver jobs in El Dorado Hills and home care in El Dorado Hills.
• El Dorado County caregiver jobs and find caregivers across El Dorado County.

Neighboring county guides: IHSS Placer County and IHSS Sacramento County; Folsom families just over the line can use Folsom caregivers.

El Dorado County IHSS contact list

When authorized hours run short

The social worker's assessment sets the ceiling on IHSS hours, and at $17.40 an hour some providers in El Dorado County look for extra private work. On the family side, a household may need care the authorization leaves out, such as nights, weekends or cover while the usual provider is away. That is a private job, separate from IHSS.

On CaregiverConnect, posting a job is free for a family, and caregivers send their applications directly. The family interviews and hires its chosen caregiver and acts as the employer; caregivers keep their full pay, since no commission is taken. CaregiverConnect does not perform background checks, but a caregiver may attach proof of one they arranged. Optional premium plans exist. For what private home care costs in the state, read the California in-home care cost guide; providers can open a free caregiver account.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. El Dorado County, In Home Support Services (IHSS) (eligibility, services, referral line and hours, Placerville and South Lake Tahoe contact)
2. El Dorado County, IHSS Public Authority (enrollment via IHSSPA@edcgov.us and BOUNDS, SOC 846/426A, Live Scan, 90-minute orientation, UDW, registry, AB 1682, contact)
3. El Dorado County, Find a Provider (registry referral lists of 3 to 4 providers, recipient as supervisor)
4. El Dorado County, IHSS FAQ (income/assets/need, Recipient Intake line, hours, timesheet and address forms, UDW medical benefits)
5. El Dorado County, Helpful Links and E-Time Sheets (ESP registration, IHSS Service Desk, Advisory Committee brochures)
6. El Dorado County, Child & Adult Protective Services (APS and CPS 24-hour hotlines)
7. CDSS, IHSS wages by county (workbook sheet "IP Effective 10-1-2026"; El Dorado $17.40 from January 1, 2026)
8. CDSS, In-Home Supportive Services (SOC 873, recipient as employer, county wage bargaining)
9. CDSS, IHSS Program Requirements (66-hour weekly maximum, SOC 2255)
10. CDSS, IHSS Provider Paid Sick Leave (FY 2026/27 40 hours, SOC 2302, Service Desk hours)
11. California DIR, minimum wage FAQ ($16.90 from January 1, 2026)
12. UC Berkeley Labor Center, inventory of local minimum wage ordinances (July 1, 2026 table; no El Dorado County locality)