IHSS Kings County: the Hanford phone lines, Public Authority enrollment and the $17.50 wage

Who can get IHSS in Kings County

The county describes IHSS as help paid for low-income people who are elderly, blind or disabled, children included, so they can keep living safely at home instead of moving to a nursing home or a board and care facility. Its eligibility page names the kinds of help a social worker may authorize: housecleaning, meal preparation, laundry, grocery shopping and personal care such as bathing, grooming, bowel and bladder care and paramedical services.

According to the Kings County IHSS page, an applicant must:

• be 65 or older, blind, or disabled under Social Security Administration standards;
• be a U.S. citizen or a qualified alien;
• live in Kings County, in a home of their choosing (a hospital, nursing home or licensed community care facility does not count as your own home);
• receive SSI/SSP or be eligible for it, or meet every SSI/SSP rule apart from income or citizenship and immigration status.

Two more points from the county page matter for families. If income is above the SSI/SSP limits, the person may have to pay part of the cost, which the county calls a Share of Cost. And a licensed health care professional has to certify that the person cannot manage some activity of daily living alone and would be at risk of out-of-home care without IHSS. CDSS adds that this Health Care Certification, form SOC 873, must reach the county before any hours are authorized.

Kings County IHSS phone number and referral form

You can start an application in two ways.

Call (559) 852-4467. This is the IHSS number shown on the Human Services Agency contact page and on the Adult Services page.

Send the county referral form. The IHSS page links a printable referral form. Fill it in for the person who needs care and mail it to IHSS, 1400 W. Lacey Blvd., Bldg. #8, Hanford, CA 93230, or fax it to (559) 582-7399. Before you call or write, it helps to have the person's Social Security number, date of birth, address, preferred language, any SSI/SSP details and their Medi-Cal status to hand, together with the name of their doctor.

What CDSS says comes next. A social worker assesses the needs of the person at home, using information from you and, where it helps, from family, friends or a doctor. You then receive a notice that IHSS has been approved or denied; an approval lists the services and the monthly hours authorized. If approved, the person receiving care hires an individual provider and, under the CDSS rules, counts as that provider's employer, responsible for hiring, training, supervising and, if it comes to it, firing. Our guide to hiring a private caregiver has interview questions and a written agreement outline that work for an IHSS hire too.

IHSS office locations in Hanford, Corcoran and Avenal

A notice on the Adult Services page says IHSS, Adult Protective Services, Community Support and Employment Training have moved to 1222 W. Lacey Blvd., the two-story building on Lacey Boulevard. The Public Authority gives the same building as its physical location. Mail for both still goes to the Government Center address, 1400 W. Lacey Blvd., Building #8, Hanford, CA 93230.

The Human Services Agency office list shows these locations, each closed on weekends and holidays:

The agency says much of its work can be done without a visit, by phone or through document drop boxes at each office, and that it keeps in-person service for emergencies, people whose communication needs make phone service hard, and steps that require in-person verification, fingerprinting or signatures. Call first to book an appointment.

IHSS Public Authority Kings County: what it does

The Kings County IHSS Public Authority is a public agency set up under state law to work alongside the county IHSS program and help recipients find providers. Its own list of duties:

• recruit and screen independent providers for its registry and keep that registry running;
• give recipients a list of screened providers to interview, and help with the interviews;
• offer recipients information and training on hiring and supervising a provider, and run training and peer support for providers and recipients;
• act as employer of record for all independent IHSS providers for collective bargaining;
• process the enrollment packet when a recipient hires a provider, and give employment verification to providers;
• serve as the contact for workers' compensation claims.

Contact: (559) 852-4615 or toll-free (855) 800-3021; fax (559) 583-8217; mail to 1400 W. Lacey Blvd., Building #8, Hanford, CA 93230. The office is in the 1222 W. Lacey building. The county also invites residents to volunteer for the IHSS Public Authority Advisory Board.

How to become an IHSS provider in Kings County

The Public Authority says a prospective provider must attend an orientation, have a valid photo ID and a Social Security card, and pass a criminal background check that includes fingerprints. Which packet you ask for depends on where you start:

1. You already have a recipient. If a friend or relative on IHSS has asked you to work for them, the recipient calls the Public Authority on (559) 852-4615 to report the hire and request a Live Scan form and a New Provider Enrollment packet. The county links the state notice SOC 847, which explains the enrollment process to prospective providers.
2. You already work as a provider. To add another recipient, call the same number for an Existing Provider Enrollment packet.
3. You do not know anyone on IHSS. Ask the Public Authority for a Registry Application; the registry refers registered providers to recipients who need help at home.

Orientation you can finish online

Kings County lets you complete provider orientation without a classroom session. The county page lists three steps: watch the provider orientation video (English or Spanish), watch the two short union videos from SEIU 2015, then sign and mail the IHSS Program Provider Enrollment Agreement, form SOC 846. CDSS handouts and fact sheets for orientation are linked from the same page. For the statewide picture of each step, see how to become an IHSS provider.

IHSS pay in Kings County: $17.50 an hour

In the CDSS wage workbook, sheet "IP Effective 10-1-2026", the Kings row reads $17.50 an hour, effective January 1, 2026. We opened it on October 15, 2026. Among the 58 counties, Kings shares 52nd place with Mariposa, Merced and Tulare; only three counties pay less. That puts it 60 cents over the state minimum (our arithmetic, for illustration), and caregivers who live near the Fresno or Monterey lines will see a gap:

The UC Berkeley Labor Center inventory (July 1, 2026 table) lists no local minimum wage in Hanford, Lemoore, Corcoran, Avenal or unincorporated Kings County, so the state rate is the floor for private work.

Weekly limit. State law caps a provider who works for two or more recipients at 66 hours a workweek in total, with limited exemptions. Those providers use the SOC 2255 workweek and travel time agreement.

Sick leave. CDSS sets 40 hours for the July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 fiscal year. You earn it after 100 hours of IHSS work; you can use it after another 200 hours or 60 calendar days of work, whichever comes first; and unused hours expire on June 30. The county-by-county IHSS pay table has every rate.

SEIU 2015, timesheets and EVV for Kings County providers

Union. The Public Authority page says IHSS providers in the county are automatically represented by SEIU Local 2015 for wages, benefits and certain terms of employment, and that you may also join as a full member. The nearest union office it lists is at 1943 N. Gateway Blvd., Suite 101, Fresno, CA 93727, and the Member Action Center number is (855) 810-2015. The county sends benefit questions to the union, so we do not quote a health plan here.

Timesheets. The Public Authority notes that California IHSS no longer uses paper timesheets; all hours go in electronically, with Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) built in. You have two choices:

• the Electronic Services Portal (ESP) at etimesheets.ihss.ca.gov, on any device with internet access, where you can also check payment status and history, ask for supplemental timesheets, set up direct deposit and claim sick leave;
• the Telephone Timesheet System (TTS), using a landline or mobile phone; register by calling 1-833-342-5388.

For help with either, the county points you to the IHSS Service Desk on (866) 376-7066, option 4. The county also reminds providers they can print their own income and employment verification from ESP.

IHSS for Hanford, Lemoore and the rest of Kings County

Every resident applies through the same IHSS line and is paid the same $17.50, whether they live in Hanford, Lemoore, Corcoran, Avenal, Armona or on NAS Lemoore. Our local pages explain private caregiving in each place:

• Hanford: caregiver jobs in Hanford and in-home caregivers in Hanford.
• Lemoore: Lemoore caregiver jobs and caregivers in Lemoore.
• Countywide: Kings County caregiver jobs and home care in Kings County.

Neighboring counties have their own guides: IHSS Fresno County, IHSS Tulare County and IHSS Kern County.

IHSS covers only the tasks and hours on the county's notice. When a Kings County family needs more, such as night shifts during a recovery or a weekend sitter, that is a private job. A family can post it on CaregiverConnect without charge, caregivers apply directly, and the family interviews, hires and becomes the employer. We take no commission from caregivers and do not run background checks, though a caregiver can upload one they obtained. Optional paid plans exist. Private rates are covered in our California in-home care cost guide, and IHSS providers with free hours can create a caregiver profile.

Kings County IHSS contact list

If you suspect that an older or dependent adult in Kings County is being abused, neglected or exploited, call APS on (559) 852-4000. California's mandated reporting law, Welfare and Institutions Code section 15630, applies to anyone who cares for an elder or dependent adult for pay, IHSS providers included.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Kings County Human Services Agency, contact page (IHSS 559-852-4467, Public Authority 559-852-4615, APS hotline, HICAP)
2. Kings County HSA, Adult Services (move to 1222 W. Lacey Blvd., Advisory Board volunteers)
3. Kings County HSA, In-Home Supportive Services (purpose, eligibility, phone, mail and fax application)
4. Kings County HSA, IHSS Eligibility (Share of Cost, health care certification, authorized services)
5. Kings County HSA, Office Locations and Hours (Hanford, Corcoran, Avenal)
6. Kings County IHSS Public Authority (addresses, phone, toll-free, fax, electronic timesheets)
7. Kings County, What is Public Authority (duties, provider requirements, SEIU Local 2015 office)
8. Kings County, Become a Care Provider (new, existing and registry enrollment, SOC 847)
9. Kings County, Provider Orientation (online video, SEIU 2015 videos, SOC 846)
10. Kings County, Time Sheets and EVV Verifications (ESP, TTS registration line, Service Desk option 4)
11. CDSS, IHSS wages by county (workbook sheet "IP Effective 10-1-2026"; Kings $17.50 from January 1, 2026)
12. CDSS, In-Home Supportive Services (assessment, SOC 873, recipient as employer)
13. CDSS, IHSS Program Requirements: overtime, travel time and wait time (66-hour weekly maximum, SOC 2255)
14. CDSS, IHSS Provider Paid Sick Leave (FY 2026/27 hours, 100/200-hour and 60-day rules, Service Desk, fraud hotline)
15. California DIR, minimum wage FAQ ($16.90 from January 1, 2026)
16. UC Berkeley Labor Center, inventory of local minimum wage ordinances (July 1, 2026 table; no Kings County locality listed)