IHSS Lake County: phone number, Lower Lake office, provider enrollment and $17.55 pay

Who qualifies for IHSS in Lake County

In the county's words, IHSS provides domestic and personal care so that aged, blind and disabled people with low incomes can avoid a move into costlier long-term institutional care. Paid tasks on the county's list include help with bathing, dressing and other personal care, as well as meals, laundry and shopping.

Medi-Cal comes first. The county page says applicants must be eligible for the Medi-Cal program, and only once that eligibility is established does an IHSS social worker meet the applicant to assess physical or mental limitations. CDSS, the state Department of Social Services, lists four statewide tests:

• residence in California;
• a Medi-Cal eligibility determination on file;
• a home of your own choosing, since CDSS does not accept a hospital stay, a long-term care placement or a licensed community care setting as home;
• a Health Care Certification on form SOC 873 that has reached the county before anything is authorized.

After approval the case is not left alone. Lake County says the social worker visits each recipient at least once a year, or more often when needs change, to reassess hours and services.

How to apply: the IHSS Lake County phone number and office

The number to start with is 707-995-4680, the Adult Services main line. The branch also lists 888-221-2204 and a fax of 707-995-4661. Its contact block gives the physical address as 16170 D Main Street, Lower Lake, CA 95457, with mail going to P.O. Box 9000, Lower Lake, CA 95457.

1. Get the application. The IHSS page tells you to complete the state form SOC 295 (Application for In-Home Supportive Services). You can download it, or phone 707-995-4680 and ask Adult Services to post one to you.
2. Return it. Drop the form off at the Adult Services office on Main Street in Lower Lake or mail it to the P.O. box above. The IHSS page prints the drop-off address as 16170 F Main Street, while the branch contact block says 16170 D Main Street, so call ahead if you plan to walk it in.
3. Send the medical piece. You will need to give information about the disability and ask your doctor to complete the SOC 873 health care certification.
4. Home assessment. Once Medi-Cal eligibility is confirmed, a social worker meets you, decides which services you qualify for and sets the number of hours.

CDSS explains that the recipient is the employer: you choose, train and supervise your provider and can let them go. If no relative or friend is ready to do the work, the county says recipients can request a provider from the Public Authority registry. First-time employers can borrow interview questions and a sample agreement from our private caregiver hiring checklist.

IHSS pay in Lake County: $17.55 an hour

In the CDSS workbook of county wages, the "IP Effective 10-1-2026" sheet (which we saved on October 16, 2026) puts Lake County at $17.55 an hour from January 1, 2026. Lassen County shows the identical figure. Of the other 57 counties in the workbook, 49 pay more and seven pay less: Colusa and El Dorado at $17.40, Kings, Mariposa, Merced and Tulare at $17.50, and Siskiyou at $16.90.

The rate belongs to the county that holds the recipient's case. A provider living in Clearlake who works for a client whose case is in Napa or Sonoma County is paid that county's rate. CDSS puts the differences down to local bargaining, since each county's employer of record negotiates pay with the union; the state writes every IHSS check and, for providers who qualify, takes out disability insurance and Social Security. The Lake County enrollment page mentions an in-person SEIU presentation as part of joining, which is the only place the county pages name a union.

Lake County's labor force averaged about 7.2% unemployment between August 2025 and August 2026, by EDD's estimates, while California's rate was 5.3%. Where that many people are looking for work, an IHSS rate fixed above the minimum is a real option. The UC Berkeley Labor Center inventory (last modified September 30, 2026) lists no wage ordinance for Lake County or any city in it, so private care jobs here are held to the $16.90 state floor. Rates elsewhere are in our table of IHSS wages by county.

The Lake County IHSS Public Authority and registry

The county says the Public Authority exists to help elderly, blind and disabled IHSS recipients hire home care providers and get better access to them. Its main tool is a computerized list of screened, trained providers. Its other duties, as the county lists them:

• looking into the qualifications and background of people who want to be providers;
• matching recipients with providers through referrals;
• training both providers and recipients.

A recipient who needs someone can have their social worker refer them to the Public Authority, or call the Adult Services main number, 707-995-4680. A caregiver who wants to be listed on the registry and referred to clients is told to call the Public Authority for details; the enrollment page adds that registry applicants without a client already lined up should phone (707) 995-4680 and book a registry training appointment.

None of the Lake County pages we fetched say anything about health, dental or vision coverage for providers. Ask the Public Authority whether any plan is offered and how many hours you would need to qualify.

How to become an IHSS provider in Lake County

Under state law, no one can be paid as an IHSS provider until they have enrolled and cleared a background check. Lake County splits the process into an online part and an in-person appointment, and asks you to read all the instructions before you start.

1. Create an account on the county's online enrollment site (the "Continue To Enrollment" button on the county page). Record your login name, password and the answers to your security questions: all are case-sensitive, and the video player may ask for them.
2. Watch the state orientation videos. They are mandatory. CDSS also posts the full-length orientation in English, Chinese and Spanish.
3. Review and e-sign the documents. CDSS lists two here: form SOC 426 for enrollment and form SOC 846, the provider agreement nobody in IHSS can skip. Paper copies are handed out at the in-person appointment.
4. Book and attend the in-person orientation through the same site. The county says it takes place at 16170 Main St., Unit E, Lower Lake, CA 95457. Note the date and time before you leave the website.
5. Bring original documents: a current, valid photo ID issued by a US government agency and your Social Security card (copies are not accepted). The names on the two must match, or you will have to reschedule.
6. Hand in your paperwork to the staff member running the orientation before you leave.
7. Fingerprints. You are given a fingerprint appointment for the Department of Justice background check at the orientation itself.
8. Finish up. Once the background check clears, you attend the SEIU presentation and complete a hire packet that your client must also sign. Then payroll can set you up for timesheets.

Because the county books your fingerprinting, check with Adult Services before paying for a scan elsewhere. For reference, the Attorney General lists four Live Scan sites in the county. In Lakeport: the Lake County Office of Education, 1152 South Main Street (appointments only, Monday to Thursday, $25.00 rolling fee); the Lake County Sheriff's Office, 1375 Hoyt Drive (weekday appointments, $20.00); and The UPS Store 5161, 371 Lakeport Blvd (walk-ins taken, $25.00). In Middletown: Middletown Mail & More, 21373 State Hwy 175, Unit D (walk-ins taken, $30.00). The DOJ warns that further fees may apply on top of the rolling fee.

Our statewide IHSS provider steps guide explains the parts that do not vary by county, and relatives who give care should also look at IHSS pay for family caregivers.

Timesheets, hours and sick leave for Lake County providers

• Provider number first. Lake County posts your provider number to you when enrollment is done, and the etimesheets.ihss.ca.gov sign-up asks for it.
• Portal help. For Electronic Services Portal problems, the CDSS IHSS Service Desk answers (866) 376-7066 during weekday business hours, 8 am until 5 pm, except major holidays.
• Sick leave. CDSS sets fiscal 2026/27 paid sick leave at 40 hours, starting July 1, 2026. A new provider begins to accrue it after working 100 hours of authorized services. Request it online, or fill in the paper SOC 2302, which the county IHSS office can print for you. Unused hours expire on June 30.

For questions about a specific timesheet or payment, the county's own contact remains 707-995-4680.

IHSS for Clearlake, Kelseyville, Hidden Valley Lake and the rest of Lake County

There is one Adult Services office and one intake number for the whole county, so a family in Clearlake, Kelseyville or Hidden Valley Lake starts the same way: a phone call to 707-995-4680 or a mailed SOC 295.

Joblessness is not even across the county. EDD's August 2025 to August 2026 averages put Clearlake at about 9.8% of its labor force, Kelseyville at about 8.0% and Hidden Valley Lake at about 7.4%. Kelseyville and Hidden Valley Lake are unincorporated, and EDD derives small-place figures from county totals, so read those two as approximate.

The Area Agency on Aging of Lake and Mendocino Counties lists senior centers that cover these towns: Highlands Senior Center for Clearlake and Lower Lake (707-994-3051), Lakeport Senior Center for Lakeport, Kelseyville and nearby communities (707-263-4218), and Middletown Senior Center for Middletown, Hidden Valley and Cobb (707-987-3113).

• Caregivers: caregiver jobs in Lake County, caregiver jobs in Clearlake, home health aide jobs in Kelseyville and caregiver jobs in Hidden Valley Lake.
• Families: home care in Lake County, in home care in Clearlake, senior care in Kelseyville and in home caregivers in Hidden Valley Lake.

A client whose IHSS case belongs to Colusa, Napa or Sonoma County is handled and paid by that county instead: see IHSS in Colusa County, IHSS in Napa County or IHSS in Sonoma County.

Lake County IHSS phone numbers, APS and family caregiver help

Lake County's Report Abuse page says Adult Protective Services takes reports from anyone about elders aged 65 and up, and about dependent adults between 18 and 64 whose physical or mental limits affect them. In a life-threatening emergency, call 911 first. The page also lists Mendocino County's 24-hour APS hotline, 877-327-1799, for anyone whose concern involves someone living in Mendocino County.

Unpaid relatives who are worn down can get help too. The county's Family Caregiver Support page names the Redwood Caregiver Resource Center at 141 Stony Circle, Suite 200, Santa Rosa, reached toll-free on 800-834-1636 or on 707-542-0282. It offers respite, counseling and support at little or no cost, including for families caring for adults with brain impairments.

Paying for care beyond your authorized IHSS hours

The monthly total on your IHSS notice is all the program will fund. If you need overnight help, extra hours after a hospital stay or a backup when your provider is sick, that time is private employment, and the family and caregiver agree the rate and schedule between them.

Listing that job on CaregiverConnect is free for Lake County families. Interested caregivers apply, and you interview and hire them yourself as their employer. Caregivers pay us no commission, and we run no background checks; caregivers can upload their own check results. Optional paid plans unlock some features. For budgeting, see our California in-home care cost guide. IHSS providers who could take on more hours are welcome to build a caregiver profile at no cost; the Lake County postings update as families publish them.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Lake County, Adult & Aging Services (16170 D Main Street, Lower Lake; P.O. Box 9000; 707-995-4680, 888-221-2204, fax 707-995-4661)
2. Lake County, In-Home Supportive Services (eligibility, SOC 295, SOC 873, annual reassessment, IHSS Advisory Committee)
3. Lake County, IHSS Public Authority (registry, screening, referral, training)
4. Lake County, IHSS Provider Enrollment (online steps, orientation at 16170 Main St. Unit E, ID rules, fingerprinting, SEIU presentation, registry training)
5. Lake County, Report Abuse (APS line 707-995-4244, who may report, Mendocino APS 877-327-1799, Ombudsman 707-262-4525)
6. Lake County, Family Caregiver Support (Redwood Caregiver Resource Center)
7. Lake County, Area Agency on Aging of Lake and Mendocino Counties (senior centers)
8. CDSS, IHSS wages by county (workbook sheet "IP Effective 10-1-2026"; Lake $17.55 from January 1, 2026)
9. CDSS, In-Home Supportive Services (eligibility, SOC 873, wages by county, withholding, APS and complaint lines)
10. CDSS, IHSS provider orientation process (SOC 426, SOC 846, orientation videos)
11. CDSS, IHSS provider paid sick leave (FY 2026/27)
12. CDSS, IHSS Electronic Services Portal and Service Desk
13. California Attorney General, Live Scan locations in Lake County
14. California EDD, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), 12-month average August 2025 to August 2026
15. California DIR, minimum wage FAQ ($16.90 from January 1, 2026)
16. UC Berkeley Labor Center, inventory of US city and county minimum wage ordinances (modified September 30, 2026)