IHSS Mendocino County: the Ukiah office, phone numbers, enrollment and $19.71 pay

Who qualifies for IHSS in Mendocino County

In the county's words, IHSS exists so that older and disabled people who are eligible for Medi-Cal can remain safely at home, with a provider coming in to help. It calls it a long-term service for low-income elderly people, disabled adults and disabled children with extraordinary needs.

The Information for IHSS Recipients page (archived copy dated October 16, 2026) says you must live in Mendocino County and meet every one of these tests:

• you live in a home you have chosen, which rules out a board and care facility or a nursing home;
• you hold U.S. citizenship or legal permanent residence;
• you have Medi-Cal or are eligible for it;
• you can show a functional need for help with daily living activities.

Help is sized to what the person can and cannot do safely. The county lists bathing, grooming, dressing, bowel and bladder care, light housekeeping, laundry, shopping, meal preparation and cleanup among the possible tasks. One more rule is set by the state Department of Social Services (CDSS): the county must have a Health Care Certification, form SOC 873, in hand before it approves any hours.

How to apply: IHSS Mendocino County phone numbers and offices

The recipients page lists three ways to start an application. Phone lines are staffed from 8 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon, Monday to Thursday.

1. Call the nearest office. Ukiah is (707) 463-7900, Willits is (707) 456-3700 and Fort Bragg is (707) 962-1022. The toll-free IHSS number is (877) 327-1799.
2. Apply in person. The offices are at 747 South State Street, Ukiah, 472 East Valley Street, Willits, and 764 South Franklin Street, Fort Bragg.
3. Apply on paper. Print the county IHSS application and hand it in or mail it to your local office.

What follows, in the county's description:

• A social worker from Adult and Aging Services calls to book a visit to your home.
• At the visit the social worker decides whether you qualify and how many hours a month you need, judged by the tasks you can still manage safely on your own. Family, friends, your physician or another licensed health professional can add information.
• The SOC 873 health form must be signed, completed and received before services can start.
• A letter tells you whether you were approved. If you are turned down, the letter says why; if you are approved, it lists each service and the hours allowed per month.

Once approved, you are the provider's employer. The county says recipients hire, supervise and schedule their providers, sign their timesheets and can let them go if the work is not done the way they asked. Relatives, friends and acquaintances can all serve as providers. With no one lined up, turn to the Public Authority registry described further down; for interview questions and a written agreement, use our private caregiver hiring checklist.

IHSS pay in Mendocino County: $19.71 an hour

CDSS keeps a single workbook of IHSS provider wages for all 58 counties. On the "IP Effective 10-1-2026" sheet, retrieved on October 16, 2026, the Mendocino row reads $19.71 an hour, effective January 1, 2026. Fifteen counties pay more and 42 pay less.

CDSS explains that county rates differ since each wage comes out of bargaining between a union and that county's employer of record. What counts is the county that carries the recipient's case, so a Mendocino caregiver with a client whose case sits in Lake County is paid the Lake rate. The State writes every IHSS paycheck and takes out disability insurance and Social Security where a provider is eligible for them. None of the county pages we read names the union that represents Mendocino providers, so ask the Public Authority.

Steady care work counts here: about 5.7% of Mendocino County's labor force was unemployed, on average, between August 2025 and August 2026, according to EDD estimates, a little above California's 5.3%. The UC Berkeley Labor Center ordinance tracker, last modified September 30, 2026, includes no Mendocino County city and not the county itself, so the state $16.90 applies to private care work. Rates for every county are in our IHSS pay by county guide.

The Mendocino County IHSS Public Authority and provider registry

According to the county's Public Authority page (archived copy dated October 16, 2026), the Public Authority helps plan and deliver IHSS by running provider orientation and enrollment. It lists three services:

• background checks and fingerprints;
• provider orientation and the full enrollment process;
• a registry that gives recipients, and seniors looking to hire home care workers, lists of workers who have already been screened.

To ask about the registry, call your local office and ask for the Public Authority: (707) 962-1153 in Fort Bragg, (707) 463-7900 in Ukiah, (707) 456-3700 in Willits, or (877) 327-1799 toll free. Caregivers who want to be listed turn in a registry application, in English or Spanish, at the nearest IHSS office.

The county pitches the work to new providers this way: no experience is needed, hours are flexible, you choose which services you are willing to do, your skills and workload are matched to a suitable recipient, and openings exist across the county. An IHSS Advisory Committee also advises the county on services for providers and recipients and posts its minutes and membership details on the county site.

How to become an IHSS provider in Mendocino County

Under state law, IHSS cannot pay anyone who has not finished enrollment and a background check. The Information for IHSS Providers page (archived copy dated October 16, 2026) sets out three steps.

1. Online enrollment. Start from the Continue To Enrollment button, watch the required videos, review and e-sign the enrollment documents, and book your in-person appointment. CDSS names the two documents you sign: the SOC 426, which enrolls you, and the SOC 846, which commits you to the program rules.
2. In-person appointment. Bring two things at your booked time: a current driver's license or similar government-issued photo ID, and your Social Security card itself rather than a photocopy. If the names on them differ, the county reschedules you. Only the enrolling provider is let in; family members and guests are turned away. For an appointment in Spanish, call one of the three offices.
3. Background check. Get fingerprinted by Live Scan, covered in the next section, so the Department of Justice can complete its criminal check. Once the county hears that you passed, you can be paid for serving an IHSS recipient.

CDSS posts its own orientation video in English, Spanish and Chinese and says each county or Public Authority runs the orientation itself. The state list of disqualifying Tier 1 and Tier 2 crimes is on the CDSS provider page, which the county links. Our statewide IHSS provider steps cover what every county shares, and relatives should also read about paid care for relatives in California.

Live Scan fingerprinting in Ukiah, Willits and Fort Bragg

The county offers Live Scan on site at its Ukiah office, and you can do it during your in-person appointment. The Willits and Fort Bragg offices do not. If you go elsewhere, print the county's Live Scan form, call ahead to confirm availability and price, and keep the completed form and the receipt. The county states that the fingerprinting cost is the provider's to pay.

The Attorney General's list of public Live Scan sites shows seven in Mendocino County. The public agencies on it are:

• Mendocino County Sheriff's Department, 951 Low Gap Road, Ukiah: walk-ins Monday to Wednesday, 8:30 to 10:45 am and 1:00 to 4:00 pm; $40.00 rolling fee.
• Ukiah Police Department, 300 Seminary Avenue: Thursdays by appointment, 8:00 to 11:15 am; $30.00.
• Willits Unified School District, 1277 Blosser Lane, Willits: Tuesday to Thursday, 8:00 am to 3:30 pm, walk-ins or appointments; $28.00.
• Fort Bragg Police Department, 250 Cypress Street: walk-ins Monday and Wednesday 1:30 to 3:00 pm, Tuesday and Thursday 9:00 to 11:00 am; $30.00.

The list also has one private business in Ukiah ($30.00) and two in Willits ($45.00 and $32.00). The Department of Justice warns that sites can charge service fees on top of the rolling fee.

Timesheets, sick leave and weekly hours for Mendocino County providers

• Electronic Services Portal. CDSS runs the portal at www.etimesheets.ihss.ca.gov. Providers submit timesheets there and recipients approve or reject them. Providers can also check payment status and history, sign up for direct deposit and file sick leave requests.
• Help line. The IHSS Service Desk is (866) 376-7066, open weekdays 8 to 5, major holidays excepted. The county Public Authority page gives the same number as the provider help line.
• 66-hour cap. CDSS limits the combined workweek to 66 hours for anyone serving two or more recipients, with a few narrow exemptions.
• Sick leave. For fiscal 2026/27 the annual amount is 40 hours from July 1, 2026. A new provider starts earning it once 100 hours of authorized work are logged. Request it online or on paper form SOC 2302; leftover hours vanish on June 30.
• Fraud. The county and CDSS both list the statewide IHSS Fraud Hotline, (888) 717-8302.

The archived county pages say nothing about health or dental coverage for providers; the Public Authority can tell you if any exists.

IHSS for Ukiah, Willits, Fort Bragg and the rest of the county

Any of the three offices accepts an application in person, with a toll-free number and a mail-in form also on offer. The eligibility assessment itself takes place in the applicant's home.

EDD figures for the three cities differ. About 6.1% of Ukiah's labor force and about 6.6% of Willits's labor force were unemployed, on average, between August 2025 and August 2026, according to EDD estimates. In Fort Bragg the figure was about 3.9%, below the county's 5.7% and the state's 5.3%. In all three, IHSS pays the same county rate of $19.71.

• Caregivers: caregiver jobs in Mendocino County, caregiver jobs in Ukiah, home health aide jobs in Willits and private caregiver jobs in Fort Bragg.
• Families: home care in Mendocino County, in home care in Ukiah, in home caregivers in Willits and senior care in Fort Bragg.

On CaregiverConnect, posting a care need is free and caregivers pay no commission; new requests show up on those pages as families post them. If the client's case is open in a different county, see IHSS in Lake County, IHSS in Glenn County or IHSS in Colusa County.

Mendocino County IHSS phone numbers, offices and APS

The county APS page (archived copy dated October 16, 2026) gives (877) 327-1799 as its 24-hour hotline for suspected abuse of an elder or a dependent adult. It describes APS as confidential and voluntary, with no income test. Written reports can be faxed to the confidential APS line, (707) 467-5886. The statewide number, 1-833-401-0832, works around the clock: enter a ZIP code and it forwards you to that county's APS. Under the state mandated reporting law (Welfare and Institutions Code §15630), IHSS providers must report suspected abuse. In an emergency, call 911.

For help beyond IHSS, the California Department of Aging assigns Mendocino County to the area agency on aging it shares with Lake County, based in Lower Lake.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Mendocino County, In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) (archived copy dated October 16, 2026)
2. Mendocino County, Information for IHSS Recipients (archived copy dated October 16, 2026)
3. Mendocino County, Information for IHSS Providers (archived copy dated October 16, 2026)
4. Mendocino County, IHSS Public Authority (archived copy dated October 16, 2026)
5. Mendocino County, Adult Protective Services (archived copy dated October 16, 2026)
6. CDSS, IHSS wages by county (workbook sheet "IP Effective 10-1-2026"; Mendocino $19.71 from January 1, 2026)
7. CDSS, In-Home Supportive Services (eligibility, SOC 873, recipient as employer, wages, APS line)
8. CDSS, IHSS provider orientation process (SOC 426, SOC 846, DOJ background check, orientation videos)
9. CDSS, IHSS program requirements (66-hour weekly maximum)
10. CDSS, IHSS provider paid sick leave (FY 2026/27)
11. CDSS, IHSS Electronic Services Portal (Service Desk, fraud hotline)
12. California Attorney General, Live Scan locations in Mendocino County
13. California Department of Aging, services in Mendocino County (Area Agency on Aging)
14. California EDD, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), 12-month average August 2025 to August 2026
15. UC Berkeley Labor Center, inventory of city and county minimum wage ordinances (modified September 30, 2026)
16. California DIR, minimum wage FAQ ($16.90 from January 1, 2026)