IHSS Merced County: Wardrobe Avenue office, phone numbers, enrollment and $17.50 pay

IHSS eligibility rules in Merced County

Merced County's IHSS page says the program helps people who cannot finish daily tasks on their own, so they can stay safely at home and avoid placement in a nursing home or board and care facility. You may be eligible if you:

• have a Medi-Cal eligibility determination;
• have a functional impairment and are at risk of placement outside the home;
• need IHSS services to stay safely at home;
• are a California resident and physically live in the United States;
• are living in a home you picked yourself, which excludes hospitals and licensed care facilities;
• hand in a completed Health Care Certification, the SOC 873.

The services IHSS can pay for, in the county's list, are personal care (bowel and bladder care, bathing, grooming and paramedical services), housecleaning, meal preparation, laundry, grocery shopping and accompaniment to medical appointments. For people 65 and over who are certifiable for a nursing facility, the county offers case management through MSSP, the Multipurpose Senior Services Program; ask about it on (209) 385-3105.

How to apply for IHSS in Merced: the referral line and the Wardrobe Avenue campus

The Merced County IHSS Referrals page gives one number for new referrals and for checking where an application stands: (209) 354-2561. Questions from or about providers go to the IHSS Public Authority on (209) 383-9504.

Adult and Aging Services, which includes IHSS, is at 2115 West Wardrobe Avenue, Merced, CA 95341, phone (209) 385-3000, weekdays 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. This is the main campus of the Human Services Agency (mail: P.O. Box 112, Merced, CA 95341). The agency also has offices in Los Banos (415 F St. and 947 West Pacheco Boulevard, Suite C), Atwater (1920 Customer Care Way) and Planada.

1. Make the referral. Call (209) 354-2561, the number the county gives for new referrals.
2. Return the forms. CDSS says you apply by sending the SOC 295 application to your county IHSS office. The SOC 873 is signed off by a licensed health care professional such as your doctor, and CDSS says no hours are authorized before the county receives it. State law bars doctors and clinics from charging you for filling in IHSS eligibility forms.
3. The home visit. At a home interview, a county social worker works out what tasks you need help with and the monthly hours the county will authorize. CDSS says the social worker may also take in what family, friends or your doctor report.
4. The decision. A notice tells you if IHSS is approved or denied and, when approved, which services and how many hours a month.
5. Hire a provider. Under CDSS rules the recipient is the employer, so hiring, training, supervising and dismissing the provider falls to you.

CDSS says the home assessment is repeated each year, and you can ask for a reassessment whenever needs change. For interview questions and a written agreement with your provider, see our private caregiver hiring guide.

IHSS Merced County pay: $17.50 an hour

On the CDSS county wage workbook, tab "IP Effective 10-1-2026", downloaded on October 16, 2026, the Merced row reads $17.50 an hour; it took effect on January 1, 2026. Kings, Mariposa and Tulare are at the same figure. Only three counties pay less (Colusa and El Dorado at $17.40, Siskiyou at $16.90), and the other 51 pay more.

CDSS explains that wages differ because unions bargain with the employer of record county by county. What counts is the county the recipient lives in, not the provider's home county. That matters at the county line: a provider in Gustine caring for someone whose case is in Stanislaus County is paid $18.75, and a Newman provider caring for a Gustine resident is paid $17.50. The State issues the paychecks and withholds disability insurance and Social Security where the provider qualifies.

About 9.5% of Merced County's labor force was unemployed, on average, between August 2025 and August 2026, according to EDD estimates, well above California's 5.3% over the same months. That is one reason steady care work matters here; relatives can read paid family caregiving. No Merced County city appears in the UC Berkeley Labor Center's minimum wage inventory (page modified September 30, 2026), so private caregiving jobs here fall under the state $16.90. Our county-by-county IHSS wage list covers all 58 counties.

Merced County IHSS Public Authority registry: finding or becoming a provider

The county's Public Authority page would not load for us on October 16, 2026, so this section uses the archived copy dated September 16, 2025; the live IHSS Referrals page confirms the (209) 383-9504 number.

The Merced County IHSS Public Authority Registry was set up to recruit and screen providers and give IHSS recipients a referral list of people they could hire for personal or domestic care. Its address is 2115 West Wardrobe Avenue, Merced, CA 95341-0112 (P.O. Box 112).

If you need a provider:

• you or your social worker call the Public Authority and describe the tasks, the authorized hours and your preferences, for example about gender, pets or smoking;
• staff enter your details and search the registry for providers who fit;
• if matches exist, a list of providers with contact details is mailed to you within 5 to 7 business days;
• you decide whom to interview and hire.

If you want to join as a provider: fill in a registry application, attend a registry orientation, and state the tasks, hours, time of day and preferences you will accept.

The archived page splits the employer role three ways. The recipient selects, hires and fires the provider; the State of California pays the provider; and the Public Authority is the employer for collective bargaining with the union over wages and benefits. The page does not name the union or list any health benefits, so ask the Public Authority what applies to you. It also says training is open to every IHSS recipient and provider, voluntary and free.

How to become an IHSS provider in Merced County

CDSS runs no orientations and processes no enrollment forms; it sends new providers to the county or Public Authority, which in Merced County means calling (209) 383-9504. The four state steps are:

1. Attend a provider orientation given by the county, where you learn the program rules you must follow.
2. Complete the SOC 426, the IHSS Program Provider Enrollment Form, and return it to the county IHSS office or Public Authority. CDSS says not to send it to the state.
3. Sign the SOC 846, the Provider Enrollment Agreement that every IHSS provider must sign.
4. Get fingerprinted for the Department of Justice criminal background check, using Live Scan (sites are listed below).

The state orientation video is online in English, Chinese and Spanish. Joining the Public Authority registry is a separate step from enrollment. Our IHSS provider guide covers the statewide rules, and the California caregiver requirements guide explains the Home Care Aide Registry, which agency aides must join and independent caregivers may join.

Live Scan fingerprinting in Merced County

The Attorney General lists seven public Live Scan sites in Merced County. Fees below are the rolling fee each site charges; the Department of Justice says rolling fees vary from site to site, extra provider fees can apply, and expired ID is refused, so bring current photo ID.

Payment methods differ by site (Livingston takes cash only), so call ahead to confirm hours and the total cost.

Timesheets, sick leave and the IHSS Service Desk

• Electronic Services Portal. Set up an account at www.etimesheets.ihss.ca.gov (choose "Register Here"). On it, providers send in timesheets, check payments, arrange direct deposit and request sick leave; recipients approve or reject timesheets on the same site.
• By phone. CDSS posts guides to the Telephone Timesheet System in English, Spanish, Chinese and Armenian.
• Sick leave. CDSS credits 40 paid sick hours for 2026/27, from July 1, 2026. New providers qualify after 100 hours of authorized work. Submit a claim online or with a paper SOC 2302; unused hours expire on June 30.
• Service Desk. Call the IHSS Service Desk on (866) 376-7066 with portal, timesheet or sick leave questions, 8 am to 5 pm on weekdays other than major holidays.

Area Agency on Aging and help for family caregivers in Merced County

The Merced County Area Agency on Aging (AAA) is run by the Human Services Agency and administers Older Americans Act programs. Its office is at 851 West 23rd Street, Merced, CA 95340, phone (209) 385-7550 or toll-free 1-800-510-2020, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday.

• Family Caregiver Support Program. The AAA contracts it to the Valley Caregiver Resource Center, reached on (800) 541-8614. Services include information, help getting access to services, individual counseling, support groups, caregiver training and respite care. Priority goes to caregivers aged 60 or older with the greatest social and economic need.
• Meals. Meals for people 60 and older are free, with a chance to donate. Weekday lunches at seven sites around the county are provided under contract by the Merced County Rescue Mission ((209) 626-7595). Home-delivered meals go to homebound people after an AAA assessment; in Merced County, staff deliver five ready-to-heat meals once a week.
• Bus passes. Riders 62 and over travel free on all fixed-route buses of The Bus, and the AAA hands out free passes to riders aged 60 and 61 who show photo ID. Seniors with disabilities who cannot use fixed routes can ask for a free paratransit pass on (877) 232-7433.
• Medicare counseling. HICAP gives free Medicare counseling on (800) 434-0222.

IHSS Merced phone numbers, APS and our Merced County pages

Merced County APS takes abuse, neglect and exploitation reports about elders and dependent adults on (209) 385-3105 or through its online form. It serves adults 60 and over, and impaired adults 18 to 59 who cannot meet their own needs. Problems in a care facility belong with the Ombudsman. IHSS providers must report suspected abuse under section 15630 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, and the county links CDSS training on that duty. If someone is in danger now, call 911.

Caregivers looking for private hours alongside an IHSS case:

• caregiver jobs in Merced County, Merced, Atwater, Los Banos, Livingston, Delhi, Winton, Gustine and Dos Palos.

Families who want in home care beyond the authorized hours:

• home care in Merced County, Merced, Atwater, Los Banos, Livingston, Delhi, Winton, Gustine and Dos Palos.

Posting a care need on CaregiverConnect is free and caregivers pay no commission; the postings on those pages update as families publish them. If the recipient's case sits in a neighboring county, see IHSS in Stanislaus County, IHSS in Madera County, IHSS in Mariposa County or IHSS in Fresno County guides.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Merced County, In-Home Supportive Services Referrals (referral line, eligibility, services; read via r.jina.ai 2026-10-16)
2. Merced County, IHSS Public Authority (registry, employer roles, free training; web.archive.org capture dated 2025-09-16)
3. Merced County, Area Agency on Aging (AAA and Adult and Aging Services offices and hours)
4. Merced County Human Services Agency, Facilities (main campus and office locations)
5. Merced County, Adult Protective Services and Adult and Aging Services; also the Ombudsman page (/1493/Ombudsman) and Emergency Numbers page (/974)
6. Merced County, Family Caregiver Support Program (Valley Caregiver Resource Center contract)
7. Merced County, Nutrition; also the Transportation (/1499), HICAP (/1485) and MSSP (/1491) pages
8. CDSS, IHSS wages by county (workbook sheet "IP Effective 10-1-2026"; Merced $17.50 from January 1, 2026)
9. CDSS, In-Home Supportive Services (eligibility, SOC 295, SOC 873, home assessment, wages, APS hotline)
10. CDSS, IHSS provider orientation process (SOC 426, SOC 846, DOJ background check, videos)
11. CDSS, IHSS provider paid sick leave (FY 2026/27)
12. CDSS, IHSS Electronic Services Portal and Telephone Timesheet System
13. California Attorney General, Live Scan locations in Merced 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 2026-09-30)