IHSS Modoc County: the Alturas phone number, T.E.A.C.H. registry and $17.75 pay

What IHSS is and who can get it in Modoc County

T.E.A.C.H. explains that IHSS is run by the state, with the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) in charge, and that it lets eligible aged, blind and disabled residents keep living safely at home. T.E.A.C.H. calls it an alternative to out-of-home care, giving nursing homes and board and care facilities as examples.

Modoc County's Social Services department lists IHSS under Adult Services, next to Adult Protective Services, the Public Guardian and Conservator, and representative payee services. Its overview says the department provides in-home support along with financial assistance, health coverage eligibility and protective services for adults and older adults across the county.

CDSS sets the eligibility rules that apply in every county. A recipient must:

• be a California resident;
• have a Medi-Cal eligibility determination;
• live in their own home or a place they chose as home (hospitals, nursing facilities and licensed care homes do not qualify);
• return a completed Health Care Certification (SOC 873) before any services can be authorized.

Medi-Cal is one of the public assistance programs on the Social Services page, which also links BenefitsCal for applying online.

How to apply: the IHSS Modoc County phone number

Modoc County Social Services is at 120 N Main Street, Alturas, CA 96101. The main number is 530-233-6501; hours are 8:15 am to 4:15 pm on weekdays, and the office is closed Saturday and Sunday.

The county's current website does not have a separate IHSS page. The previous county site, in a copy archived by the Wayback Machine on March 12, 2026, listed "Home Support Services (IHSS): Social Workers" at the same 530-233-6501, with the phone link set to dial a 4 after connecting. Call the main number and ask for an IHSS social worker if the menu has changed.

From that call, the statewide process looks like this, according to CDSS:

1. Apply. Ask for, or send in, the IHSS application (SOC 295). CDSS publishes it in several languages.
2. Health form. Your physician or another licensed health care professional fills in the SOC 873. The county authorizes nothing until that form is in.
3. Home assessment. Next, a social worker from the county visits to assess eligibility and set the hours. CDSS says what you, your family, friends or your doctor report can feed into that assessment.
4. Decision. You are told whether IHSS was approved or denied, with the reason for any denial. An approval sets out the services and the monthly hours.

After approval, CDSS treats you as your provider's employer: you hire, train, supervise and, if needed, fire that person. You may hire a relative or friend. If you have nobody in mind, T.E.A.C.H. can suggest names from its registry. If you would like help planning interviews, our step-by-step hiring guide for families includes questions and a written work agreement.

IHSS pay in Modoc County: $17.75 an hour

Modoc County pays IHSS individual providers $17.75 an hour, a rate in force since January 1, 2026. That is the Modoc row of the CDSS wage workbook's "IP Effective 10-1-2026" sheet, checked on October 16, 2026. The state minimum wage for 2026 is $16.90, so the IHSS rate is 85 cents above it.

Each of these rates has applied since January 1, 2026, except Siskiyou's, which took effect on September 1, 2026.

Rates are not uniform: according to CDSS, they come out of bargaining between unions and each county's employer of record. What matters is where the recipient's case is held: a Modoc County caregiver whose client is a Lassen County case is paid Lassen's rate. Paychecks are a state responsibility, and the state deducts disability insurance and Social Security when a provider is eligible.

Using EDD estimates, about 7.1% of Modoc County's labor force was unemployed, on average, between August 2025 and August 2026, and about 11.3% of Alturas's labor force, against 5.3% statewide. Alturas and Modoc County have no listing in the minimum wage ordinance inventory that UC Berkeley's Labor Center keeps (updated September 30, 2026), which leaves the $16.90 state rate as the lowest legal pay for private care work. The county-by-county list is in our IHSS provider pay guide.

T.E.A.C.H., Inc. and the Modoc County IHSS registry

The California Association of Public Authorities, in its list of county Public Authorities, links Modoc County to T.E.A.C.H., Inc. T.E.A.C.H.'s IHSS page names a Registry Coordinator at (530) 233-3111 ext. 119. The office is at 112 East 2nd Street, Alturas, CA 96101, main line (530) 233-3111.

T.E.A.C.H. separates providers into two groups:

• Non-registry providers work for specific recipients and do not want their names passed to anyone else.
• Registry providers are looking for work and want their names referred to recipients who need a caregiver.

To join the registry, apply online or pick up a paper application at the T.E.A.C.H. office. You must list at least three references and your previous employment; incomplete applications are denied. The Public Authority then calls you in for an interview in person, checks your references and past jobs, and mails you a letter saying whether you were accepted. Accepted registry applicants go on to the same enrollment steps as everyone else, described below.

Becoming an IHSS provider in Modoc County, step by step

CDSS itself neither runs provider orientations nor handles enrollment paperwork. In Modoc County, the T.E.A.C.H. page lists the order to follow:

1. Application. Complete the online application, or turn a paper one in to the Public Authority.
2. Online training account. Follow the online training link on the T.E.A.C.H. page and set up an account there. Write your login name, password and security answers somewhere safe so you don't get locked out.
3. Videos and forms. Enter your provider details, watch the mandatory enrollment videos, and e-sign two forms: the SOC 426 (enrollment) and the SOC 846 (provider agreement).
4. Book orientation. Choose one of the in-person orientation dates and times offered.
5. Live Scan. Print the Live Scan form, or call (530) 233-3111 and ask for it to be printed. Book fingerprinting at either the city police department in Alturas or the county Sheriff's Office, take the form with you, and return it to the Public Authority afterwards. You pay for the fingerprinting; T.E.A.C.H. puts the cost at $15 to $25.
6. Attend orientation in person. Take your Social Security card and a government-issued photo ID or valid driver's license. Originals only; the names on them have to match.

T.E.A.C.H. warns that anyone who does not finish enrollment within 90 days is ineligible and must start over. Its page also links CDSS handouts on communicating with your recipient, the Electronic Services Portal, Electronic Visit Verification (EVV), authorized tasks, mandated reporting, share of cost, travel time and avoiding fraud. Enrollment details shared by all counties are covered in the statewide IHSS provider walkthrough; family members can also see getting paid to care for a relative in California.

Where to get a Live Scan in Alturas

The Attorney General's Live Scan directory lists two public sites in Modoc County, both in Alturas and both named by T.E.A.C.H.

The DOJ explains that the rolling fee covers the fingerprint operator, while state and FBI processing fees are separate, and that operators turn away expired ID. Confirm the full cost with T.E.A.C.H. before your appointment.

Timesheets, EVV and sick leave for Modoc providers

• Electronic Services Portal. Register at www.etimesheets.ihss.ca.gov using the "Register Here" link. Providers submit timesheets there; recipients approve or reject them. The portal also shows payment history, sets up direct deposit and accepts sick leave claims. T.E.A.C.H. links a CDSS sheet on ESP registration.
• Help with the portal. Phone (866) 376-7066, the state's IHSS Service Desk, during weekday business hours.
• Hours limit. State statute sets 66 hours as the most a provider can work in one workweek for all recipients combined; CDSS allows exemptions only in limited cases.
• Sick leave. There are 40 paid sick hours per provider in 2026/27, available from July 1, 2026; someone new must first complete 100 hours of authorized work. Claims are filed online or with a paper SOC 2302, and any balance left on June 30 expires.

Neither the county nor T.E.A.C.H. pages we read say whether Modoc County IHSS providers get health or dental coverage. Ask the Public Authority.

Reporting abuse and finding aging services in Modoc County

During office hours, reports about an elder or dependent adult go to Social Services on 530-233-6501. Outside those hours, the county says to call (530) 233-4416 and ask for the on-call social worker. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911. CDSS also runs a statewide APS hotline, 1-833-401-0832, which routes you to county APS staff once you enter a ZIP code, 24 hours a day.

IHSS providers are mandated reporters, and T.E.A.C.H. links the CDSS mandated reporter handout for new providers. Aging services for Modoc County are coordinated by the Planning and Service Area II Area Agency on Aging, according to the California Department of Aging. Its listed office is in Yreka at 208 West Center Street, and the phone number is (530) 842-1687.

IHSS for Alturas and the rest of Modoc County

The county runs IHSS from one Social Services office, and T.E.A.C.H. handles provider enrollment for the whole county, so every resident starts with the same two numbers: 530-233-6501 for the program, (530) 233-3111 for the provider side. Authorized IHSS hours are a monthly maximum. If a family needs more cover, for nights or while the regular provider is away, that time is hired privately at a rate the family and caregiver agree.

• Caregivers: caregiver jobs in Modoc County and caregiver jobs in Alturas.
• Families: senior care in Modoc County and in home caregivers in Alturas.

On CaregiverConnect, a Modoc family can post such a job without charge. Caregivers reply to the post; the family picks one and takes on the employer role. Caregivers' earnings carry no commission from us. CaregiverConnect itself does not do background checks; a caregiver who has had one can upload the proof. Optional paid plans add features, and our in-home care cost guide for California can help with a budget. Postings on the Modoc pages change as families add them. For a case held in another county, read IHSS in Lassen County or IHSS in Siskiyou County.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Modoc County, Social Services (120 N Main Street, 530-233-6501, hours, after-hours (530) 233-4416, Adult Services programs; read via r.jina.ai)
2. Modoc County, former Social Services page, Wayback Machine copy captured March 12, 2026 (IHSS social workers 530-233-6501)
3. T.E.A.C.H., Inc., In-Home Supportive Services (registry coordinator, registry and non-registry enrollment steps, Live Scan, 90-day rule)
4. T.E.A.C.H., Inc., home page (112 East 2nd Street, Alturas; office (530) 233-3111)
5. California Association of Public Authorities, County Public Authorities (Modoc County entry links T.E.A.C.H.)
6. CDSS, IHSS wages by county (workbook sheet "IP Effective 10-1-2026"; Modoc $17.75 from January 1, 2026)
7. CDSS, In-Home Supportive Services (eligibility, SOC 295, SOC 873, recipient as employer, payments, APS hotline)
8. CDSS, IHSS provider orientation process (SOC 426, SOC 846; CDSS does not run orientations)
9. CDSS, IHSS program requirements (66-hour weekly maximum)
10. CDSS, IHSS provider paid sick leave (FY 2026/27)
11. CDSS, Electronic Services Portal registration and IHSS Service Desk
12. California Attorney General, Live Scan locations in Modoc County
13. California Department of Aging, Modoc County services (Planning and Service Area II Area Agency on Aging)
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 city and county minimum wage ordinances (modified September 30, 2026)