IHSS National City: the Mile of Cars Way office, phone numbers, $20.40 pay and how to apply

National City IHSS office and Public Authority: 401 Mile of Cars Way

Aging & Independence Services (AIS), the county department that runs IHSS, lists six IHSS offices where you can visit or send an application. One of them is in National City:

The county page does not assign IHSS offices by ZIP code. It presents the six offices as places to visit or send an application, and says that after you apply an IHSS worker makes an appointment to see you at home. For a household in National City's 91950 ZIP code, Suite 210 is the office in town; the other five are in El Cajon, Escondido, Oceanside, and two sites in San Diego: Overland Avenue and the Market Street Southeastern Live Well Center.

Keep the two suite numbers straight: the county gives Suite 210 for IHSS applications, and the Public Authority gives Suite 200 as its own address.

Applying for IHSS from National City

You can apply for yourself, or someone you know can apply for you; for a child under 18, use the child's details. One route is a call to the AIS Call Center on (800) 339-4661, where staff take the application over the phone. The county also accepts the SOC 295 by email to AIS.295only.HHSA@sdcounty.ca.gov (that address takes the application only), by fax to (619) 344-8077, and by mail or in person at Suite 210. Hospital discharge planners and other professionals can refer online through the county HHSA web portal.

Under the county's rules an applicant must be aged 65 or more, blind, or disabled; qualify for full-scope Medi-Cal; fall within the financial guidelines; and be unable to stay home safely without help. SSI/SSP recipients pass the money test, and people without SSI/SSP can still qualify while paying part of the cost.

What comes next is the same across the county: an IHSS worker visits you at home, a health care professional certifies your condition and need for services, and you receive a Notice of Action with the services, the hours and any share of cost. The San Diego County guide explains each step and the forms involved.

Enrolling as an IHSS provider at the National City Public Authority

Provider enrollment in San Diego County runs through the Public Authority, so for a caregiver who lives in National City the enrollment office is in town. The Public Authority sets out four steps; this is the short version, with the full list of documents in the county guide:

1. Get the packet. Phone the Caregiver Enrollment Department on (866) 351-7722, or use the online request form, with your recipient's IHSS case number to hand. The booking link for your appointment comes in the packet.
2. Attend in person. Bring the SOC 426 with every box filled in and an email address on it, your unaltered Social Security card, an unexpired government photo ID whose name matches the card exactly, any work authorization you need, and the SOC 426A completed by the recipient. Bring as well a Request for Live Scan Service form (fill in just the yellow part) and $47.00 by cash, money order or cashier's check made out to "Kingdom Security".
3. Join a video session on Zoom, with camera and microphone working. The link follows once the first two steps are done.
4. Sign the SOC 846. The provider agreement arrives by AdobeSign at the email address you wrote on the SOC 426; sign it and send it back.

The Public Authority warns that skipping any step delays enrollment, and replacement forms can be requested on the same (866) 351-7722 line.

The caregiver registry run from National City

If you want the Public Authority to refer you to IHSS recipients who need a caregiver, call (866) 351-7722 about the registry before you request an enrollment packet; the Public Authority asks job seekers to start there. Its registry page lays out the route: request a Registry Workshop appointment by phone or online inquiry (staff reply within three business days), return the application packet sent by email before its deadline, attend the workshop on Zoom and pass a short quiz on what it covers (caregiving at home, how the Public Authority works and how IHSS works), then clear the Department of Justice Live Scan. Applicants who are not yet active providers also complete enrollment, with an appointment arranged by a registry representative. A welcome letter marks the point at which your name starts going out to recipients.

Before committing, you can sit in on Caregiver Talent Tuesdays, a virtual job fair the Public Authority advertises for the first Tuesday of every month from 10:00 to 11:00 am, where registry staff answer questions about becoming a caregiver. The flyer and a registry reference form in English and Spanish are on the registry page.

IHSS pay for National City providers: $20.40 an hour

The IHSS wage for individual providers in San Diego County is $20.40 an hour, effective March 1, 2026, from the San Diego row of the CDSS wage workbook dated October 1, 2026. That is $3.50 above California's $16.90 minimum wage, in force since January 1, 2026 (state Department of Industrial Relations). The IHSS rate depends on the county the recipient lives in, so a National City provider caring for someone in Chula Vista, Lemon Grove or Imperial Beach is paid the same $20.40.

Paid hours are limited to what the recipient's social worker authorizes. Overtime, sick leave and timesheets follow statewide rules described in our San Diego County page; for wages side by side, open the county pay table.

Getting to 401 Mile of Cars Way by bus or MTS Access

MTS Route 961. MTS lists Route 961 as running between the 24th Street Trolley and the Encanto/62nd Street Trolley, and its stop list includes Mile of Cars Way and Hoover Avenue (stop 88876), on the same street as the office. On the weekday schedule we read for October 16, 2026, buses toward Encanto left that stop at 5:32, 6:00, 6:28, 6:58 and 7:28 in the morning, roughly every half hour. Route 961 also stops at the 24th Street Transit Center, an end point for other routes on the MTS list, including Route 13 (toward Kaiser Hospital, with stops along 18th Street) and Route 967 (toward Division and Ava). Check the MTS trip planner for the stop closest to the building and for current times.

MTS Access paratransit. Riders with a disability that prevents bus travel can apply for MTS Access, which must certify a rider before the first trip. From October 1, 2026 a scheduled one-way trip costs $6, rising to $6.50 on October 1, 2027. Same-day rides, offered when there is space, cost $12 one way and can be booked every day between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm. To check whether your trip is within the service area or to start certification, call MTS Access on (888) 517-9627.

Senior centers, meals and caregiver support in and near National City

City of National City senior services. The city runs two senior sites on D Avenue:

• Kimball Senior Center, 1221 D Avenue, (619) 336-6760. Its doors are open 9 am to 4 pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, with monthly dances, Feeling Fit, Walk with Ease and virtual reality sessions.
• George H. Waters Nutrition Center, 1415 D Avenue, (619) 336-6750, established in 1979, with lunch for seniors Monday to Friday.

For a recipient who cannot get to either site, the city's Home Delivered Meals program brings lunch to the door, with a suggested contribution of $3.50 a meal. The city says the delivery person also checks on each recipient daily. Call (619) 336-6752.

Southern Caregiver Resource Center. Family caregivers in National City are served by the Southern Caregiver Resource Center, 891 Kuhn Drive, Ste 200, Chula Vista, CA 91914, phone 858-268-4432. Its services are open to anyone in San Diego or Imperial County who looks after an adult living with a chronic, disabling condition.

Reporting abuse. The county AIS Adult Protective Services page says anyone can report possible mistreatment of an elder or a dependent adult on 800-339-4661, the same AIS Call Center used for IHSS applications. If a life is in danger, call 911 first.

Private care in National City alongside IHSS

IHSS pays for the hours the county authorizes and no more. Anything beyond that, such as evenings, weekends or respite for the relative who is the paid IHSS provider, has to be arranged privately. Posting such a need on CaregiverConnect costs a family nothing and caregivers apply directly. The family hires directly, becomes the household employer for the private hours and agrees the rate with the caregiver, never less than minimum wage. CaregiverConnect takes no commission and does no background checks itself, although caregivers may attach their own check result to their profile. Some optional features sit in premium plans.

See caregiver jobs in National City or caregivers in National City; postings appear there as families publish them. Nearby: Chula Vista, Lemon Grove, the South Bay hub and San Diego County (for families). New to IHSS work? Start with how to become an IHSS provider and then set up a caregiver profile at no cost.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. County of San Diego AIS, In-Home Supportive Services (who may apply, call center, email, fax, six offices including National City Ste. 210, after you apply)
2. County of San Diego AIS, Adult Protective Services (anyone can report; 800-339-4661)
3. San Diego IHSS Public Authority, Contact (401 Mile of Cars Way, Ste. 200; 866-351-7722; hours)
4. San Diego IHSS Public Authority, Steps to Enroll (packet, appointment documents, Live Scan $47.00, Zoom session, SOC 846)
5. San Diego IHSS Public Authority, Join the Registry (workshop, test, Live Scan, welcome letter)
6. San Diego IHSS Public Authority, Caregiver Talent Tuesdays flyer (virtual job fair, first Tuesday monthly)
7. CDSS, IHSS wages by county (workbook sheet "IP Effective 10-1-2026", San Diego $20.40 from March 1, 2026)
8. California DIR, minimum wage FAQ ($16.90 from January 1, 2026)
9. MTS, Bus routes (Route 961 24th Street Trolley - Encanto/62nd Street Trolley; routes 13 and 967 at 24th Street)
10. MTS, Route 961 schedule (stop 88876 Mile Of Cars Wy & Hoover Av; weekday times for October 16, 2026)
11. MTS, Route 13 schedule (24th Street Transit Center, 18th St stops)
12. MTS, MTS Access (certification, $6 fare from October 1, 2026, same-day $12, 888-517-9627)
13. City of National City, Senior Services (Kimball Senior Center, George H. Waters Nutrition Center, Home Delivered Meals)
14. Southern Caregiver Resource Center (address, phone, who it serves)