·State program
Community First Choice Option (CFCO)
Home and community-based attendant services and supports for individuals who would otherwise require institutional level of care. Services include assistance with activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, and health-related tasks through hands-on assistance, supervision, or cueing.
What you get
Services, Coverage, as recorded:
- maximum of 283 hours per month; Restaurant Meal Allowance maximum $62 per month
Questions that decide eligibility
GiveCare prepares the questions; the program makes the decision. Bring these to the call or the application:
- 01
Does the person receiving care live in California?
Residency is usually the first thing a program checks.
- 02
Does your relationship to the person — spouse, parent, or other relative — count for this program?
- 03
What are the current income and asset limits, and whose income counts?
Our record lists 150% of the federal poverty level — limits change, so confirm the current figures.
- 04
What counts as a qualifying disability or level of care need, and what documentation shows it?
- 05
Does the VA disability rating meet the program’s minimum (our record lists null%)?
- 06
Do the work hours meet the minimum (our record lists null hours)?
- 07
Is there a caregiver-specific department, coordinator, or support line? Ask for it by name.
Many agencies have one that isn’t advertised on the website.
- 08
What documents do you need from us to start an application?
- 09
Is there a waitlist right now, and how long is it?
Who qualifies, in the source’s words
Where our record has a direct quote from the official source, here it is — otherwise, this is our best reading of the rule.
Income and asset limits
“have an income that is at or below 150 percent of the Federal poverty level (FPL)”
cdss.ca.gov →Disability of the person receiving care
“the individual would otherwise require the level of care furnished in a hospital, a nursing facility, an intermediate care facility for individuals with intellectual disabilities, an institution providing psychiatric services for individuals under age 21, or an institution for mental diseases for individuals age 65 or over”
cdss.ca.gov →Minimum VA disability rating
Minimum VA disability rating: null%.
Work hours
Minimum work hours: null.
Relationship to the person receiving care
“service(s) provided by a recipient's spouse, and service(s) provided by a minor recipient's parent”
cdss.ca.gov →
How to apply
- 01
CFCO services are delivered through the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program. To apply for IHSS, complete an application and submit it to your county IHSS Office. SOC 295 - Application for In-Home Supportive Services.