Benefits & Financial Help
Benefits & Financial Help.
Medi-Cal, Medicare, CalFresh, SSI, IHSS, HICAP, and emergency rent or utility help. If you have never applied, or you applied and were denied, these are the people to call.
Not sure who to call first?
Pick the right starting point for what you need. You can also call ICADRC and we will route you.
For Medi-Cal, CalFresh, CalWORKs
(760) 337-6800 · Imperial County DSS
For Medicare questions
(760) 353-0223 · HICAP. Free, unbiased counseling.
For emergency rent or utility help
(760) 370-5100 · Campesinos Unidos, or Salvation Army (see below)
Local providers.
Tap any phone number to call directly. Every listing is sourced from the organization’s own site or a primary local source.
Imperial County DSS – Medi-Cal
Apply for Medi-Cal, CalFresh, CalWORKs, and related public benefits.
- Phone
- (760) 337-6800
- Address
- 2995 S. 4th Street, El Centro, CA 92243
- Hours
- Mon–Fri, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Serves
- Low-income individuals and families
- Services
- Medi-Cal, CalFresh, CalWORKs, IHSS intake, General Relief.
- Cost
- Free to apply
- Languages
- English, Spanish
Campesinos Unidos, Inc. – CSBG / Social Services
Community-action emergency aid and form assistance.
- Phone
- (760) 370-5100
- Address
- 1005 C Street, Brawley, CA 92227
- Hours
- Mon–Thu, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM · Fri 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- Serves
- Low-income individuals and families
- Services
- Past-due rent/utility, emergency food, form completion, VITA tax prep.
- Cost
- Free for eligible households
- Languages
- English, Spanish
HICAP – Imperial County
Free Medicare and supplemental insurance counseling.
- Phone
- (760) 353-0223
- Address
- 939 W. Main St., Box #19, 2nd Floor, El Centro, CA 92243
- Hours
- Mon–Fri, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Serves
- Medicare beneficiaries and those becoming eligible
- Services
- Medicare Parts A/B/C/D counseling, plan comparisons, Extra Help (LIS), supplemental & long-term care insurance, appeals, fraud reporting.
- Cost
- Free
- Languages
- English, Spanish
Salvation Army – Imperial Valley Corps
Emergency rent and utility assistance by appointment.
- Phone
- (760) 352-4528
- Address
- 397 W. Ross Avenue, El Centro, CA 92243
- Hours
- Mon–Fri (call ahead for appointment)
- Serves
- Low-income individuals and families
- Services
- Rent/utility payments, food, holiday assistance.
- Cost
- Free for eligible households
- Languages
- English, Spanish
Community Health Plan of Imperial Valley (CHPIV)
Imperial County’s local Medi-Cal managed care plan.
- Phone
- (833) 236-4141
- Web
- chpiv.org
- Hours
- Member services 24/7; enrollment Mon–Fri 7:30 AM – 6:00 PM
- Serves
- Imperial County Medi-Cal members
- Services
- Medi-Cal managed care, transportation benefit, care coordination.
- Cost
- Free for Medi-Cal members
- Languages
- English, Spanish (1-888-484-1412 line)
HICAP Statewide Helpline
Statewide help finding your local HICAP counselor.
- Phone
- (800) 434-0222
- Hours
- Mon–Fri, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Serves
- California Medicare beneficiaries
- Services
- Referral to local HICAP counselor, general Medicare questions.
- Cost
- Free
- Languages
- English, Spanish
Medicare.gov / 1-800-MEDICARE
Federal Medicare information line and online plan finder.
- Phone
- (800) 633-4227
- Web
- medicare.gov
- Hours
- 24/7
- Serves
- Medicare beneficiaries and family
- Services
- Plan look-up, enrollment, claim questions, fraud reporting.
- Cost
- Free
- Languages
- English, Spanish, more via interpreter
Apply or learn more online.
Federal and state tools for enrollment, eligibility screening, and program info. We pulled these from the original ICADRC site so nothing gets lost.
Medi-Cal
California state Medicaid program info, eligibility rules, and member resources.
dhcs.ca.gov
Covered California
Compare and enroll in health insurance plans, including subsidized coverage.
coveredca.com
CalFresh
Apply for monthly food benefits online through California’s simplified application.
getcalfresh.org
Social Security
SSI, SSDI, retirement benefits, Medicare enrollment, and account access.
ssa.gov
California SDI
Short-term disability insurance for eligible California workers.
edd.ca.gov
IHSS Program Info
State-level info on In-Home Supportive Services. For local intake, call Imperial County DSS.
cdss.ca.gov
FindHelp.org
National directory of free and reduced-cost programs, searchable by ZIP code.
findhelp.org
Benefits.gov
Federal benefits screening across hundreds of programs in one questionnaire.
benefits.gov
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Still not sure?
Call ICADRC and we will figure it out together. Free, confidential, no qualifying questions.