Guide
How to file a complaint with CDPH
Last updated · By the ICFLookup team
Intermediate Care Facilities are health facilities licensed by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), not by the Department of Social Services. A complaint about an ICF therefore goes to CDPH's Licensing and Certification program, through the district office that oversees the facility.
If someone is in immediate danger, call 911 first.
Where to file
CDPH's Cal Health Find site describes its complaint investigation process. It says anyone can file a complaint against a health care facility, anonymously or by name, in a number of ways, and that its district offices' phone numbers, fax numbers and mailing addresses are published online with the counties each office serves. The district office then investigates. Each ICF's page on this site names its CDPH district office.
A resident, a relative or friend, staff or any member of the public can complain. Retaliation against a person who complains is unlawful under state law.
What to include
- the facility's name and address, and its CDPH facility ID (shown on each facility page here);
- what happened, when, and who was involved;
- whether it is still happening or has happened before;
- anyone else who saw it or may know about it.
The deadlines in state law
Health and Safety Code §1420 sets how CDPH handles a complaint about a long-term health care facility:
- CDPH assigns an inspector and gives the complainant the inspector's name within 2 working days.
- An on-site inspection happens within 10 working days, or within 24 hours when there is a threat of imminent danger of death or serious bodily harm.
- For complaints received on or after July 1, 2018, the investigation must be completed within 60 days, which can be extended by 60 days.
- The investigation ends with an exit conference with the administrator.
A complainant who disagrees with the outcome can request an informal conference, and then a review by CDPH's Complainant Appeals Unit.
Seeing the outcome
CDPH publishes complaints and facility-reported incidents for each facility on CalHealthFind: the intake, the allegation category and whether it was substantiated. CDPH doesn't release that list as a bulk file, so this site can't show it; every facility page here links to the facility's CalHealthFind page instead.
When a complaint leads to federal deficiencies, the survey appears on the facility's page here with "Complaint" as its type, and its note usually names the complaint or incident number. When it leads to a state citation, the citation appears in the facility's state citations, often with the intake ID. See How to read an ICF inspection.
Other places to turn
ICF residents are regional center clients, so the resident's regional center service coordinator is another person to tell about a concern — see Regional centers and ICFs.
This is general information, not legal advice. Rules and forms change; for a specific situation, check the official pages listed below or contact CDPH Licensing and Certification.