Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services (DPSS)

What Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) does

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) is a county-level government agency that administers federal, state, and county public-assistance programs for low-income residents of Los Angeles County. DPSS was founded in 1891 as the Office of Superintendent of Children's and Women's Work under the 1851 Poor Law, and now operates under a Strategic Plan 2022-2027 as the largest county social services department in California. Its service portfolio spans cash assistance (CalWORKs, General Relief, CAPI, Refugee Cash Assistance), food and nutrition (CalFresh via EBT/ebtEDGE), health care (Medi-Cal and related programs), employment and training (GAIN, START, CBEST), homeless services, and In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) for seniors and persons with disabilities, supplemented by civil rights enforcement and Welfare Fraud Prevention & Investigations.

DPSS delivers these programs through an omnichannel operating model: 33 physical district offices across Los Angeles County, a centralized Customer Service Center at (866) 613-3777 with multilingual support in 11 languages (English, Spanish, Armenian, Cambodian, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Persian, Tagalog, Russian, Korean), the BenefitsCal and MyDPSS online portals, an IHSS Community Helpline, mobile apps (ebtEDGE on iOS and Android), and dedicated hotlines for child abuse, adult protective services, civil rights, ADA, fraud, and appeals. The technology stack includes CalSAWS for statewide case management, BenefitsCal and MyDPSS for digital self-service, EBT/ebtEDGE for benefit distribution, and ePolicy as an internal policy-management system.

DPSS is a public agency, not a commercial enterprise: it is owned and operated by Los Angeles County Government, overseen by the County Board of Supervisors, and funded through federal, state, and county appropriations. Services are provided at no charge to eligible residents based on program-specific eligibility criteria, and revenue is not reported as commercial sales. The department employs 1,001–5,000 staff, with Dr. Jackie Contreras serving as Director. The IHSS mailing and program offices span Rosemead, Burbank, Chatsworth, Torrance, Lancaster, Metro, and Pomona, while administrative headquarters are in City of Industry.

Name

Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services (DPSS)

Legal name

Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services

Website

https://dpss.lacounty.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1891

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) is a county government agency administering CalWORKs, CalFresh, Medi-Cal, IHSS, and other public-assistance programs for low-income, senior, disabled, immigrant, and homeless residents of Los Angeles County through 33 district offices, multilingual call centers, and the BenefitsCal and MyDPSS online portals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Social Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Community Housing Services (62422)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050)

akta.pro primary industry

State/Provincial Human Services & Benefits Administration (Welfare, Disability, Child & Family) (BPAIABAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Income Support & Cash Assistance Programs (BPAIAKAE), Financial Assistance & Benefits Navigation Services (BPAGAEAK), Eating & Feeding Assistance (HSABABAE)

Keywords

• Public social services
• Cash assistance programs
• Food nutrition benefits
• In-home supportive services
• Employment training programs

Headquarters

HQ city

https://dpss.lacounty.gov/en/resources/offices.html

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Social Services Funding: DPSS is a government agency funded through federal, state, and Los Angeles County government appropriations. Services are provided to eligible low-income residents at no cost - benefits are distributed based on eligibility criteria rather than purchased.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

DPSS administers federal, state, and county-funded public assistance programs for low-income Los Angeles County residents. Its core offerings include cash assistance (CalWORKs, General Relief, CAPI, Refugee Cash Assistance), food and nutrition benefits (CalFresh), health coverage (Medi-Cal), in-home supportive services for seniors and persons with disabilities (IHSS), and employment and training programs (GAIN, START), along with homeless services. Services are delivered through 33 district offices, a multilingual Customer Service Center, and the BenefitsCal and MyDPSS online portals at no cost to eligible recipients.

Product overview

Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) is a government social services agency offering a comprehensive portfolio of public assistance programs and services. The department operates multiple core social welfare programs including CalWORKs (cash assistance for families with children), General Relief (county-funded cash assistance), CAPI (immigrant cash assistance), CalFresh (food benefits), Medi-Cal (health coverage), and IHSS (in-home supportive services for seniors and disabled). Employment and job training services are provided through GAIN and START programs, while homeless services address housing needs. Digital service delivery includes online portals (MyDPSS, BenefitsCal), a customer service center with multilingual support, and video resources through the DPSS Video Gallery. The department also maintains ePolicy, an internal policy management system for staff. Additional services include civil rights protections, welfare fraud prevention, consumer awareness programs, and community initiatives like the Toy Loan program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CalWORKs: California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids - cash assistance program
• CalFresh
• GAIN
• IHSS
• BenefitsCal
• MyDPSS
• CAPI

Products and services

• CalWORKs (California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids)

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• California Department of Social Services (CDSS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDPSS operates under the regulatory authority and guidelines of the California Department of Social Services. CDSS establishes policies, procedures, and regulations for social services programs including CalWORKs, CalFresh, and IHSS that DPSS administers at the county level.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA): HRA administers cash assistance, food stamps (SNAP), Medicaid, and housing supports for NYC residents — the closest functional analogue to DPSS as a large municipal social services agency with comparable program breadth and caseload scale.
• San Bernardino County Human Services Department: San Bernardino County HSD delivers the same California social services programs within the CalSAWS consortium — a same-state peer with overlapping program administration and shared case management infrastructure.
• San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency: San Diego County HHSA administers behavioral health, housing, and social services including CalFresh/CalWORKs eligibility — a comparable large California county human services delivery organization.
• Riverside County Department of Public Social Services: Riverside County DPSS administers the same California state programs (CalWORKs, CalFresh, Medi-Cal, IHSS) under the same CalSAWS consortium — a peer California county social services agency with directly comparable scope.
• Orange County Social Services Agency: Orange County SSA administers CalFresh, CalWORKs, Medi-Cal, IHSS, and General Relief across Orange County under the CalSAWS consortium — a directly comparable California county social services agency.
• Cook County (Chicago) Human Services: Cook County provides comparable urban county-administered social services (SNAP, TANF, Medicaid, homeless services) for the Chicago metro area — another large urban county with similar program portfolio and population profile.

Others

• Maximus (Public Sector Services): Maximus is a private contractor that operates Medicaid eligibility, SNAP/TANF case management, and benefits enrollment services for state and county governments — an adjacent ecosystem participant that supports similar functions under contract rather than statutory authority.

Broad incumbents

• California Department of Social Services (CDSS): CDSS is the state-level regulatory and funding authority that oversees DPSS. It sets policy for the same programs (CalWORKs, CalFresh, IHSS) at the state level, making it the direct governance counterpart rather than a competitor.

Regional players

• Maricopa County (Phoenix) Human Services Department: Maricopa County administers SNAP, TANF, and Medicaid eligibility for the Phoenix metro area — a comparable large urban county human services agency operating under a different state framework.
• Harris County (Houston) Community Services Department: Harris County provides comparable social services administration for the Houston metro area under Texas state programs (SNAP-equivalent, TANF-equivalent, Medicaid) — a peer large urban county social services operation in a different state system.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lacodpss

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services (DPSS)