Personal Care Services
Personal care services consist of a range of assistance to enable participants to accomplish tasks that they would normally do for themselves if they did not have a disability. Assistance may include hands-on assistance or prompting the participant to perform a task. Personal care services may be provided on an episodic or on a continuing basis. Health-related services that may be provided include care relating to medical or health protocols, medication assistance or administration, and range of motion exercises. Health-related services may be provided after staff is trained by the appropriate trainer or medical professional, and documentation of training is evident.
Personal care services may include assistance in performing activities of daily living (i.e., bathing, dressing, personal hygiene, bathroom assistance, transferring, maintaining continence) and more complex instrumental activities of daily living on the participant’s property (i.e., light housework, laundry, meal preparation exclusive of the cost of the meal, medication and money management).
Personal care services will be provided in the participant's home or on their property. Personal care services shall be essential to the health and welfare of the participant rather than the participant’s family. If the individual providing this service is not employed and supervised by an agency, then the participant is responsible for supervising the individual and may coordinate monitoring of the service with his/her case manager.
Limitations
This service is available to all ages and is a 1:1 service. The number of personal care service units authorized by the Division will be based upon individual extraordinary care needs as specified in the IPC and other assessments.
Personal care services cannot be billed during the same time frame as other waiver services, which is subject to audit by the Program Integrity Unit within the State Medicaid Agency.
A relative (defined as a biological, adoptive, or step-parent) may provide this service with certain restrictions.