A Personal Care Assistant (PCA) is a trained worker who helps people that need support to take care of their day-to-day activities and who are on a state program (Medical Assistance, waiver programs, or Alternative Care). Personal assistance services help individuals live and work within their own communities. PCAs help people who need support to take care of daily living needs because of disease, a disabling condition, or complications related to aging.

Personal care assistance services must be deemed medically necessary as determined by an assessment. The assessment must find that the person needs help to complete at least one of eight activities of daily living or exhibit Level 1 behavior.

The four categories of services that a person can receive assistance in are:

* Activities of Daily Living: eating, toileting, grooming, dressing, bathing, transferring (such as getting in and out of bed), mobility, and positioning
* Health-related functions, which, under state law, can be delegated or assigned by a licensed health care professional to be performed by a PCA
* Instrumental Activities of Daily Living: meal planning and preparation, managing finances, shopping for essential items, performing essential household chores, communication by telephone and other media, and participating in the community
* Redirection and intervention for behavior including observation and monitoring

If you are enrolled in Medical Assistance, a waiver program, or Alternative Care, there are two possible ways that you may receive PCA services in Minnesota:
* You may select an individual worker (where you are responsible for hiring, supervising and firing)
* You may hire a home care agency who selects and oversees your worker

If you choose to hire your own workers, you will also choose a PCA Choice provider (usually a home health agency) as a fiscal intermediary. The PCA Choice provider is responsible for billing the Department of Human Services (DHS) for PCA services and paying your PCA workers.

PCA has begun transitioning to Community First Services and Supports (CFSS). Individuals currently using PCA will transition to CFSS at their next reassessment.

• Area Served by County
  • Aitkin County 
  • Carlton County 
  • Cass County 
  • Cook County 
  • Crow Wing County 
  • Itasca County 
  • Koochiching County 
  • Lake of the Woods County 
  • St. Louis County 
• At Home Services
  • Assistance with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) 
• Payment
  • Alternative Care Waiver (AC) 
  • Brain Injury Waiver (BI) 
  • Community Access for Disability Inclusion Waiver (CADI) 
  • Community Alternative Care (CAC) Waiver 
  • Developmental Disabilities Waiver (DD) 
  • Elderly Waiver (EW) 
  • Medicaid (Medical Assistance) 
• Personal Care
  • Bathing 

* Be eligible to receive Medical Assistance (MA) or Medical Assistance for pregnant women and children
* Be able to make decisions about your own care or have someone who can make decisions for you
* Be dependent in at least one activity of daily living or exhibit Level 1 behavior within the last year, as determined by the assessment

St. Louis County

https://www.accessnorth.net/pcaChoice/pcaChoiceHome.html

https://www.accessnorth.net

10/13/2024