AASD and DSD eList announcement

Date: Aug. 11, 2021
To: Personal care assistance (PCA) provider agencies, lead agencies and other interested parties
From: DHS Aging and Adult Services and Disability Services divisions
Purpose: To provide information about the modification to allow parents of minors and spouses to be PCA workers
Effective: Immediately
Expires: End of the federal COVID-19 public health emergency
Contact: For PCA provider agency questions, call the MHCP Provider Call Center at 651-431-2700 or 800-366-5411, option 4. For questions about disability services, email HCSD.DHS@state.mn.us. For questions about aging services, email DHS.AASD.HCBS@state.mn.us.

COVID-19 modification to allow parents of minors and spouses to provide PCA services

Effective immediately and lasting through the end of the federal COVID-19 public health emergency, PCA services can be provided by parents, stepparents, legal guardians of minors and spouses of people who receive PCA services. All people who provide PCA services must follow enrollment and other PCA worker criteria, as described on MHCP Provider Manual – PCA services and PCA Manual – Worker criteria.

Instructions for parents and spouses

Parents of minors and spouses of people who receive services should contact the PCA provider agency if they are interested in providing PCA services to their family member. The PCA provider agency will guide them through the process of becoming a PCA worker.

Instructions for PCA provider agencies

PCA provider agencies should reach out to the parents and spouses of the people they are serving who may be eligible and interested in becoming a PCA worker for their family member.

PCA provider agencies should:

· Encourage interested family members to take the required PCA and Community First Services and Supports (CFSS) Training and Test

· Initiate the background study process for the eligible family members immediately

· Follow the usual application process described on MHCP Provider Manual – PCA services.

The family member is allowed to begin working after they have:

· Cleared the background study initiated by the provider agency

· Passed the required training and obtained the certificate.

Background

The previous COVID-19 modification that allowed parents of minors and spouses to provide PCA services expired on Feb. 7, 2021.

HF No. 33 Article 13, Section 70 modified statute to allow a parent, stepparent, legal guardian of a minor or a spouse of a person receiving PCA services to provide and be paid to provide PCA services during the remainder of the federal COVID-19 public health emergency. This modification expires upon the expiration of the federal COVID-19 public health emergency declared by the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Previous eList announcements

AASD LEAD AGENCY ARCHIVE | DSD LEAD AGENCY ARCHIVE | DSD STAKEHOLDER ARCHIVE