Minnesota Minnesota

PCA Manual

PCA Manual

PCA worker criteria

Page posted: 11/04/13

Page reviewed: 10/7/20

Page updated: 5/31/22

Legal authority

Minn. Stat. §256B.0659, subd. 11, 11a, 11(d), 12 and 17

Definition

Personal care assistance (PCA) worker: Person who provides PCA services, is employed by a PCA provider agency and is enrolled as an individual Minnesota Health Care Programs (MHCP) provider.

Requirements

A person employed as a PCA worker must meet employment requirements and requirements specific to providing services.

Employment requirements

A person who wants to become a PCA worker must:

  • · Be age 16 or older (Note: People ages 16-17 must meet additional requirements).
  • · Complete the individual PCA standardized training and pass the certification test (refer to PCA Manual – Individual PCA standardized training).
  • · Enroll with the DHS as an individual MHCP PCA provider after passing a background study (refer to DHS – Background studies).
  • · Be employed by and affiliated with a PCA provider agency.

    • Requirements specific to providing services

    A person employed as a PCA worker must:

  • · Complete training and orientation on the needs of the person receiving services.
  • · Communicate effectively with the person and the PCA provider agency.
  • · Be able to provide covered PCA services according to the person’s care plan.
  • · Respond appropriately to the person’s needs.
  • · Report changes in the person’s condition to a qualified professional (refer to PCA Manual – Qualified professional requirements overview).
  • · Maintain daily written records (e.g., time and activity sheets).
  • · Be supervised by a qualified professional.

    • Additional requirements for people ages 16-17

    A PCA worker who is age 16-17 must meet these additional requirements:

  • · Be employed by only one PCA provider agency responsible for compliance with current labor laws.
  • · Be monitored by a qualified professional every 60 days.

    • Limitations

    Workers

    A PCA worker cannot provide services to a person if they have any of the following relationships with that person:

  • · Paid legal guardian of an adult who receives PCA services.
  • · Legal guardian of a minor child who receives PCA services.
  • · Parent or stepparent of a minor child who receives PCA services.
  • · Responsible party of a person who receives PCA services.
  • · Spouse of a person who receives PCA services.

    • A person cannot be a PCA worker if they receive PCA services.

    Hours

    Only the first 310 hours worked by a PCA worker are eligible for Medical Assistance payments to a PCA agency, regardless of:

  • · The number of people the PCA worker supports.
  • · The number of agencies with which the PCA worker is affiliated.

    • PCA Choice

    The terms and conditions of a PCA worker’s employment by a person who participates in PCA Choice is governed by the agreement between the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the state of Minnesota. To read this agreement, refer to SEIU Healthcare – Home care contracts.

    For information about how to comply with the agreement, refer to SEIU Contract Compliance Training.

    Enhanced rate

    Some PCA workers might qualify for enhanced wages or benefits. This benefit is available for work that is both:

  • · Provided by a worker who has completed qualifying training.
  • · Provided to a person who is eligible for 10 or more hours per day of state plan PCA and/or has the home care rating EN.

    • This applies to PCA workers who provide services through the following programs.

  • · State plan PCA not on a waiver.
  • · State plan PCA on a waiver.
  • · Extended PCA on a waiver.

    • For more information, refer to:

  • · Workers: DHS – Enhanced rates and training stipends for support workers.
  • · Lead agencies: CBSM – PCA and CSG enhanced rate/budget process.
  • · Provider agencies and financial management services (FMS) providers: PCA Manual – Provider agency/FMS provider requirements for enhanced rate or budget.

    • Additional resources

    MHCP Provider Manual – Individual PCA enrollment criteria

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