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PCA SERVICES
For our clients, we delivers just the right level of care for you or you loved one. We have PCA Choice, PCA Traditional and 245D Services.
1. PCA Choice
We are a PCA Choice provider agency where where the client has the option for hiring, training, scheduling and terminating their personal care assistants. The PCA Choice option offers greater control and choice for the client. Covered Services are PCA services identified in the service plan and PCA care plan.
Consumer Responsibility
Under PCA Choice The client is responsible the following:
Choose a PCA Choice agency during the assessment process or during the service authorization period.
Recruit, hire, train and supervise their PCAs.
Terminate employment of their PCAs if necessary.
Recruit and hire a qualified professional.
Verify the credentials of the qualified professional.
Enter into a written agreement with the PCA Choice agency, PCAs and qualified professional.
Work with the qualified professional to assure the consumer’s health and safety needs are met.
Participate in an annual face-to-face assessment.
Assure own health and safety with training, scheduling and monitoring of PCAs.
Develop and revise a PCA care plan with the assistance of the qualified professional.
Monitor and verify the hours worked by the PCA(s).
Sign time sheets.
Communicate a change in condition or need for additional services at the time the change occurs.
2. Traditional PCA
This program helps clients in need of care get set up with an aide through a PCA or homecare agency. The agency is responsible for hiring, training, paying, and scheduling PCAs to provide homecare services to the recipient.
A traditional PCA provider agency:
Assures your staff have orientation and complete required training
Bills the state for PCA services
Bills the state for qualified professional supervision
Finds back up staff
Finds, hires, trains, schedules and fires staff
Gets criminal background checks
Hires your qualified professional (QP)
Maintains enrollment with the state
Makes an agreement with your responsible party
Monitors and evaluates staff
Pays and withholds taxes.
Under traditional PCA, the client is responsible to sign time sheets and work with the qualified professional to:
Develop your care plan for the client
Evaluate your the care giver
Make sure client's your health and safety needs are met.
Community First Services and Supports (CFSS)
The Minnesota Department of Human Services is preparing to transition from personal care assistance (PCA) to community first services and supports (CFSS). Both PCA and CFSS provide supports to people to help them remain independent in the community.
CFSS will be similar to PCA in many ways. People eligible for PCA will also be eligible for CFSS. CFSS will cover services covered by PCA. For more details, see How is CFSS similar to PCA? in the Frequently asked questions below.
CFSS will expand people’s choices about how they receive their services, including who can provide services, additional support for writing plans, more self-direction options and the ability to purchase goods to aid a person’s independence. For more details, see How is CFSS different from PCA? in the Frequently asked questions below.
DHS must finish updating our computer system for CFSS and obtain federal approval. There will be public comment periods when DHS submits Minnesota’s plans for CFSS to the federal government.
The Consumer Support Grant (CSG) will also transition to CFSS. DHS will issue more information on this transition in the future. For more information, see What will the transition look like for people who use the Consumer Support Grant?
How is CFSS similar to PCA?
The eligibility requirements for CFSS will be the same as PCA. The person must:
Live in his or her own home
Be able to direct care or have a representative who can direct care on his/her behalf
Be on one of Minnesota’s health care programs
Have an assessment that determines he/she is eligible.
CFSS will cover the same main services as PCA:
Activities of daily living, such as eating, bathing, grooming and transferring
Health-related tasks
Instrumental activities of daily living, such as shopping, cooking, laundry and assistance with medications
Observation and redirection of behavior.
How is CFSS different from PCA?
People who use CFSS will have more options and supports:
Unlike PCA, in CFSS a person’s spouse or the parent of a minor may serve as that person’s support worker.
People may choose to purchase goods to aid in their independence.
The CFSS budget model allows people to choose to be the employer of their support workers.
The state provides a budget that the provider agency or the person may use to train workers on the individual needs of the person.
The consultation services provider will provide education and support in writing the person’s plan.
Service delivery models.
CFSS will have two service delivery models, the agency provider model and the budget model.
In the agency provider model, the person selects an agency that serves as the workers’ employer. This means the agencies will recruit, hire, train, supervise and pay CFSS support workers.
In the budget model, CFSS participants are the employers of their own support workers. They will have a budget rather than service units. Participants will recruit, hire, train and supervise their support workers. The person will select a financial management services (FMS) provider to help the person comply with applicable laws.