Personal Care Assistance (PCA)

PCA services provide assistance and support for persons with disabilities, living independently in the community. This includes the elderly and others with special health care needs. PCA services are provided in the Minnesota Health Care Programs (MHCP) member’s home or in the community when normal life activities take him or her outside the home.

  • PCA Choice: The PCA Choice option gives people more control of their care than the Traditional PCA model. People on the PCA Choice model receive less frequent qualified professional or nurse visits, as they are the ones primarily responsible for their care:
    • Hiring, training, supervising and scheduling their sta
    • Maintaining a written agreement with their PCA choice provider agency

  • Working with their PCA to make sure their health and safety needs are met Developing their own home care plan ·
  • Providing their own back up in case of an emergency
  • PCA Traditional: People on the Traditional PCA model also receive more frequent qualified professional or nurse visits so the agency can be sure services are meeting care plan goals. Traditional PCA agencies are responsible for:
    • Hiring, training, supervising and scheduling their staff
    • Monitoring and evaluating PCA sta to ensure care plan goals are being met
    • Developing a care plan to meet the goals identified at the nurse assessment
    • Maintaining back-up staff in case of an emergency