The Medicaid Standards & Training for Personal Care Assistants

Personal care workers continue to increase as the U.S. population ages and more people are in need of assistance in order to manage their everyday lives. Medicaid provides service standards for individuals in this profession.

Definition

• Personal Care workers provide assistance with everyday activities, such as bathing, grooming, toileting, shopping, cooking, laundry and other daily errands, in order to help an individual stay as healthy as possible. Duties do not include medical activities, such as catheterization or cleaning of medical instruments.

Qualifications

• Personal care workers must not have been convicted of any crimes or be currently under investigation for abuse or neglect. Work references and history must be verified along with birth date and education. Workers must be able to perform assigned tasks and work under the supervision of an approved RN.

Consumer's Rights and Code of Ethics

• Every Personal Care Assistant must receive a copy of the Consumer's Rights and Code of Ethics and sign a statement that they have read, understood and will abide by the requirements of this document.

Annual Reviews

• Medicaid requires Personal Care Assistants (PCA) to be reviewed annually with observations from at least one on-site visit. Competency checklists and documentation regarding the clients served by a PCA must be kept for at least six years, and any problems with an assistant must be documented and kept on file as well.