PART OF Community Programs
Personal Care Management/PCA Program
The Personal Care Attendant (PCA) Program is a MassHealth program that assists people with long-term disabilities live at home independently. This is a consumer-directed program, which provides personal care services for people with disabilities.
Through our PCA Program, Tempus Unlimited serves over 7,000 individuals living in Massachusetts, including Cape Cod and the Islands. This program serves people of all ages, disabilities and backgrounds. Options has staff who speak Spanish, Portuguese, Cape Verdean Creole, Haitian, Arabic, Russian, Chinese, and English.
Personal Care Attendants are hired, trained and supervised by the person with the disability (consumer). PCAs do not work for Tempus Unlimited, or any other agency – they work for the consumer. As the employer, a consumer chooses who to hire, sets up a PCA schedule and trains PCAs to meet his or her own personal needs. PCAs are paid based on timesheets that are sent to the Fiscal Intermediary.
If the consumer cannot independently manage his or her PCA program, the consumer may have the help of a surrogate. The surrogate is often a family member but may be any other person identified by the consumer who has the ability to manage the program.
For the Official Website of the Personal Care Attendant Quality Home Care Workforce Council please click here http://www.mass.gov/pca
Apply for a Surrogate (can help you with your PCA program):
Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission
https://massmrc.hylandcloud.com/211customcode/mrconemrc
-In your application, MRC will need to collect some personal and/or sensitive information about you.
-The information is kept strictly confidential.
-On average, this application may take 25 mins or longer to complete.
–You will need to complete the application in one sitting.
Need assistance: Call 617-204-3665 or email us at MRC.Connect@mass.gov.
Open Monday through Friday 9:00am to 5:00pm.
PCAs can help with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) such as:
- Mobility/transfers
- Passive range of motion
- Taking medications
- Bathing or grooming
- Dressing or undressing
- Eating
- Toileting
PCAs can also help with Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) such as:
- Laundry
- Shopping
- Housekeeping
- Meal preparation and clean-up
- Transportation to medical appointments
- Maintaining adaptive equipment
The Personal Care Attendant Program is available to people with disabilities who meet the following conditions:
- Have MassHealth Standard or CommonHealth or be enrolled with a Senior Care Option or 1Care Plan.
- Physical assistance must be medically necessary.
- Have a permanent or chronic disability that impairs their ability to perform activities of daily living without physical assistance.
- Needs physical assistance with two or more activities of daily living.
Mass PCA Directory (helping Consumers looking for a PCA and helping PCA’s look for work):
Mass PCA directory is sponsored by the PCA Workforce Council and it offers a comprehensive and current list of people in Massachusetts who are ready to provide personal care and consumers who are hiring PCAs. Visit www.masspcadirectory.org to get started!
New how-to training videos are available for consumer-employers on how to use the Mass PCA Directory. Learn how to register, post a job and manage messages.
MassHealth PCA Program and overtime rules:
Tempus PCA Consumer Handbook
- Table of Contents
- Introduction into the PCA Program
- FAQs & Resources
- PCA Program: Getting Started
- PCA Recruiting/Interviewing
- PCA Hiring Forms (For Consumer Records)
- New Hire Paperwork Samples
- PCA Hiring Forms (To Be Sent to the FI Department)
- Important Employer Documents
- PCA Service Agreement
- Evaluation Documents
- Application for PCA Employment
- FI Packet
- Foster a Healthy PCA relationship as the Employer
- Mass PCA Recruitment Consumer-Employers Jan 2022
- Consumer Package of Sample Forms (PCA)
- Consumer Package of Fillable FI Forms (PCA)
- eTimesheet Sign Up Instructions
- eTimesheet Sign Up Instructions (Spanish)
- eTimesheet Password Reset Instructions
- eTimesheet Password Reset Instructions (Spanish)
Collective Bargain Agreement
Links
Safe Hiring forms:
- Free CORI Check Form (for Consumers to run a criminal offender record background on a PCA who they may want to hire) Highly Suggested
- Office of the Inspector General (OIG)
- How to request Sex Offender Registry Information (SORI)
- PCA Overtime Request Form
- New Hire Orientation Form/PCA Orientation Handout
Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML) Notice
PFML Notice MassHealth PCA Program 2021.01 – English
PFML Notice MassHealth PCA Program 2021.01 – Spanish
| To apply for PFML, PCAs should call: |
|---|
|
The Department of Family and Medical Leave 833-344-7365 8:00am to 5:00pm |
Massachusetts Emergency Paid Sick Leave
Contact
Personal Care Management/PCA Program:
Phone:
800-924-7570 #3
Fax:
877-867-1890