Mississippi Administrative Code › Title 32 - Rehabilitation And Disabilities › Part 1 - Office of Special Disability Programs Policy Manual › PROCEDURE MANUAL › Section 32-1-15.0 - PERSONAL CARE SERVICES/ATTENDANT CARE SERVICES

Current through June 25, 2024
Personal Care Attendant Services are service components of the:
1. State Attendant Care
				Program/Fund;
2. Independent Living
				Waiver Program/Fund;
3. Traumatic
				Brain Injury/Spinal Cord Injury Trust Fund-12 month Transitional
				Programs;
4. Traumatic Brain
				Injury/Spinal Cord Injury Waiver (TBI/SCI) Program/Fund
Personal Care Attendant Services may include a range of human
				  assistance provided to persons with disabilities and chronic conditions of all
				  ages which enables them to accomplish tasks they would normally do for
				  themselves if they did not have a disability. Assistance may be in the form of
				  hands-on assistance (actually performing a personal care task for a person) or
				  cueing so that a person performs those tasks by him/herself.
Such assistance most often relates to performance of ADLs
				  (Activities of Daily Living) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living
				  (IADLs). ADLs are more frequently used than IADLs which include such services
				  as meal preparation, household chores, laundry, money management, telephoning,
				  shopping, and medication management. Personal Care Attendant Services promote
				  self-sufficiency and independent living.
An individual may be physically capable of performing ADLs
				  and IADLs but may have limitations in performing these activities because of a
				  cognitive impairment. Personal care services may be required because a
				  cognitive impairment prevents an individual from knowing when or how to carry
				  out the task. For example, an individual may no longer be able to dress without
				  someone cueing them along with supervision to ensure that the individual
				  performs the task properly. This assistance can be provided under the TBI/SCI
				  trust fund and TBI/SCI waiver Attendant Care Services.
Skilled services that may be performed only by a health
				  professional, such as a nurse are not considered personal care services.
Personal care services are assistance with eating, bathing,
				  dressing, personal hygiene, toileting, transferring, assisting with ambulation
				  and other activities of daily living. PCA may include assistance with meal
				  preparation for the individual. It may also include such housekeeping chores as
				  laundry of the individual (rather than the individual's family) and other
				  activities to prevent institutionalization for the person.
When provided under the TBI/SCI Trust Fund or TBI/SCI Waiver,
				  Personal Care Attendants can also provide support for community participation
				  by accompanying and assisting the individual as necessary to access community
				  resources; participate in community activities, including appointments,
				  shopping, community recreation/leisure resources, and socialization
				  opportunities.
Personal Care Service providers may be members of the
				  individual's family. Payment will not be made for services furnished to an
				  individual by any person legally responsible for the individual. These
				  non-legally responsible relatives must meet the qualifications for Personal
				  Care Attendants.
The spouse of an individual certified for the waiver is not
				  eligible to be paid to provide services to his/her spouse (Legal responsible
				  relative).
Parents/step parents of minor children are not eligible to be
				  paid to provide services to their own children (Legal responsible
				  relative).
A relative of an individual certified for the waiver may
				  provide services and be certified as a PCA providing that:
*
The relative does not have legal
				  responsibility (the individual's spouse or the parent of a minor child);
*
The relative is capable of providing the
				  service and meets all standards to be certified. (Relatives of individuals are
				  held to the same standards and are subject to the same expectations of quality
				  service as are applied to any PCA).
(Services are often supplemented by informal, unpaid care
				  provided by other family and friends. This practice is commendable and often
				  necessary to reduce costs and assure quality and continuity of care).
**
The OSDP Counselor must explain to the
				  relative that his/her status as a PCA may change his/her involvement in the
				  individual's plan of care activities due to possible conflict of
				  interest
.