PCA Choice is designed for individuals
who want more independence in managing
their personal cares. The consumer is
responsible for all aspects of supervising
their PCA’s while Independent Lifestyles
acts as the fiscal intermediary and
employer.
Personal Care Assistants (PCAs) provide
services to people who need support with
activities of daily living and health-related
functions. PCA services may be provided
through hands-on assistance, supervision,
redirection and intervention for behavior including observation and monitoring.
PCA Choice is a flexible service that means you can have a PCA providing the assistance when you need it.
Your PCA can accompany you anywhere throughout the community to meet your needs according to your PCA Care Plan.
MINOR CHILDREN
Services for children (under 18) are based on the needs of a child with a disability that are over and above what a parent or caregiver would normally provide for a child without a disability.
**A parent cannot be paid as a PCA for his/her minor child.
ELIGIBILITY FOR PERSONAL CARE ASSISTANCE
There are three basic requirements to be eligible for PCA Assistance through MN Department of Human Services:
You must be eligible for or receiving Medical Assistance (MA) or Minnesota Care Expanded benefits (for pregnant women or children under age 21) or be eligible for the Alternative Care programs for qualifying seniors.
You must have an Assessment for PCA Services and Service Plan completed.
You must be able to make decisions about your care or have a person designated as your Responsible Party who can make decisions about your care for you.
CONSUMER OR RESPONSIBLE PARTY RESPONSIBILITIES
You can be your own Responsible Party if you can direct your own cares.
Your Responsible Party must:
1. Be at least 18 years old.
2. Not be your PCA.
3. Be available to you or your PCA while cares are being provided.
4. Monitor care(s) at least once a week to ensure Care Plan is being followed.
5. Actively participate in the planning and directing of your PCA services.
6. Complete all necessary paperwork.
7. Participate in an annual face-to-face assessment.
8. Recruit, hire, train, and supervise your PCAs.
9. Schedule PCA’s and find back up PCA staff in the event a PCA is sick or unable to report for work.
10. Find a Qualifed Professional (QP). ** Independent Lifestyles is able to provide a QP.
11. Develop and revise a PCA care plan with the assistance of the QP.
12. Assure your health and safety with training, scheduling and monitoring of PCAs.
13. Review and sign PCA timesheets after services are provided to verify PCA services.
14. Communicate a change in condition or need for additional services at the time the change occurs.
PCA’S
Call ILICIL when you hire new PCA’s to make sure you have the most updated forms and to verify that we have received all paperwork needed.
ALL paperwork must be completed and processed; a Background Study passed; successful completion of the DHS online PCA test; and a PCA number assigned BEFORE your PCA will be able to work for you.
Your Assessment for PCA Services gives you a certain number of units that you are allowed to use per day. You or your Responsible Party needs to monitor that time so PCA’s don’t go over the units set in your assessment and care plan. You can call ILICIL to confirm the number of units you have.
A PCA must:
1. Be at least 18 years old. *(16 to 17 years old with additional special training)
2. Successfully complete the DHS "Individualized Personal Care Assistance Training" online test and provide Independent Lifestyles, Inc., with a copy of the completion certificate before providing services.
3. Be employed by a PCA provider agency.
4. Enroll with DHS as a PCA after clearing a background study.
5. Effectively communicate with the consumer and the PCA provider agency.
6. Be able to provide covered PCA services according to the consumer’s PCA care plan, respond appropriately to the consumers’ needs and report changes in the consumers condition to your Qualified Professional or physician.
7. Maintain daily written records including but not limited to time sheets.
8. Complete training and orientation on the needs of the consumer within the 1st seven days after services begin.
9. Be supervised by the consumer and qualified professional.
*A PCA age 16-17 must:
1. Be employed by only one PCA provider agency responsible for compliance with current labor laws.
2. Be supervised by a qualified professional every 60 days.
A PCA cannot be a spouse, parent or step-parent of a minor child, paid guardian, recipient of PCA services, or the responsible party for a PCA consumer.
QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL
A Qualified Professional must be one of the following:
1. A Registered Nurse;
2. A Mental Health Professional;
3. A Licensed Social Worker; or
4. A Qualified Developmental Disability Specialist (QDDS).
A QP must:
1. Provide supervision of PCA staff that includes:
The development and review of a PCA care plan that corresponds with the assessment and service plan/update.
Observation of the PCA performing direct care services.
Evaluation of service outcomes with consumer/responsible party.
Evaluation of site and whether outcomes are being met.
Modification of PCA care plan as needed and re-train PCA’s as needed.
2. Be employed by a MHCP enrolled agency.
3. Be recruited and hired by a consumer of PCA Choice.
NON-COVERED PCA SERVICES
o
Services without an assessment and service plan completed by the county and Prior Authorization from commissioner or commissioner’s designeeo
Services not specified in Service Plano
Household, chore or homemaker services not as an integral part of PCA serviceso
Services provided by unauthorized individualso
Services in the PCA’s Home, unless the Consumer lives with the PCAo
Transportation of consumerso
Generic parenting, skills training, teachingo
Mentoringo
Educational training or supporto
Vocational or recreational skills trainingo
Respite careo
Providing or supporting ILSo
Daycare, babysitting, or homeworko
Set up or administration of Consumer medicationo
Services provided by the recipient’s spouse, paid legal guardian, parent, or stepparent (for a consumer under the age of 18), provider owned/operated housing, or responsible partyo
Use of restraints (instead use positive interventions)o
IADL’s for consumers under the age of 18, except when immediate attention is needed for health or hygiene reasons integral to the PCA services and the need is listed in the service plan by the assessoro
Services in place of other staffing options in a residential or child care settingo
Sterile procedureso
Injections of fluids and medications into veins, muscles, or skino
Assessments for PCA Services by PCA provider agencies or independently enrolled RN’s
TIMECARDS
All time cards MUST be submitted to ILICIL no later than noon on Wednesday following the 2 week work period or you may NOT be paid until the following pay period.
You can fax them to: (320) 529-0747;
You can email them to: GenaD@independentlifestyles.org;
You can mail them to: ILICIL, 215 North Benton Drive, Sauk Rapids, MN 56379– Please note that there may be problems with the US mail or Holidays that may effect when we receive your time card.
You can drop it off at ILICIL at the address listed above.
We have to process many time cards and they are time sensitive so no time cards will be accepted after noon on Wednesday.
A consumer or Responsible party must review all timecards:
PCA’s can not get paid for time they are not with the consumer.
PCA’s can not be paid when they are traveling to and from the consumers house or if they are "on call" by phone or pager.
Consumers can not sign timecards for time the PCA has not worked.
Consumers can not sign blank or inaccurate time cards.
A PCA can not work over 16 hours per day/48 hours per week/or 275 hours per month regardless of the number of consumers being served or the number of PCA provider agencies enrolled with.
MALTREATMENT AND EXPLOITATION
People who use PCA services have rights and protections under Minnesota State laws that govern the Maltreatment of Minors and Vulnerable Adults. Here are some areas covered under these laws:
Physical abuse is when someone is harming you by hurting your body. This includes hitting, slapping, punching, pushing, refusing to help someone with a medical need or not giving someone important medication.
Sexual Abuse is when someone touches you sexually, talks to you sexually or shows you sexual material or body parts when you did not want them to. Abuse can also be when someone touches you in ways that make you feel uncomfortable.
Financial abuse/exploitations are when someone used your money or accounts without your giving permission to do so in a different way than you instructed.
If any of these types of abuse are happening to you, you need to report this immediately to someone who can help you.
If you are in immediate danger you should always call 911.
EMERGENCY PLANS
Emergency plans address your immediate health needs when something unexpected happens to you.
For instance, having an emergency plan in place and telling a PCA what to do if you have a seizure or develop a high fever.
You may want to carry a card or small piece of paper with you and also post this information in your home:
Your diagnosis
Your medications
Your allergies
Health conditions that might occur and what to do
Emergency contact information
Name and phone number for your doctor
Insurance information
CONFIDENTIALITY
Information about your personal care needs is considered confidential and should not be shared with other people. It is illegal for your PCA’s, agency staff and/or your Qualified Professional to talk with other people about your care. Your agency may share information in your care plan with new PCA staff to ensure they are able to provide the assistance you need.