PERSONAL ASSISTANCE

Personal Assistance is a home-based support offered to individuals, who as a result of a disability require help with activities of daily living. The design of the service is based on the belief that each person knows their own needs best and should have as much control as possible over the way those needs are met, including:

The person using the service develops a job description to address tasks he or she can’t perform independently. Assistance may be provided in areas such as the following, depending on the need:

WHO WILL DO IT: The person using the service hires and trains his/her own assistant.

WHEN THEY WILL DO IT: The person using the service determines his or her own assistance schedule, rather than trying to arrange life around a care provider’s predetermined schedule.

SURROGACY: Historically people were denied access to personal assistance services if their disability or age prevented them from being able to direct their own care. Now, Medicaid regulations permit the use of surrogates. A surrogate is someone who helps with any aspect of the service that the recipient is not able to manage. This may include such responsibilities as recruiting, hiring, and training personal assistants.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: In order to be considered for personal assistance services, an individual must:

• Have a chronic, severe disability
• Be Medicaid eligible
• Require physical assistance with personal care and activities of daily living