Managing Personal Care Assistance

Personal care assistants (PCAs) support people with disabilities to live more independent lives. An assistant works directly for and is employed by the person with a disability.

The role of a personal care assistant is to help you be able to do what you need to do. Your assistant may help you with getting dressed, going from one place to another, preparing meals, bathing, or other activities.

Personal care assistants can also help you in the workplace to do different types of tasks. They can help with personal care, like in the restroom or at lunch breaks, or with job-related tasks, like help with reading, interpreting, lifting or reaching work materials, or with travel between work sites. DB101’s article on Job Supports and Accommodations has more information about assistant services at your job.

Paying for Personal Assistance

If you qualify for Medical Assistance (MA) and Medical Assistance for Employed Persons with Disabilities (MA-EPD), these programs will pay for personal care assistance services for you if you meet eligibility requirements. Click here to read more about how MA or MA-EPD can help you pay for these services. You can apply online using MNsure, or in person at your local county or tribal human services office. If you are not sure what to do or have more questions, you can always Chat with a Hub expert.

Finding Personal Care Assistants

Some people with disabilities rely on family or friends for their personal care assistance. Others decide to hire individuals who are not their family or friends. You can find good PCAs in a number of different ways, including independent living centers, PCA agencies, or online.

Ensuring a Good Relationship

Since you will likely be the person who hires, trains, and manages your PCA, it is important to make sure you learn how to do that. You’ll also be spending a lot of time with your assistant and need to make sure the two of you have good communication and a good relationship.

Personal care assistance can be crucial to your ability to live independently. For more information on how to have good communication, tips on how to hire a personal assistant, and much more, take a look at the following resources:

• Making the Move to Managing Your Own Personal Assistance Services (PAS): A Toolkit for Youth with Disabilities Transitioning to Adulthood is a complete guide with fact sheets and tips for all sorts of topics, like finding, hiring, training, and managing a PCA
• A Good Job is a six-minute animated video that talks about how to improve your relationship with a personal care assistant