In Minnesota, a PCA is a Personal Care Attendant. Paid for by Medical Assistance, these individuals are hired to work with children with either physical, mental, behavioral or emotional disabilities (as documented by a physician, psychologist, or psychiatrist). Our county health nurse does an assessment and each child qualifies for a certain number of units per day (one unit is 15 minutes).
We use a program called PCA choice where I am able to hire my own employees and do my own training and supervision. I schedule and then turn in time sheets.
The program has been a lifesaver for us. The four boys who have qualified for PCAs in the past have been so draining that even a break from them for an hour or two a day has sustained us in parenting them over the long haul.
Maybe some of you from other states who have something similar could briefly explain the process to acquire these services.
2 comments:
From Wisconsin:
The process seems the similar. We had to call a place that hires Personal Care Workers. If we have someone we want, we tell that person to apply and use our son's name. We do the training, but they have to be certified PCW's or a CNA. We schedule the actual hours, within the number of hours allowed. Each PCW does their own timesheet, but we sign. In WI, activities are limited to "medically necessary." Fortunately Medical Assistance sees safety as med. nec. Services have to take place in OUR home, but the regs say something like "where they lay their head at night." That's gotten us a few over nighters for him with a friend who is also one of his PCW's. I'll have to write more about it in my own blog, but it's been a life saver. Keeps us off of high alert.
In Texas, they apparently don't have PCAs, or any similar program. We asked about them with a foster child we had, and were told they don't exist. (But we told we were welcome to hire and pay for someone ourselves, ha ha.) It's too bad, because it really would have made a difference for this child.
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