32 Miss. Code. R. 1-15.0
Personal Care Attendant Services are service components of the:
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.
32 Miss. Code. R. 1-15.0