Microsoft Word - PCA Job Description

THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS

Executive Office of Health and Human Services

PERSONAL CARE ATTENDANT JOB DESCRIPTION

Personal Care Attendants (PCAs) are MassHealth providers who provide medically necessary hands-on assistance with

activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) to MassHealth members who have been

determined eligible by MassHealth to receive PCA services. PCAs are the employees of the MassHealth members to whom

they provide PCA services (also called consumer employers) and of the PCA Workforce Council for purposes of collective

bargaining.

Each consumer employer has particular ADL and IADL needs. PCAs may ask their consumer employer for a description of

the consumer employer’s specific ADL and IADL needs. Provided below are lists of ADLs and IADLs covered under the

MassHealth PCA program. These are the types of ADLs and IADLs that a consumer employer may request you to perform

and for which you may receive payment for performing under the MassHealth PCA program.

The MassHealth regulations governing the PCA Program are located at 130 CMR 422.000, which contain more information

about covered and noncovered services, as well as other program requirements. Covered ADLs include assistance with:

 mobility

 passive range of motion exercises

 assistance with medications

 bathing or grooming

 dressing

 eating

 toileting

Covered IADLs include assistance with the following task examples, or other IADLs that are included in the consumer

employer’s prior authorization or approved evaluation. Note: Assistance with IADLs must be provided for the benefit of

the consumer employer only and is not covered when provided for other individuals in the consumer employer’s

household.

 Laundry for the consumer employer

 Shopping for the consumer employer

 Housekeeping for the consumer employer

 Meal preparation and clean-up for the consumer employer

 Accompanying the consumer employer to medical appointments

 Assisting the consumer employer with maintaining wheelchairs and adaptive equipment

Tasks that are not covered by the MassHealth PCA Program include the following examples. The below list of examples

does not include all of the possible noncovered services. These and other noncovered services are not paid for by

MassHealth. (Nothing in this list should be construed to preclude MassHealth coverage of tasks performed in accordance

with a consumer employer’s prior authorization and approved evaluation.)

 Providing assistance with ADLs and IADLs while the consumer employer is admitted to a nursing facility, hospital,

or other in-patient facility

 Cooking meals or doing laundry for individuals in the household other than the consumer employer

 Performing household tasks that are not incidental to the care of the consumer employer such as mowing the

lawn and cleaning the gutters or pipes

 Babysitting

 Feeding animals/cleaning animal litter (with the exception of authorized care of service animals).

 Tasks that involve illegal activity prohibited by federal or state law

PCAs are entitled to a safe working environment and are not expected to participate in any aspect of the

employer/employee relationship that threatens her or his health and safety. This includes an environment that is free of

abuse, inappropriate physical or sexual behavior, and sexual harassment.