MassHealth PCA Program Overview

Disabled people with MassHealth might qualify for the Personal Care Attendant (PCA) program.

What is the program?

The PCA program allows you to hire someone to come into your home (or within the community) to help with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs). The PCA is paid by MassHealth to help you. ADLs include things like getting dressed, bathing, personal hygiene, and moving around. IADLs include things like housekeeping, laundry, meal prep, and medical transport.

How is that different from nursing hours?

PCAs can perform a few tasks that overlap with skilled nursing, such as g-tube feeding administration. But for other more medically-focused activities, the MassHealth member would qualify for nursing hours. A member can qualify for both nursing and PCA hours.

Who qualifies?

Disabled people with MassHealth qualify if they are unable to perform ADLs or IADLs that can normally be performed by typically-developing non-disabled people of the same age. A child as young as 3 years of age can qualify for PCA hours, though they generally are approved for fewer hours than an adult. This is because a typical three-year-old cannot perform many ADLs (like changing diapers, for instance, or fully bathing independently) and cannot perform any IADLs, so the parent would already be expected to perform those tasks. As a child ages, they may qualify for more hours as a typical child of that age would be expected to perform more ADLs and IADLs independently.