A tall black man with short black hair is standing beside an elderly black man with short gray hair in a comfortable living room filled with family photos, two olive green sofas, and an olive green armchair. The younger man is wearing a blue tshirt and jeans. He is grasping the older man's left hand and has his right hand on the older man's left upper arm as he helps him to sit in the armchair. The older man has on a beige polo shirt and jeans.

Personal Care Attendant (PCA) Program

OSCIL’s Personal Care Attendant (PCA) program provides an alternative for persons with disability who need personal care services to remain living in their home, but are unable to access the traditional RI Medicaid Assistant Program.

Program Requirements

Request Personal Care Services!

What is a PCA?

A Personal Care Attendant, or PCA, is a person who is paid to help you with activities of daily living that you cannot do yourself due to age, illness, or disability. Some things that a PCA can assist you with include:

Personal care like bathing, dressing, grooming, and toileting.
Helping you move around, including transferring from bed to wheelchair.
Reminding you to take your medications and assisting with medication administration.
Planning and preparing nutritious meals according to dietary needs.
Performing light housekeeping tasks such as cleaning, laundry, and organizing.
Transporting you to appointments, errands, and social activities.
Observing any changes in your health and helping you to make sure those changes are addressed with the appropriate medical professionals.

Do I Choose My Own PCA?

Yes, you will find and hire your own PCA once you are accepted to our PCA Program. You will also need to make sure that your PCA completes their timesheets and submit them on time in order to be paid.

OSCIL does not provide staff to work as a PCA. When you are accepted to our program we will give you some materials and advice to help you find and hire your PCA.

Are There Any Rules About Who I Can Hire?

You cannot hire a spouse (husband or wife). We also suggest that you get a BCI (criminal background check) and references from the person you plan to hire, but we do not require that you do so.

Am I Eligible for the Personal Care Attendant Program?

To be eligible for our PC a program, all of the following must be true:

You must have a significant physical disability.
An assessment must confirm that you need these services in order to remain independent.
You must be able to manage and direct your PCA staff.
You must meet all other program guidelines, including financial guidelines.
You must be in eligible to receive PCA services through any other source (including the Veterans Administration, Medicaid, Long-Term Care (LTSS), the Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities & Hospitals (BHDDH), Office of Healthy Aging (OHA) Cost Share Program, and the Personal Choice Program).

If you are not eligible for our Personal Care Attendant Program, OSCIL can help you find another program that may be able to provide the services you need.

Request Personal Care Services!

Contact the Ocean State Center for Independent Living (OSCIL) for more information about our PCA Program and other personal care services that you may be eligible to receive. You can also complete our contact form.

Warwick, RI 02889

Pawtucket, RI 02860