Considerate, private, respectful personal care and assistance.
Helps with daily living needs while a person serves as the provider’s employer.
This service includes help with things like getting dressed, making food, and accessing things in the community. With Participant-Directed Homemaker/Personal Care, a person may decide how much to pay their staff and they may act as the employer.
Participant-Directed Homemaker/Personal Care is an option available through all three of the waivers DODD administers. It is not a requirement of the Individual Options or Level One waivers, but participant-direction is a requirement of the SELF Waiver. The person enrolled or a representative they choose must be willing and able to direct at least one service. Learn more about participant-directed services.
The person’s service and support administrator, or SSA, will assess them for a need for Homemaker/Personal Care. If there is a need, the SSA will include it in the person’s individual service plan.
A person can choose to direct their Homemaker/Personal Care services through any of the waivers offered by DODD. Participant-direction gives the person more control and authority to decide who provides their services and how those services are provided. The person must want to be in charge of staff employer responsibilities, however, they can receive assistance.
Providing this Service
Agency and independent providers that have a Medicaid provider agreement and are DODD-certified can provide this service.
Participant-Directed Homemaker/Personal Care can be provided as one-on-one or as a group service. The ratio of support staff providing this service to people being served shall not exceed one person to three staff. One staff may provide participant-directed homemaker/personal care services to no more than three people at the same time.
The person may hire their family members if the family member is not designated to help with employer functions.
Parents cannot provide services to their minor child younger than 18 years old. County boards of developmental disabilities or regional councils of governments cannot provide this service.
Participant-Directed Homemaker/Personal Care providers cannot provide Money Management or Ohio Shared Living services to the same person.
Individual Options and Level One Information
A common law employee must provide PD-HPC to a person using the Individual Options or Level One waivers.
The person must live alone or live with family, including those related by blood, marriage, or adoption, such as parents, siblings, or spouses.
Under the Individual Options or Level One waivers, a person may use a combination of PD-HPC and traditional HPC services.
SELF Waiver Information
It is a requirement of the SELF Waiver for the person or their representative to be able and willing to direct services, including choosing employer authority. A common law employee or an agency with the free choice of provider process must provide PD-HPC to a person using the SELF Waiver.
Training Requirements for Services
After initial provider certification and completing annual training requirements, the following is required to provide this service.
People hiring their own common law employees may choose to require all DODD training or may waive any of the following
- eight hours of training, except a review of major unusual incidents and the rights of people with disabilities
- First Aid,
- or CPR.
People hiring their own common law employees may choose to waive the requirements for a high school diploma or GED, if medication certification is not required.
People using the SELF Waiver who choose co-employment cannot waive requirements.
A person receiving PD-HPC must determine specific training for an employee or agency staff with the free choice of provider process. This may include information about the person’s
- desired outcomes,
- choice/preferences,
- health conditions,
- behavioral health needs,
- or adaptive support needs, such as personal care assistance, communication, or mobility.
Training topics chosen by the person do not negate an obligation of the county board of developmental disabilities service and support administrator, or SSA ,to meet the individual service plan training requirements.
The person and the employee will be required to sign a Participant-Directed Homemaker/Personal Care Acknowledgment verifying the training is required by the waiver participant and that training was provided to the employee by the participant or their designee. The form with both signatures must given to the SSA before the employee may begin services.
The SSA must upload the form in the Cost Projection Tool within MSS before services can be authorized.[CL1]
Billing and Payment Information
All services must be delivered as specified in the individual service plan and authorized in Payment Authorization for Waiver Services, known as PAWS, to be successfully submitted for payment through eMBS.
Rates and limits for PD-HPC are contained in the service rule’s appendix.
PD-HPC cannot be provided to a person at the same time as Residential Respite.
PD-HPC services that involve direct contact with the person cannot be provided at the same time the person is receiving Adult Day Support, Group Employment Support, Individual Employment Support, or Vocational Habilitation.
PD-HPC may extend to times when the person is not physically present and the common law employee is performing homemaker activities on behalf of the person.
PD-HPC providers cannot bill for PD-HPC provided by the driver during the same time Non-Medical Transportation is being provided.