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Washington Medicaid Personal Care (MPC) Program
Overview of the Medicaid Personal Care Program
The MPC Program is a Washington Medicaid program that provides elderly and disabled Washington residents with personal care services. Services are provided to individuals that reside in their homes or in adult family homes including residential communities such as assisted living but not nursing homes. The MPC program is based on the Cash and Counseling model in which the participating individual has the flexibility to self-direct their care. This is also referred to as the Consumer Direction Option, CDO or Participant Direction.
Program participants are able to select their own personal care providers and act as the employer of that individual; the employee is referred to as an Individual Provider or IP. In Washington, participants can choose a home care agency or select a friend, neighbor or family member to be their IP. In other words, family members can be paid to be caregivers. This includes the adult children of aging parents, but does not include spouses. If a non-professional caregiver is selected, they are subject to a background check by the state and if approved they join the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 775. Payments are made to the care providers by authorization from the program participant’s Case Manager.
Qualifications for the Medicaid Personal Care Program
There are both financial and functional qualifiers for the MPC program. Functionally, participants must have a need for assistance with the at least 3 of the following activities of daily living.
-Bathing
-Bed Mobility
-Dressing
-Eating
-Medication Management
-Mobility Around and Outside the Home
-Personal Hygiene
-Toileting
-Transfer
Financially, they must be eligible for Medicaid, which is a complicated process involving a review of a family’s income, assets and asset transfers as far back as 5 years. Rules change frequently and there are many exceptions, but typically monthly income cannot exceed $2,000 and the “countable asset” limit, excluding the car and home, is approximate $2,000.
Not qualifying for Medicaid can be devastating to the comfort of an individual, their family’s finances and even their health. For these reasons, Medicaid planners exist to ensure families have the best chance of acceptance into the program. With care costing $1000’s / month, there is a strong incentive to use a Medicaid Planner. Find assistance applying for Medicaid.
-Bathing
-Bed Mobility
-Dressing
-Eating
-Medication Management
-Mobility Around and Outside the Home
-Personal Hygiene
-Toileting
-Transfer
Financially, they must be eligible for Medicaid, which is a complicated process involving a review of a family’s income, assets and asset transfers as far back as 5 years. Rules change frequently and there are many exceptions, but typically monthly income cannot exceed $2,000 and the “countable asset” limit, excluding the car and home, is approximate $2,000.
Not qualifying for Medicaid can be devastating to the comfort of an individual, their family’s finances and even their health. For these reasons, Medicaid planners exist to ensure families have the best chance of acceptance into the program. With care costing $1000’s / month, there is a strong incentive to use a Medicaid Planner. Find assistance applying for Medicaid.
Benefits / Services Covered by the Medicaid Personal Care Program
Program participants are eligible to receive assistance with personal care services. This refers to human assistance with the activities of daily living such as bathing, eating, toileting, mobility, grooming and personal hygiene. Unlike many states, Washington Medicaid’s Personal Care Program does not require individuals to live at home. Instead individuals that reside in adult residential communities, such as assisted living, can also receive personal care services. However, this program does not include individuals that reside in nursing homes.
How to Apply for the Medicaid Personal Care Program
Individuals already enrolled in Medicaid should talk with their Case Manager about participating in the MPC program. For those not enrolled in Medicaid, they can begin the process on Washington’s Medicaid webpage. Alternatively, they can call 1-800-562-3022.
Use our Eldercare Financial Resource Locator Tool to find other public and private programs that can help pay for or reduce the costs of long term care for the elderly.
Use our Eldercare Financial Resource Locator Tool to find other public and private programs that can help pay for or reduce the costs of long term care for the elderly.
