Program Description
Nevada’s Personal Assistance Services (PAS) Program is designed to help severely disabled adults, regardless of age, by providing services to them in their homes with the larger goal of preventing unnecessary nursing home placements. Beneficiaries are provided with personal care, assistance with the activities of daily living and non-personal care or “homemaker” services in and around their homes.
This program is under the administration of the Nevada Aging and Disability Services Division (ADSD), which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services. Funding is dependent on availability and is contingent on the specific needs of each individual.
Eligibility Guidelines
PAS eligibility is comprised of four factors: age, residency, functional ability, and financial criteria.
Age – applicants must be at least 18 years of age.
Residency – applicants must be legal, Nevada residents. Length of residency is not a factor.
Functional Ability – applicants must have a diagnosed physical disability that requires them to receive care to continue living at home. This must be due to limited ability to complete their activities of daily living such as eating, bathing, and grooming. Recipients must require less than 35 hours of care per week, and must be capable of supervising their caregiver.
Financial Criteria – This program is designed for people who cannot find other sources of funding to assist them in living independently. “Other sources of funding” is mostly referring to the state’s Medicaid program. However, Medicaid eligibility is not always clear or definitive. One’s eligibility for Medicaid (and therefore eligibility for this program) depends on age and marital status. Persons 21 years of age are subjected to different eligibility criteria than persons 65+ years of age.
In 2022, applicants 65 years of age or older whose income is less than $2,523 per month and have countable assets valued at less than $2,000 will be eligible for Medicaid. Therefore, they will NOT be eligible for PAS. More on Medicaid eligibility.
That said, an applicant for PAS must not have income that is greater than 300% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). In 2022, this means a single applicant cannot have monthly income in excess of $3,398 and a married couple cannot have over $4,578.
Benefits and Services
The primary benefit of PAS is up to 35 hours a week of attendant care, also referred to as personal care or assistance with the Activities of Daily Living (ADL). ADLs include mobility, toiletry, eating, grooming, and dressing. Additionally, the program provides homemaker services, which includes activities such as meal preparation, laundry and housekeeping, and shopping for food and prescriptions. Finally, case management services are provided. These can best be described as help discovering and applying for other forms of assistance. Short-term respite is also available to give a family caregiver a break from caregiving duties.
Payment for attendant care is based on a sliding scale dependent on the applicant’s income and need.
How to Apply / Learn More
To begin the application process, Nevada residents should contact their regional Aging and Disability Services Division (ADSD) office. An application can be downloaded here. Applicants must be prepared to share financial information, including income, investments and asset levels during the application process. A social worker evaluates an applicant’s need and helps with the PAS application. In-home visits to assess needs typically happen within the month following a new request.
This program is not an entitlement. Services are based on the availability of funding.
Nevada’s Department of Health & Human Services, Aging and Disability Services Division website offer some limited information about this program.
