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Who can I hire to work for me as my Personal Assistant?

In CDPA, you have the freedom to hire nearly anyone to work as your personal assistant (PA). This means you have complete control over who comes into your home, touches your body, and assists you with medical tasks.

Personal assistants do not need formal training or certification to perform the work they do. They are trained by YOU – the consumer. 

A personal assistant MUST be:

  • Eighteen years of age or older;
  • Able to legally work in the United States;
  • Willing to have initial and ongoing health screenings as required by law. 

A personal assistant CANNOT be:

  • The consumer’s parent if the consumer is younger than 21;
  • The consumer’s spouse;
  • The consumer’s designated representative;
  • A person who is “legally responsible for the consumer’s care & support” – this legal term refers to people who have both guardianship and financial support responsibilities. 
  • Anyone who appears on the Medicaid exclusion list due to past problems with fraud, abuse, or other violations.

As a self-directing consumer or a designated representative, it is your responsibility to recruit, train, supervise, schedule and terminate your PAs, including scheduling backup PAs to cover in the event of illness, call-out or no-show. 

Consumers who succeed at using CDPA have strong management skills, including the ability to make hard decisions, communicate effectively, and set boundaries. 

We know it might seem intimidating at first, but no one is born with these skills. They are learned with practice. CDPAANYS provides resources & tips on supervising and managing your personal assistants.