This study examined the experiences and views of 455 participants in the state's Medicaid-funded personal care assistance (PCA) program. PCA consumers can receive services from an agency that hires, schedules, and manages workers or they can opt to do these tasks themselves. PCA services include assistance with activities of daily living, health-related functions, redirection and intervention for behavior, and instrumental activities of daily living, including assistance at the place of employment.

The vast majority of respondents said the PCA program improved their health and safety, reduced stress, and enabled them to stay at home. Forty-six percent said PAS services enabled them to do paid or volunteer work, though only 31% of working-age consumers did such work. About 22% of consumers with paid or volunteer jobs received PCA services at work. The most common type of assistance was with eating or meals, followed by help with job-related tasks such as filing or communicating. About three-fourths of consumers with worksite PAS had it paid for by Medicaid, and 18% had it paid for by their employers. Among those who said they did not have PAS at work, most said they did not need it, but others reported not having enough service hours and not knowing how to set up PAS at work.

Most working-age respondents were not enrolled in the state's Medicaid Buy-In program, and most were not aware of it.