Are your need assistance with activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, grooming bowel and bladder care, exercise, and meal preparation, the Consumer Directed Personal Care Services Program (CDPCS) may be your ticket to greater independence.

This program designed for persons who are elderly or have disabilities, are eligible for Alaska Medicaid, and want to direct their own personal care services.

CDPCS Eligibility Requirements.

You must be eligible for Alaska Medicaid

You must require assistance with daily living task or health maintenance activities.

You must be able to direct your own personal assistance services, or arrange for a personal representative to do so on your behalf.

Advantages of Consumer Directed Personal Care Services.

Personal Care Agency handles the payroll, paperwork, workers compensation and unemployment insurance for your personal care assistant.

Personal Care Agency will train your personal care assistant for safety, standard precautions and other related to personal care activities.

Your select the personal care provider you want to come into your home

Your train your personal care provider to meet your particular needs.

Family members can be paid by Medicaid to provide services (except spouses, legal guardians and parents of minor children).

Consumer Responsibilities in the CDPCS Program

You train and supervise your personal care assistant to meet your particular needs.

You schedule your time with the personal care assistant.

You arrange for backup services if your personal care provider doesn't show, or needs time off.

You monitor your personal care provider’s time cards and make sure they are turned into the CDPCS agency for payroll.

You should consider:

What are the wages for personal Care assistants? With experience? Without Experience? Do you provide periodic raises?

Benefits and Holiday pay: Does the agency pay time and a half for worked on observed holidays? Do they offer health insurance, retirement plants, etc?

Consumer management training: Is instruction in recruiting, selecting and managing personal care assistants available?

Is there advanced training available for specific care needs such as tracheotomy care, bowel and bladder care, and tube feeding?