Personal Care Aide Training Requirements Summary of State ... - PHI

PCA Training Requirements 4Summary of State Findings3. States that have requirements for all programs, but not uniformrequirements4. And states that have uniform requirements for PCAs across allprogramsFigure 2 displays an example of the resulting schematic.It should be noted that “uniformity” is not inherently superior tovariation in training standards within a state. For example, a statethat has strong requirements for PCAs in one large program (e.g., acompetency-based 40-hour training curriculum), but not others, may onnet have a stronger training foundation than a state with uniform butweak requirements across all programs.Key findingsWithout federal standards, states have implemented an assortment ofPCA training requirements in publicly funded programs providinglong-term services and supports. However, few states have well-definedtraining standards for PCAs providing services in these programs, anda significant percentage have no standards at all. Furthermore, whileover 40 percent of states have “uniform” requirements across their PCAprograms, the vast majority of these standards are very weak.Our specific findings using the two lenses we developed—on rigorand uniformity—are detailed below:Training Elements Findings – Lens 1Using the Training Elements Continuum, which assesses the depth andrigor of state training standards, we found that in one or more personalassistance programs (excluding participant-directed programs):• 23 states (45 percent) have no training requirements of any kind.• 27 states (53 percent) leave the sufficiency of PCA training to theagency-employer.• 25 states (49 percent) specify required training hours for PCAs;however, of these, 14 (27 percent) require no more than 40 hours ofentry-level training.• Approximately a quarter of states have a state-sponsored PCAcurriculum and/or require certification.Training Uniformity Findings – Lens 2Using the Training Uniformity Continuum to assess the extent to whichtraining requirements are aligned across programs within a given state,we found that (excluding participant-directed programs):• 10 states (20 percent) have no training requirements for PCAs inany of their programs.