Connecticut · waiver service
Personal Care Assistance (PCA) Waiver in Connecticut
The PCA Waiver is a Connecticut Medicaid 1915(c) waiver for adults 18–64 with severe, chronic physical disabilities who need nursing-home-level care. It pays for self-directed personal care attendants and related services such as Adult Family Living. Relatives can be paid, but spouses and other legally responsible people cannot.
Also called: PCA Waiver · Connecticut PCA waiver · Personal Care Attendant waiver · CT.017
Who do you care for?
Quick facts
- Pay
- $23/hour minimum
- Adult children & other relatives
- Yes
- Spouse
- Not right now
- Parent of a minor child
- the waiver serves adults 18–64 only; parents of adult participants are not legally responsible and may be hired.
- Waitlist
- capped
Who qualifies for Personal Care Assistance (PCA) Waiver
- Age 18 to 64 with a permanent, severe, chronic physical disability; at age 65 people move to the Home Care Program for Elders.
- Needs nursing facility level of care, including hands-on help with at least two activities of daily living.
- Meets Connecticut Medicaid rules for disabled adults (income and asset limits in the DSS Uniform Policy Manual).
- Able to direct their own attendant, or has a representative.
Who can be paid as the caregiver
- Adult children & other relatives Yes
- the waiver allows relatives who are qualified to be paid; the person must not be a legally responsible individual.
- Spouse Not right now
- the waiver does not pay legally responsible individuals, which includes spouses.
- Parent of a minor child
- the waiver serves adults 18–64 only; parents of adult participants are not legally responsible and may be hired.
- Living together
- attendants can live in or out; Adult Family Living under this waiver requires a live-in caregiver.
Who employs the caregiver: Self-directed. The participant hires, trains and supervises the PCA; a fiscal intermediary contracted by DSS pays the PCA and handles taxes.
Spouse rules differ by program — see spouse pay in Connecticut.
How much Personal Care Assistance (PCA) Waiver pays
$23/hour minimum. PCAs hired by waiver participants in DSS programs are covered by the PCA Workforce Council–1199 SEIU agreement: minimum $23.00/hour from January 1, 2026, no wage cap, time-and-a-half on listed holidays. Rates are set on the DSS fee schedule.
Hours and budget: Hours come from the care plan written after the functional assessment and must stay within the waiver's cost limits.
Compare with other Connecticut programs on the Connecticut caregiver pay page, or across states in pay rates by state.
Is there a waitlist?
The draft 2024 renewal caps enrollment at 1,357 people in year 1 rising to 1,873 in year 5, with 120 slots reserved each year. When the cap is reached, eligible applicants go on a DSS waiting list in order of application date.
How to apply for Personal Care Assistance (PCA) Waiver
- Call DSS Community Options at 1-800-445-5394 to request a PCA waiver application.
- Complete the functional assessment and the Medicaid financial application.
- If a slot is open, enroll and hire your PCA through the fiscal intermediary; if not, you are placed on the waiting list by application date.
- Ask whether Community First Choice can start sooner, since CFC has no cap.
- CT DSS Community Options · 1-800-445-5394 · official site
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Personal Care Assistance (PCA) Waiver questions
Who is the PCA Waiver for?
Connecticut adults age 18 to 64 with serious physical disabilities who would otherwise need nursing-home care and who qualify for Medicaid.
Can my adult son be paid as my PCA?
Yes. Qualified relatives can be paid. Only legally responsible people, such as a spouse, are excluded.
Is there a waiting list?
It can have one. The waiver has a yearly enrollment cap, and applicants who qualify after the cap is reached wait in application-date order.
What is the difference between the PCA Waiver and CFC?
Both pay self-directed attendants at the same union wage. CFC is an entitlement with no waitlist; the PCA Waiver is capped but adds waiver-only services such as Adult Family Living and care management.
What happens when I turn 65?
The waiver ends at 65. DSS gives at least 60 days' notice and helps move you to the Connecticut Home Care Program for Elders or state plan services.
Sources: portal.ct.gov · portal.ct.gov · portal.ct.gov · Updated 2026-10-08. Program rules change — always confirm with the program.
Where most Connecticut caregivers are
Counties with the most residents aged 65 and older. The rules are the same everywhere in Connecticut — pick yours for the local picture.
Across the line
States that border Connecticut
Each state writes its own rules, and they differ more than people expect — a spouse who can be paid on one side of the line often cannot be on the other.