State Medicaid programs offering personal care services

Two Medicaid programs offer personal care services: (1) the Title XIX Personal Care Services (PCS) optional State plan benefit; and (2) the 1915(c) home and community-based services (HCBS) waivers. By 1998-1999, 26 States offered the PCS optional State plan benefit; 45 offered personal care services via a waiver(s). Nationwide, the former program was larger. The latter was the more popular administrative mechanism, possibly because it more reliably controls growth. States vary dramatically in terms of Medicaid personal care. Medicaid personal care participants per 1,000 State population ranged from 7.33 to 0.04. Per capita expenditures ranged from $91.21 to $0.02.