Personal care assistants (PCAs) provide support that enables older adults and individuals with disabilities to remain in home and community settings. This study characterizes the role played by family members and non-family PCAs in California’s Medicaid program, which oversees the nation’s largest consumer-directed personal care assistance program. We describe factors that affect turnover among PCAs, because turnover is associated with lower quality of care and adverse outcomes for recipients.

This report characterizes the role played by family members and non-family personal care assistants (PCAs) in California’s Medicaid program, which oversees the nation’s largest consumer-directed personal care assistance program.