On Friday, June 27, 2025, Harrison testified at the MassHealth public hearing regarding proposed amendments to the Personal Care Attendant (PCA) services regulations under 130 CMR 422.000. The PCA program, a vital service for individuals with permanent or chronic disabilities, enables MassHealth members to maintain their independence and manage personal care with support from hired PCAs.

The proposed amendments aim to clarify and update several key requirements of the PCA program, including:

• Contact Information: A requirement for consumers, PCAs, surrogates, and administrative proxies to provide email contact details.
• Complex Care Payment Differential: The establishment of prior authorization requirements for certain PCA tasks, including digital stimulation and enteral tube feeding.
• Holiday Pay: The addition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth as recognized holidays for PCA holiday pay.
• EVV Exemption Attestations: Clarification on the existing requirement for accurate and true attestations for Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) exemption requests.
• PCA Employment Rules: New rules include a minimum age requirement of 16 for PCAs, and restrictions that prevent PCAs from being MassHealth members receiving PCA services.
• Weekly Hour Limits: The introduction of a weekly hour limit of 66 hours per PCA, whether they work for one or multiple consumers.
• Prior Authorization Process: The implementation of a PCP Summary Form as a requirement for prior authorization to initiate and annually renew PCA services.
• Intake and Orientation: A new requirement for Personal Care Management (PCM) agencies to conduct three Intake and Orientation sessions for each new consumer to ensure effective onboarding.

These amendments aim to improve the efficiency, sustainability, and quality of the PCA program while ensuring that members continue to receive the personal care assistance they need. The proposed changes will not affect the total number of hours a member is authorized to receive.

Harrison Collins’s testimony emphasized the importance of these revisions in maintaining fiscal responsibility while enhancing the quality of care for PCA recipients. 

The effective date of the proposed amendments is set for January 1, 2026.

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