An individual who is functionally disabled but does not need the services of a licensed Long Term Care (LTC) facility may be helped by services offered in a Personal Care Home (PCH) or a Domiciliary (Dom) Care Home. 55 Pa. Code § 299.1 55 Pa Code § 299.1 (c) (2)
PCHs provide shelter, supervision, meals,and assistance with daily living. Residents of PCHs are most often the elderly or individuals with physical, behavior health, or cognitive disabilities who need assistance with daily activities but who do not need medical care or the skilled care provided in a LTC facility. PCHs may accept individuals who are immobile if they can be safety removed from the home in a emergency. Personal Care Homes may be licensed to care for from four individuals to a few hundred individuals. The Department of Public Welfare (DPW) licenses PCHs.
Dom Care Homes provide shelter, supervision, meals, and assistance with daily living in the Dom Care provider’s own home. Residents of Dom Care Homes most often have mental, physical, or emotional impairments for which assistance is needed in order to remain in the community. Dom Care Homes are an alternative to institutionalization for mobile and partially mobile individuals in need of services. Dom Care Homes are certified for no more than three residents at one time. The Department of Aging certifies Dom Care Homes.
NOTE: PCHs and Dom Care Homes may be operated by a public agency or by an individual who runs it privately. It may be run as a nonprofit or a profit-making business.
A resident of a PCH or Dom Care Home may be eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits if the facility can be considered a group living arrangement. See the SNAP Handbook, Chapter 511, Living Arrangements. An Application for Benefits (PA 600) must be completed if requesting SNAP benefits.
Individuals residing in PCHs and Dom Care Homes are eligible to receive a Personal Care Supplement, or State Supplement, if they are eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. The Personal Care Supplement is paid by the State but administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA). This Personal Care Supplement paid to individuals residing in PCHs and Dom Care Homes includes a Personal Needs Allowance (PNA). Residents of these facilities use the majority of their SSI and Personal Care Supplement to pay for the care provided in the facility. However, they are allowed to keep the portion of this income that is considered the PNA. The PNA may be used to pay for personal expenses. See Appendix A for the current SSI personal care supplement and PNA amounts.
An individual who receives a Personal Care Supplement can get the same medical services and benefits as any other SSI recipient. See Chapter 387, Supplemental Security Income, and Chapter 338, Medical Assistance Benefits, for additional information.
Updated February 14, 2012, Replacing February 8, 2002