Kansas · personal care aide (PCA)
Kansas does not set a minimum number of training hours for personal care workers, often called attendants. Licensed agencies must check your skills before you work alone and again every year. If you work for someone who directs their own care, that person trains you.
At a glance
What the state asks of PCAs who work for licensed agencies or Medicaid programs.
| Job titles | Attendant, personal care services (PCS) worker, supportive care worker, home and community based services (HCBS) worker |
| Training | No minimum hours. Licensed agencies check your skills before you work alone and give ongoing training. In self-directed care, the person you care for trains you. |
| Exam | No state exam. Licensed agencies require a skills demonstration before you work alone, repeated every year. |
| Certification | No state certification or registry was found in state sources. |
| Background check | State criminal record check with no prohibited offenses. Kansas is moving these checks to a new system called KanCheck. |
| Yearly training | Yearly skills recheck in ten subject areas plus ongoing training at licensed agencies; no hour count set |
| Minimum age | For KanCare personal care services workers: 18 or older, or a high school diploma. 16 for the intellectual and developmental disability (I/DD) waiver. |
| Agency licensing | Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) home health agency license. Under a 2017 change to state law, this covers agencies that provide non-medical supportive care or Medicaid waiver attendant care for a fee. |
Training
In Kansas, training depends on who you work for. Home health agencies licensed by KDHE must have supportive care and HCBS workers show they can do the job before working alone, then recheck them every year in ten subject areas and keep training them. The state does not set an hour minimum.
If you work in self-directed personal care services, the person receiving care is your employer and trains you. Some health related tasks need a registered nurse (RN) to approve them before a self-directed worker can do them.
The steps
The usual path for a new aide.
Family caregivers
Yes, often. KanCare waivers, including Frail Elderly, Physical Disability, Brain Injury, and I/DD, offer self-directed personal care services through Financial Management Services, and family members can be paid.
Generally a spouse, a parent of a minor child, a guardian, a conservator, or someone acting under an activated health care durable power of attorney (DPOA) cannot be paid. Guardians and DPOA holders can sometimes be paid if a conflict of interest plan is in place.
Read our full guide: how to get paid to care for a family member.
Compare
All three help people with daily care. Training, tasks, and pay differ.
| Personal care aide | Home health aide | CNA | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Training | No set hours; agency skills check | 75 hours federal minimum, including 16 hands-on | State-approved program, 75 hours or more |
| Medical tasks | Mostly not. Help with daily living, like bathing, dressing, meals, and housework | Some, like vital signs, under nurse supervision | Yes, under nurse supervision |
| Where you work | Clients' homes, group homes, assisted living | Clients' homes, through home health agencies | Nursing homes and hospitals |
| Median pay (KS) | $15.03 an hour* | $15.03 an hour* | $18.27 an hour |
*Federal pay data groups personal care aides with home health aides. Many PCAs later become CNAs, which opens more jobs and higher pay.
FAQ
Short answers to what people ask most.
No state license or certificate was found for attendants. You need a clean state criminal record check, and licensed agencies must check your skills before you work alone.
Kansas sets no hour minimum. Agencies check your skills before you work alone and every year after. In self-directed care, the person you care for trains you.
Yes, in many cases, if she gets services through a KanCare waiver and chooses self-direction. Spouses, guardians, and parents of minor children generally cannot be paid.
KanCare policy for personal care services workers says 18 or older, or holding a high school diploma. For the I/DD waiver, the minimum is 16.
Home health and personal care aides in Kansas earn a median of $15.03 an hour, based on the May 2025 federal wage survey.