Alaska · personal care aide (PCA)
Alaska calls these workers personal care assistants (PCAs). Agency-based PCAs need 40 hours of training taught by a licensed nurse and a state-approved competency test, and every PCA must be individually enrolled with the Alaska Department of Health. Here is how it works and how family caregivers can get paid.
At a glance
What the state asks of PCAs who work for licensed agencies or Medicaid programs.
| Job titles | Personal care assistant (PCA), direct service worker |
| Training | At least 40 hours of state-approved instruction taught by a licensed nurse for agency-based PCAs. Consumer-directed PCAs are trained by the person they care for or that person’s representative. |
| Exam | A standardized competency test approved by the state (agency-based program) |
| Certification | No certificate, but each PCA must be individually enrolled with the Alaska Department of Health |
| Background check | Alaska Background Check Program criminal history check, plus state and federal exclusion list checks, before you provide care |
| Yearly training | No yearly hour total found. You need CPR within the past 2 years and critical incident reporting training at least every 2 years. |
| Minimum age | 18 |
| Agency licensing | Senior and Disabilities Services (SDS), Alaska Department of Health, certifies Medicaid personal care agencies. A license for private-pay agencies was not confirmed. |
Training
The 40-hour course is taught by a licensed nurse and covers infection control, bowel and bladder care, nutrition and meal preparation, transfers, death and dying, legal requirements, and universal precautions. You then pass a state-approved competency test.
You may be able to start working before you finish. The state can pay for a PCA who has at least 16 hours of training, has done similar work before with a good job review, and is enrolled in a course they will finish within 4 months. Registered nurses (RNs), certified nursing assistants (CNAs), and certified community health aides already qualify without the 40-hour course.
In the Consumer-Directed PCA program, the person receiving care or their representative trains the PCA instead.
The steps
The usual path for a new aide.
Family caregivers
Yes, in many cases. Alaska Medicaid pays for personal care through Personal Care Services, which has a consumer-directed option, and through Community First Choice (CFC). Relatives other than spouses and parents of minors are not barred by the rules.
Spouses and parents of minor children cannot be paid for regular Personal Care Services. They can be paid for CFC personal care when they work for a certified provider agency. State rules cap that paid care at 40 hours per 7 days, but a June 2025 state memo says Alaska will not enforce the cap and plans to remove it.
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 | 40 hours plus a competency test (agency PCAs) | 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 (AK) | $19.11 an hour* | $19.11 an hour* | $22.29 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.
There is no caregiver license, but every personal care assistant must be individually enrolled with the Alaska Department of Health. Agency-based PCAs also need 40 hours of training and a passing score on a state-approved competency test.
The agency-based course is at least 40 hours. The state can pay for your work after 16 hours if you have done similar work before and are enrolled in a course you will finish within 4 months.
Yes, if she gets Medicaid personal care. Adult children are not barred by the rules and can be paid through Personal Care Services, including the consumer-directed option, or through Community First Choice.
Only for Community First Choice personal care, and only when employed by a certified provider agency. Spouses cannot be paid for regular State Plan Personal Care Services.
Home health and personal care aides in Alaska earn a median of $19.11 an hour, based on the May 2025 federal wage survey.