Connecticut · personal care aide (PCA)
Connecticut does not set a number of training hours for personal care attendants, called PCAs here. Instead, PCAs who serve Medicaid clients must take a free state training course and pass its test with a score of at least 70 percent. Here is how it works and what family caregivers should know about getting paid.
At a glance
What the state asks of PCAs who work for licensed agencies or Medicaid programs.
| Job titles | Personal care attendant (PCA), personal care assistant, homemaker, companion |
| Training | Medicaid PCAs take the free Department of Social Services (DSS) PCA training. Agency hires finish it within 90 days. No hour count is set. |
| Exam | DSS PCA course exam. You need 70 percent in each section and may retake it. |
| Certification | No state certificate or registry. Your course certificate is kept in your employer’s personnel file. |
| Background check | Homemaker-companion agencies must run a local and national criminal background check before hire. Medicaid agencies also check the federal exclusion list. |
| Yearly training | DSS does not require yearly training for Medicaid PCAs, but it recommends that agencies offer ongoing training. Ask your agency. |
| Minimum age | 18 for PCA Waiver workers |
| Agency licensing | Department of Public Health licenses home health care agencies. Department of Consumer Protection registers homemaker-companion agencies. |
Training
PCAs who serve clients in Connecticut’s Medicaid home care programs must complete the DSS Standardized PCA Training Modules. The training is free. If you are hired by an agency, you have 90 days from your hire date to finish it. If you are hired directly by a client in the PCA Waiver, you must view the same training and pass the follow-up exam.
To pass, you need a score of at least 70 percent in each section, and you can retake the test. The state does not set a number of training hours for PCAs or for homemaker-companion agency workers, so your employer may add its own training.
The steps
The usual path for a new aide.
Family caregivers
It depends on the program, and the rules are still being updated. Connecticut’s Medicaid programs, including Community First Choice (CFC), the PCA Waiver, and the Connecticut Home Care Program for Elders (CHCPE), let clients hire their own PCAs.
Draft program rules say spouses and parents of minor children cannot be paid in the PCA Waiver or CHCPE. The PCA Waiver draft also says relatives and legal guardians cannot be paid. A CHCPE draft would allow some other qualified relatives to be paid. These are drafts, so the final rules could differ.
Family pay rules for CFC were not confirmed in state sources. A conservator cannot be the paid PCA.
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; Medicaid PCAs pass a state course test | 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 (CT) | $18.75 an hour* | $18.75 an hour* | $21.53 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 state certificate or registry. If you serve Medicaid clients as a PCA, you must complete the free DSS PCA training and pass its exam with at least 70 percent in each section.
The state does not set a number of hours. Agency hires must finish the DSS PCA training within 90 days of hire.
Possibly, but it depends on the program. Draft rules for the PCA Waiver say relatives cannot be paid, while a draft for the elder care program would allow some qualified relatives. Check with DSS before you count on it.
The Department of Public Health licenses home health care agencies. Non-medical homemaker-companion agencies must register with the Department of Consumer Protection.
Home health and personal care aides in Connecticut earn a median of $18.75 an hour, based on the May 2025 federal wage survey.