Indiana · personal care aide (PCA)
Indiana does not set a minimum number of training hours for personal care workers, who are usually called personal services attendants. Instead, the licensed agency that hires you checks your skills on each task and trains you where you need it. Indiana also changed its rules in 2024 on which family members can be paid.
At a glance
What the state asks of PCAs who work for licensed agencies or Medicaid programs.
| Job titles | Personal services attendant, attendant care provider, homemaker |
| Training | No minimum hours in state law. Your agency checks your skill on every task, trains you where needed, and checks again before you work without direct supervision. |
| Exam | No state exam. The agency gives a competency evaluation for each attendant care task. |
| Certification | No state certification or registry was found in state sources. |
| Background check | Expanded or national criminal history check before you start work |
| Yearly training | Not confirmed in state sources; ask the agency |
| Minimum age | Not confirmed in state sources; ask the agency |
| Agency licensing | Indiana Department of Health (personal services agency license) |
Training
Indiana leaves training to the agency. A licensed personal services agency must check that each attendant can safely do every task on the care plan, give extra training in any weak areas, and check again before the attendant works without direct agency supervision. State law does not set a minimum hour count.
Because each agency runs its own training, ask how long it takes and how it is scheduled before you accept a job.
The steps
The usual path for a new aide.
Family caregivers
Yes, in many cases. Indiana Medicaid programs such as Indiana PathWays for Aging (age 60 and older), the Health and Wellness waiver, and the Traumatic Brain Injury waiver offer participant-directed attendant care, and family members can be paid.
Since July 1, 2024, spouses and parents of minor children cannot be paid for attendant care. They may be able to provide Structured Family Caregiving instead.
Since December 31, 2025, an extraordinary care allowance lets a spouse or parent of a minor be paid for attendant care in the Health and Wellness and PathWays waivers, but only for high medical needs such as tracheostomy or ventilator care, and only with approval from the care team and the Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA). The Arc of Indiana also reports more limits on paid relatives and guardians starting August 1, 2026. Confirm with FSSA.
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 (IN) | $16.86 an hour* | $16.86 an hour* | $18.43 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 personal services attendants. You need to pass a criminal history check, and the agency that hires you must check your skills on each task.
State law sets no minimum. Your agency trains you until you can do each task safely and checks your skills before you work without direct supervision.
Often, yes, if she is in a Medicaid program such as Indiana PathWays for Aging that offers participant-directed attendant care. Check with FSSA, since more limits on paid relatives were reported for August 2026.
Not for regular attendant care since July 1, 2024. A spouse may be able to provide Structured Family Caregiving instead. Since December 31, 2025, a spouse can be paid for attendant care only under an extraordinary care allowance for high medical needs, with FSSA approval.
Home health and personal care aides in Indiana earn a median of $16.86 an hour, based on the May 2025 federal wage survey.