Louisiana · personal care aide (PCA)
Louisiana requires 16 hours of training before agency direct service workers see their first client, plus 8 hours every year. Workers must also be cleared against the state Direct Service Worker Registry, which employers check again every month.
At a glance
What the state asks of PCAs who work for licensed agencies or Medicaid programs.
| Job titles | Direct Service Worker (DSW), direct care staff, Personal Care Attendant (PCA), direct support worker |
| Training | 16 hours on hire before you give care at a licensed agency, covering topics like client rights and emergency response, plus basic first aid within 45 days of hire |
| Exam | Agency written or oral evaluation of the initial training topics |
| Certification | No certificate, but you must be clear on the Louisiana Direct Service Worker Registry, which lists workers with adverse actions |
| Background check | Criminal history check, plus Direct Service Worker Registry and federal Office of Inspector General (OIG) exclusion list checks before hire and every month |
| Yearly training | 8 hours a year for agency direct care staff |
| Minimum age | 18 for self-direction workers. Not stated in the agency rule reviewed; ask the agency. |
| Agency licensing | Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), Health Standards Section (home and community based services provider license with Personal Care Attendant module) |
Training
Licensed home and community based services (HCBS) providers must give each new direct care worker 16 hours of training before they give care. Topics include client rights and emergency response, and the agency checks what you learned with a written or oral evaluation. You also need a basic first aid course within 45 days of hire and 8 hours of training every year.
If you work for someone in the Self-Direction Option, that person is your employer and trains you. Formal training is required only if you give medication or do certain noncomplex tasks.
The steps
The usual path for a new aide.
Family caregivers
Yes, in some programs. The Self-Direction Option in the Community Choices Waiver, and in waivers run by the Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities (OCDD), lets the participant hire workers, including qualified family members, through a fiscal employer agent.
A spouse can be paid only with approval from the Office of Aging and Adult Services (OAAS) under extraordinary care rules. The participant’s responsible representative cannot also be the paid worker, and relatives such as parents, stepparents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, and uncles must meet LDH criteria unless the LDH secretary grants a waiver.
Family rules for Long Term Personal Care Services (LT-PCS) were not confirmed; ask LDH.
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 | 16 hours before first client | 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 (LA) | $10.83 an hour* | $10.83 an hour* | $14.67 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 individual license, but you must not be listed on the Direct Service Worker Registry, and you need a criminal history check. Agency workers also need 16 hours of training before their first client.
Agency workers need 16 hours before giving care and 8 hours every year after, plus basic first aid within 45 days of hire.
It is a state list of workers with adverse actions. Providers must check it, along with the federal OIG exclusion list, before hiring you and every month after.
Yes, in some programs. If she uses the Self-Direction Option in the Community Choices Waiver, she can hire qualified family members through a fiscal employer agent. Her responsible representative cannot also be the paid worker.
Home health and personal care aides in Louisiana earn a median of $10.83 an hour, based on the May 2025 federal wage survey.