Maine · personal care aide (PCA)
Maine requires a 50-hour Personal Support Specialist (PSS) course for agency workers who give hands-on care like bathing and toileting. You can start working first, then finish the course within 9 months. People who hire their own attendants through MaineCare, Maine’s Medicaid program, train them directly.
At a glance
What the state asks of PCAs who work for licensed agencies or Medicaid programs.
| Job titles | Personal Support Specialist (PSS), direct care worker, personal care attendant, attendant |
| Training | 50 hours (40 classroom plus 10 clinical) for agency staff giving hands-on care. Enroll within 60 days of hire and finish within 9 months. Active certified nursing assistants (CNAs) already qualify. |
| Exam | No PSS exam was found in state sources; ask the training program |
| Certification | Personal support specialists can be listed on the Maine Registry of Certified Nursing Assistants and Direct Care Workers |
| Background check | Background check before hire for direct care workers of licensed providers, plus Adult and Child Protective Services history checks for agency staff |
| Yearly training | Not confirmed in state sources; ask the agency |
| Minimum age | Not confirmed in state sources; ask the agency |
| Agency licensing | Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Division of Licensing and Certification (Personal Care Agency license) |
Training
Maine’s Personal Support Specialist curriculum, updated in 2019, is kept by the DHHS Division of Licensing and Certification and taught by approved instructors. It runs 50 hours: 40 in the classroom and 10 in clinical practice.
You need it if you work for a licensed Personal Care Agency and give hands-on care such as bathing, transfers, or toileting. You must enroll within 60 days of hire and finish within 9 months. If you are already an active CNA, you do not need the PSS course.
The steps
The usual path for a new aide.
Family caregivers
Sometimes. Under MaineCare Section 12, Consumer Directed Attendant Services, the member hires, trains, and supervises their own attendant.
That program does not allow a family member to be the attendant, and it defines family member as a spouse, a parent or stepparent of a minor child, or another legally responsible relative. Other relatives, such as adult children, are not excluded by that definition.
Family rules for other MaineCare programs, such as Section 19, were not confirmed; ask MaineCare.
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 | 50-hour PSS course for agency staff | 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 (ME) | $18.55 an hour* | $18.55 an hour* | $22.63 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.
If you give hands-on care for a licensed Personal Care Agency, you need the 50-hour Personal Support Specialist course or an active CNA. You have 60 days from hire to enroll and 9 months to finish.
50 hours: 40 classroom hours and 10 clinical hours, taught by state approved instructors.
Possibly. In MaineCare's Consumer Directed Attendant Services, spouses, parents of minor children, and other legally responsible relatives cannot be the attendant, but adult children are not excluded by that rule. Ask MaineCare which program fits.
No. An active CNA can do hands-on agency work without the PSS course, but you do not need to be a CNA. Otherwise, you take the 50-hour PSS course.
Home health and personal care aides in Maine earn a median of $18.55 an hour, based on the May 2025 federal wage survey.