New Mexico · personal care aide (PCA)
New Mexico has two sets of rules. Medicaid personal care attendants must pass a written skills test and get CPR and first aid within 3 months, while licensed home health agencies must give 40 hours of training in the first year. Family members can be paid through Turquoise Care.
At a glance
What the state asks of PCAs who work for licensed agencies or Medicaid programs.
| Job titles | Personal care services (PCS) attendant, personal care attendant, homemaker |
| Training | Medicaid PCS: written test plus CPR and first aid within 3 months. Licensed home health agencies: 40 hours in the first year, 10 of them before working in a home. |
| Exam | Written competency test for Medicaid PCS attendants, 80 percent to pass, within 3 months of hire |
| Certification | No state certificate found in state sources; ask your agency |
| Background check | Statewide and nationwide criminal history screening, employee abuse registry check before hire, and TB screening |
| Yearly training | 12 hours a year for Medicaid PCS attendants; 10 hours a year at licensed home health agencies |
| Minimum age | Not confirmed in state sources; ask the agency |
| Agency licensing | New Mexico Health Care Authority (HCA), Division of Health Improvement. Medicaid PCS agencies also need HCA certification and managed care contracts. |
Training
If you work for a Medicaid personal care services (PCS) agency, you must pass a written competency test with a score of at least 80 percent and get CPR and first aid certification within your first 3 months. Your agency must then give you at least 12 hours of training each year.
If you work for a licensed home health agency as a homemaker or personal care attendant, you need at least 40 hours of training in your first year, including 10 hours before you work in a client’s home, plus 10 hours each year after that.
Names have changed recently. In July 2024 the Human Services Department became the Health Care Authority, and the Medicaid program Centennial Care became Turquoise Care.
The steps
The usual path for a new aide.
Family caregivers
Yes, in many cases. Under Turquoise Care, New Mexico’s Medicaid managed care program, family members, friends, and neighbors can be paid attendants through Agency Based Community Benefit (ABCB) care or the Self-Directed Community Benefit (SDCB). A family member is not paid for help they would normally give anyway, and an attendant who lives with the member is not paid for routine household chores unless they are specific to the member.
Spouses cannot be paid ABCB attendants. Under SDCB, a spouse or other legally responsible person may be paid only in extraordinary circumstances with approval from the member’s managed care organization (MCO).
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 | Written test (Medicaid) or 40 hours (home health) | 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 (NM) | $13.71 an hour* | $13.71 an hour* | $18.94 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 certificate was found for personal care attendants. Medicaid attendants must pass a written skills test and get CPR and first aid within 3 months of hire.
It depends on the employer. Licensed home health agencies require 40 hours in the first year and 10 a year after. Medicaid PCS agencies require a written test and 12 hours a year.
Yes, if she gets community benefits through Turquoise Care. Family members can be paid through ABCB personal care or the Self-Directed Community Benefit, but not for help they would normally give anyway.
Not under ABCB. Under the Self-Directed Community Benefit, a spouse may be paid only in extraordinary circumstances with MCO approval.
Home health and personal care aides in New Mexico earn a median of $13.71 an hour, based on the May 2025 federal wage survey.