West Virginia · personal care aide (PCA)
West Virginia has no state certificate for personal care workers, but you must finish a list of required trainings, such as CPR and First Aid, before your first shift. Every worker is also screened through the WV CARES fingerprint system. Here is how it works and how family caregivers can get paid.
At a glance
What the state asks of PCAs who work for licensed agencies or Medicaid programs.
| Job titles | Direct care worker, personal attendant, personal care worker |
| Training | No set hours, but you must first finish required topics, including CPR, First Aid, infection control, daily living skills, abuse and neglect, patient privacy (HIPAA), and ethics. |
| Exam | Agency posttests with a passing score of at least 70 percent, or 80 percent for the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Settings Rule training. |
| Certification | No PCA certification. WV CARES checks registries before hire and every month after. |
| Background check | Fingerprint-based state and federal check through WV CARES, with a fitness decision. State criminal checks repeat every five years. Aged and Disabled Waiver (ADW) agencies cannot use provisional hires. |
| Yearly training | ADW: 2 hours of skills training. Medicaid Personal Care: 4 hours, per a pending draft manual. Both also renew CPR, First Aid, and other core topics. |
| Minimum age | 18 |
| Agency licensing | No separate state license for non-medical agencies was confirmed. Medicaid agencies need a Certificate of Need and approval from the Bureau for Medical Services (BMS) operating agency. |
Training
Before you work with anyone, you must complete CPR with a skills demonstration, First Aid, infection control (universal precautions), help with daily living tasks, spotting abuse and neglect, patient privacy (HIPAA), direct-care ethics, and other competency-based topics. Training comes from your agency’s registered nurse (RN) or other qualified trainers, the program’s operating agency, or approved online courses. CNAs and LPNs can be hired with shortened training.
Each year, Aged and Disabled Waiver (ADW) workers take 2 hours of direct-care skills training, down from 4 hours as of June 1, 2026. For Medicaid Personal Care, the figure is 4 hours a year, but that number comes from a draft manual still marked pending, so check with your agency. Both groups also renew CPR, First Aid, infection control, abuse and neglect, and HIPAA training.
The steps
The usual path for a new aide.
Family caregivers
Yes. Through Personal Options, the self-directed part of the Aged and Disabled Waiver (ADW), members can hire family with help from a fiscal employer agent. Spouses and court-appointed legal guardians cannot be paid.
In state plan Medicaid Personal Care, spouses, parents of minor children, and legal guardians cannot be paid. Someone who holds a medical power of attorney, a power of attorney, or a health care surrogate role can be paid only through an agency or if another person serves as the program representative.
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 | Required topics, no set hours | 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 (WV) | $13.47 an hour* | $13.47 an hour* | $17.66 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. West Virginia has no personal care certificate. You must pass the WV CARES background check and complete required trainings such as CPR and First Aid before your first shift.
There is no set number of starting hours. You finish a required list of topics and pass agency posttests. Each year, ADW workers take 2 hours of skills training, and Personal Care workers likely take 4, based on a pending manual.
Yes, if she is in the Aged and Disabled Waiver or Medicaid Personal Care. Family members can be paid, but spouses and legal guardians cannot.
WV CARES is the state system that runs fingerprint-based state and federal background checks and registry screening for direct care workers. It checks registries before hire and every month after that.
Home health and personal care aides in West Virginia earn a median of $13.47 an hour, based on the May 2025 federal wage survey.