Personal Support, Participant-Directed

What is it?

Personal Support, Participant-Directed includes:

  • Teaching adaptive skills to assist the participant to reach personal goals.
  • Personal assistance in activities of daily living.
  • Services provided on a short-term basis because of the absence, incapacity or need for relief of those persons who are normally provide care (typically referred to as respite). 
  • Supports are provided in such areas as eating, bathing, dressing, personal hygiene, community integration, preparation of meals (not the cost of meals), and other activities of daily living. Supports may be provided to assist the individual to perform age-appropriate housekeeping chores such as bed-making, dusting and vacuuming, which are important to the health and welfare of the individual, not the individual's family.
  • Personal Support may include extending behavior and therapy services. Extending services means activities by the personal support worker that help the individual to use a behavior, occupational, physical or speech therapy plan to the extent permitted by state law and as described in the support plan. Implementation activities could be assistance with exercise routines, range of motion, reading the therapist's directions, helping the individual to remember and follow the steps of the plan or hands-on assistance. It does not include the actual service provided by a professional therapist.
  • Personal support is not intended to include professional services, home cleaning services, or other community services used by the general public.
  • Personal support may be provided in the individual's home and may include help to participate in community activities outside the home.

Please See:  Family Guidelines for Selecting a Personal Support Worker

How Do I Become A Provider? 

  1. You must coordinate with the individual's service facilitator and either ACES$ or Public Partnerships, LLC (PPL) as Fiscal/Employer Agent or F/EA to complete required documents and background checks necessary to complete the enrollment process.
  2. ACES$ and PPL provide assistance with provider enrollment, payroll processing and billing.
  3. For training requirements and other important information, please contact Dave.Adden@illinois.gov.