Office of Inspector General - Temporary COVID-19 Personal Care Attendant - Revisions to the Eight (8) Hour Course

Aug 30, 2026

Guidance letter from the Office of Inspector General dated April 14, 2020 details a temporary COVID-19 waiver allowing long-term care facilities to employ trained Personal Care Attendants (PCAs) to perform defined resident care procedures. It outlines the temporary scope, authorization duration tied to the Executive Order, and staffing rationale during pandemic-related work increases and shortages. The document specifies candidate eligibility, required background checks and registry enrollment, training responsibilities, and minimum instruction and simulation hours.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time10 min

AccessFree to download

Overview

Scope

Requirements

Training Standards

Required Areas of Instruction/Competency

Andy Beshear Governor OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL 275 East Main Street, 5E-A Frankfort, KY 40621 (502) 564-2888 Fax: (502) 564-6546 [https://chfs.ky.gov/agencies/os/oig](https://chfs.ky.gov/agencies/os/oig) Eric C. Friedlander Acting Secretary Adam Mather Inspector General FROM: Adam Mather Inspector General DATE: April 14, 2020 SUBJECT: Temporary COVID-19 Personal Care Attendant – Revisions in Red Font Eight (8) Hour Course Minimum Five (5) Hour Classroom and Three (3) Hour Simulation/Competency Check-Off Overview: This temporary waiver permits a long-term care facility to employ a trained Personal Care Attendant (“PCA”) to perform defined resident care procedures that do not require the skill or training required for a State Registered Nurse Aide (“SRNA”) who has successfully completed the nurse aide training and competency evaluation program established by 907 KAR 1:450 . Scope: The PCA position is a temporary accommodation made by the Commonwealth to address work increases and staffing shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The position and its attendant training are permitted by the Office of Inspector General in collaboration with the Kentucky Department of Public Health and Department of Medicaid Services pursuant to authority granted in KRS 214.020 and Executive Order 2020- 215. The PCA position will be authorized only while the Executive Order remains in effect, plus any additional time afterward that the Cabinet for Health and Family Services may deem necessary to facilitate providers’orderly resumption of normal staffing. Requirements: • A candidate for training must be at least eighteen (18) years of age. There are no minimum educational requirements. • A PCA who completes training and is employed by a facility must: o Satisfy the same criminal background checks requirements as required for long-term care facility employees pursuant to KRS 216.788 – 216.793; o Submit to a check of the nurse aide abuse registry; and o Be registered through the Kentucky Board of Nursing. Training Standards: • Completion of all training and documentation requirements for PCA candidates is the ultimate responsibility of the training/hiring facility. • Any licensed long-term care facility may train PCA candidates without regard to any current Nurse Aide Training and Competency Evaluation Program training ban that may be in place. • The PCA training course must be taught by an instructor who is a licensed nurse confirmed by the facility to have completed all training in accordance with 907 KAR 1:450, Section 3 necessary to be a Nurse Aide Program Instructor for the Nurse Aide Training and Competency Evaluation Program. An online training program that meets the course components identified under Required Areas of Instruction/Competency below may be used in lieu of an instructor who has completed the training required by 907 KAR 1:450, Section 3. • Training must consist of a minimum of five (5) hours of classroom teaching and three (3) hours of supervised simulation in which the PCA candidate exhibits competency in all areas of training. • Classroom teaching must be developed using applicable portions ofthe standardized Nurse Aide Training and Competency Evaluation Program Curriculum. The curriculum may be supplemented with additional resources relevant to current industry concerns and any regulatory directives or guidance concerning COVID-19. • Upon the completion of classroom instruction, PCA candidates must simulate and demonstrate competency in all required care procedures. Under observation by the instructor, PCA candidates will first simulate procedures while working together in pairs or teams. Next, the instructor (or the instructor with the assistance of a licensed nurse) must observe each candidate’s simulation of required skills and document the candidate’s competency. • Upon completion of the eight (8) hour course, the facility must submit the names of all PCA

FAQs

What does the temporary COVID-19 PCA waiver allow long-term care facilities to do?

It permits a trained Personal Care Attendant to perform defined resident care procedures that do not require the skill or training required for a State Registered Nurse Aide who completed required nurse aide training and competency evaluation.

Who is eligible for the PCA training under this guidance?

A training candidate must be at least eighteen (18) years old, with no minimum educational requirements stated.

What training and competency hours are required for PCA candidates?

Training must include at least five (5) hours of classroom teaching and three (3) hours of supervised simulation demonstrating competency in all required areas.

Aug 30, 2026

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