Definition
Direct support professional” means an individual who:
(a) Provides services to a participant in accordance with Section 4 of this administrative
regulation;
(b) Has direct contact with a participant when providing services to the participant;

Requirements
1. Eighteen (18) years old and has a high school diploma or GED; or
2. Twenty-one (21) years old;
(d) Meets the personnel and training requirements established in Section 3 of the SCL regulations;
(e) Can:
1. Communicate effectively with a participant and the participant’s family;
2. Read, understand, and implement written and oral instructions;
3. Perform required documentation; and
4. Participate as a member of the participant’s person-centered team if requested by the participant; and
(f) Demonstrates competence and knowledge on topics required to safely support the participant as described in the participant’s person-centered service plan.

Job Description
-Personal Assistance Providers will ensure the following regulations and job descriptions are followed:
Shall be provided by a direct support professional;
(b) Shall enable a participant to accomplish tasks that the participant normally would do for himself or herself if the participant did not have a disability;
(c) Shall be available only to a participant who lives in the participant’s own residence or in the participant’s family residence;
(d) May be participant-directed and, if participant-directed, may be provided by an immediate family member, guardian, or legally responsible individual of the participant in accordance with Section 10 of this administrative regulation;
(e) Shall include:
1. Hands-on assistance (performing a task for a participant);
2. Reminding, observing, guiding, or training a participant in activities of daily living;
3. Reminding, observing, guiding, or training a participant in instrumental activities of daily living;
4. Assisting a participant in managing the participant’s medical care, including making medical appointments and accompanying the participant to medical appointments; or
5. Transportation, which is not otherwise available under the Medicaid Program, to access community services, activities, and appointments;
(f) Shall take place in a participant’s home or in the community as appropriate to the participant’s need;
(g) Shall not be available to a participant:
1. Receiving paid residential supports; or
2. Under the age of twenty-one (21), if medically necessary personal assistance is available as an early and periodic screening, diagnostic, and treatment service;
(h) Shall not supplant an educational service available under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1401 et seq.); and

DOCUMENTATION
1. A note for each contact, which shall include:
a. A full description of each service rendered;
b. Evidence of training or service to support outcomes designated in the participant’s person-centered service plan as appropriate;
c. The date of the service;
d. The location of the service;
e. The beginning and ending time of the service;
f. The signature and title of the direct support professional providing the service; and
g. The date the entry was made in the record; and

MOST IMPORTANTLY ALL STAFF WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MONITORING AND ENSURING THE HEALTH, SAFETY, WELFARE, INTEGRITY, PRIVACY, AND THE RIGHTS OF ALL PARTICIPANTS.