Does Consumer Direction Affect the Quality of Medicaid Personal Assistance in Arkansas?

March 2003

Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.

Does Consumer Direction Affect the Quality of Medicaid Personal Assistance in Arkansas?

Medicaid beneficiaries who have disabilities and receive personal care services (PCS) from home care agencies have little control over their care. As a result, some are dissatisfied, have unmet needs, and experience diminished quality of life. This study of Arkansass Cash and Counseling demonstration program, IndependentChoices, examines how consumer direction affects these aspects of care quality relative to agency-directed services.

Demonstration enrollment, which occurred between December 1998 and April 2001, was open to interested Arkansans who were at least 18 years . . .