Baton Rouge Senior AdvisorWhat is LT-PCS in Louisiana?
Long Term-Personal Care Services (LT-PCS) is a Louisiana Medicaid state plan program that pays for hands-on personal care at home for people 21 and older who qualify for nursing home care and need at least limited help with one activity of daily living.
Because LT-PCS is a state plan service rather than a waiver, it does not use the Request for Services Registry, which is why it often starts sooner than the Community Choices Waiver.
Who qualifies for LT-PCS?
Besides Medicaid eligibility and nursing facility level of care, the person must be in a nursing home and able to leave with help, likely to need nursing home admission within 120 days, or have a primary caregiver who is disabled or at least 70 years old.
The caregiver test catches many Baton Rouge households: an 84-year-old mother caring for a 78-year-old husband, for example. OAAS assesses the person and sets the number of approved hours.
What does LT-PCS pay for?
Hands-on help with bathing, dressing, eating, toileting and moving around, plus light housekeeping, meal preparation, shopping, laundry and medication reminders.
It does not pay for nursing care, giving medications, companionship or sitter services. A parent who needs someone present all night for safety will need another arrangement for those hours.
How do we request LT-PCS in the Baton Rouge area?
Call Louisiana Options in Long-Term Care at 1-877-456-1146; it screens for level of care and refers the case, and the person chooses a licensed agency to provide the hours.
Ask the agency how it handles missed shifts and whether the same aide will come each time. The parish council on aging can explain local options; in East Baton Rouge that is (225) 923-8000.
How is LT-PCS different from the Community Choices Waiver?
LT-PCS covers personal care hours only and has no waiting list of its own, while the CCW covers a broader menu of services but requires a waiver slot from the registry.
Many people start with LT-PCS and move to the CCW when a slot opens; people approved for 32 hours of LT-PCS who would otherwise need a nursing home get expedited CCW access. See CCW versus LT-PCS.
Side by side
| LT-PCS covers | LT-PCS does not cover | |
|---|---|---|
| Personal care | Bathing, dressing, toileting, eating, mobility | Skilled nursing |
| Household help | Light housekeeping, meals, laundry, shopping | Heavy cleaning or yard work |
| Medications | Reminders | Administration |
| Supervision | Hands-on tasks during approved hours | Companionship or sitting |
Sources: LAC 48:I.Chapter 68 for adult residential care, Louisiana Department of Health (Health Standards Section and Office of Aging and Adult Services) program pages, the Governor's Office of Elderly Affairs, CareScout and VA rate tables, each cited in the text. Our editorial standards explain how we check them.
