Personal assistance (PA) provides personal assistance to the person with a disability when the parent is not available for reasons that are not work. (If the parent isn't available due to work, then Regional Center can authorize day care (commonly called specialized supervision.) For example, during COVID, some individuals received more personal assistance hours because a parent with multiple children could not serve as the 1:1 aide for both children at the same time.
Many Regional Centers won't provide personal assistance for minors at all, or they'll only provide it as an extenuating circumstance (such as situations where the child's care requires two people). It's more commonly authorized when a parent has multiple children who are Regional Center clients. The PA assists the child, not the parent, and can't be a member of the household if the recipient is under 18 years old. However, if the recipient is over age 18, a parent living in the home could potentially serve as the PA.
For more information about Regional Center services, see Eligibility Under the Lanterman Act: Regional Center Services After Age 3.
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