""Personal Care Attendants do incredibly challenging work to care for the most vulnerable among us, and they shouldn't have to also worry about being able to afford to meet their own basic needs," Healey said in a statement. "We want highly qualified, dedicated individuals to pursue and stay in careers as PCAs, but they need to be able to afford to do so.""
""This exemption brings substantial tax relief for trained live-in friends and family members who are providing crucial health care services for MassHealth members with disabilities," said Secretary of Health and Human Services Kiame Mahaniah, former chair of the state's PCA Workforce Council. PCA pay rates start around $20 per hour, and in recent years, the state has sometimes struggled to meet demand for personal care attendant services."
Massachusetts will exempt live-in personal care attendants from state and federal income taxes. The exemption applies to PCAs who reside in the same home as the person they assist and provide day-to-day help with bathing, dressing and other personal tasks. About 18,000 live-in PCAs are projected to save $5,000 or more annually. The state's PCA program is funded through MassHealth and employs roughly 60,000 people who provide care for over 50,000 members with disabilities. State officials obtained IRS confirmation that wages for MassHealth-covered services qualify for a federal Medicaid caregiver income tax exemption. PCA pay begins around $20 per hour.
Read at Boston.com
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