The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) and the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) are working to highlight the need for personal care attendants. The jobs are available, and the need is great.
Personal care attendants who help Texans with disabilities live independently in their own homes and communities.
“These jobs change lives for both the people who receive attendant care and the people who provide attendant care,” said Clair Benitez, HHS Director of Office of Disability Services Coordination. “Personal care attendants truly make a positive difference in the lives of those they care for by helping Texans live more independently.”
According to HHSC, more than 300,000 people receive community attendant services through long-term services and support programs. To meet the growing need for direct care service workers, HHSC projects that the personal care attendant workforce will grow from 301,000 workers in 2019 to 484,000 in 2031.
Personal care attendants, also known as personal care assistants, community attendants, and direct care service workers, work for a person with a disability, a legally authorized representative, or a home health agency. Their daily duties include providing dressing, bathing, cooking, feeding, shopping assistance, and more.
“Personal care attendants provide essential support to individuals with disabilities and help them participate in employment,” said TWC Executive Director Ed Serna.
Texas’ workforce solutions offices provide opportunities for families to post openings through MyTXCareer.com for these positions, and TWC’s Vocational Rehabilitation program supports training for participants who enter the profession.
HHSC launched the Direct Service Workforce Development Taskforce, a collaborative workgroup whose purpose is to explore long-term recruitment and retention-based strategies within the career field.
“This is only a first step in recruiting potential job seekers who are interested in building a connection with a person with disabilities and supporting them to thrive in their community,” said Roxann Medina, project manager of HHS Office of Disability Services Coordination
To learn more about becoming a personal care attendant, visit HHSC. To apply for a personal care attendant job, visit WorkInTexas.