Personal Assistance, Auxiliary Aids and Services

(1) Personal assistance services are a range of services to assist an individual with a disability to perform daily living activities on or off the job which the individual would typically perform if he or she did not have a disability. These services increase the individual's control in life and ability to perform everyday activities leading to greater independence and achievement of the individual’s vocational goal. (2) The Commission will provide personal assistance services for a maximum of 40 hours per week. However, additional hours may be approved by personnel designated by the Commission when necessary for the individual to participate in the vocational rehabilitation services described in the IPE. (3) Personal assistance services may only be provided to enable an individual to participate in an eligibility determination or in a vocational rehabilitation service in accordance with requirements for Order of Selection and an IPE. The IPE must describe all needed vocational rehabilitation services including the required personal assistance services and describe how the services support the achievement of an employment outcome. (4) Auxiliary aids and services include interpreter services for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing such as sign language, oral interpreter services, reader services and rehabilitation services. (5) Auxiliary aids and services do not include personal devices such as wheelchairs, individually prescribed devices such as prescription eyeglasses or hearing aids, readers for personal use or study, personal attendants, or other devices or services of a personal nature. (6) These aids and services may only be provided when necessary to enable an individual to participate in a vocational rehabilitation service. The case record must describe the purpose, costs, duration and how the aids and services support the vocational rehabilitation service(s). (7) Auxiliary aids and services are not subject to the determination of financial participation when they are necessary to enable an individual to access the VR program as required under § 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and/or the Americans with Disabilities Act. Rates, fees, and expenditures for personal assistance, auxiliary aids and services are subject to all applicable Commonwealth of Massachusetts statutory, regulatory, and related requirements governing purchases of services and goods. Comparable benefits that are available to meet, in whole or in part, the cost of personal assistance, auxiliary aids and services must be used prior to Commission funding.