Personal Care/In-Home Services

Program Description

This program provides services that enable individuals to remain at home safely for as long as possible or return home after a hospitalization or skilled facility. Services are typically provided Monday through Friday, although special accommodations can sometimes be made. All services are provided by trained staff through the County or a home care agency contracted by the County.

Services include:

  • Bathing/personal care/using the bathroom
  • Physical assistance with getting from bed to chair
  • Eating reminders/assistance
  • Medication reminders
  • Meal preparation
  • Laundry/light housekeeping
  • Assistance with grocery shopping
  • Healthcare escorts

Eligibility Criteria

  • Be an adult living in Arlington in an independent living setting (i.e. home or apartment).
  • Have a physical or cognitive disability that makes it difficult to complete home and self-care tasks.
  • Are homebound or have great difficulty and require assistance to leave the home.
  • Are willing to participate and follow program guidelines.

Generally, services are for people who can’t drive or leave their homes independently.

What is the cost?

  • The client may be asked to pay a fee for services based on income. The assessor will provide more details about the fee during the initial contact with the client.

Application Process

  1. Call 703-228-1700 to set up an appointment.

Referral Process

  1. Staff in the Aging and Disability Services Division (ADSD) take the referral and determines if the client meets the criteria for the program.
  2. Once the client is identified as meeting the criteria for the program, a designated ADSD assessor will visit the client for assessment at home, complete paperwork, including consent forms and the Uniform Assessment Instrument (UAI) and determine authorized hours, using a standard tool.
    1. This could take two or more weeks. Clients are prioritized for services based on needs and available County funding.
    2. The referring case managers may need to jointly visit with ADSD’s assessor to do the assessment or provide information for the UAI.
  3. After the home visit, the ADSD assessor will submit an electronic referral to the authorized vendor. While the County may have multiple contacts, ADSD staff select the vendor, based on the criteria in the contracts and which services each vendor has been contracted to provide.

Process Once Vendor is Assigned

  1. Once the vendor receives the referral, their staff will visit the client at home to set up a plan of care for authorized services. This may be another opportunity for a joint visit, including the referring case manager and vendor’s staff.
  2. The vendor will staff the case with an aide, taking into consideration authorized hours and the client’s preferences for service days and hours. Please know that if clients can be more flexible, their case will be staffed more quickly.
  3. Once the vendor’s services are in place, a nurse or social work case manager from that agency will monitor and supervise the work of the aides and monitor the client with visits every six months, to check status and update plan of care to include an annual UAI update.
  4. Referring case managers can and should contact the vendors’ staff about client concerns or issues. The ADSD staff person who assessed the client at home will make sure the referring case manager has this information. ADSD will have a DHS Release of Information in place so all DHS staff can talk with the vendor’s staff.
  5. ADSD staff meet with the vendors’ staff monthly. Referring case managers are also invited to the monthly meeting hosted by ADSD who can provide this information, as needed.

Contact Us

  • Call 703-228-1700 (703-228-1788 TTY) or email us at arlaaa@arlingtonva.us to learn more about these services.
  • Visit the Customer Service Center from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. on business days. Meet with an intake worker for an initial assessment of your needs.

Contact Us

Aging and Disability Services
Department of Human Services
2100 Washington Blvd., 4th Floor
Arlington, VA 22204 | Map
Tel: 703-228-1700 (8 a.m. – 5 p.m.)
TTY: 703-228-1788  (8 a.m. – 5 p.m.)
Email Us

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