Companion Services

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Companion services are direct support provided to individuals aged 18 and older who reside in private homes. These services are designed to offer supervision or assistance to ensure the participant’s health, safety, and well-being, or to help with daily living activities. The goal is to enable the participant to engage more fully in both home and community life. These services can be delivered in a variety of settings, including the participant’s place of employment.

When provided in community settings, Companion services must be inclusive and not segregated. These services cannot be offered in licensed settings, unlicensed residential settings, or camps. However, they may be used to help a participant volunteer in a nursing home or hospital, or to visit friends or family in licensed or unlicensed residential settings. Companion services are appropriate when In-Home and Community Support is not feasible or suitable, particularly when the service mainly involves supervising or performing tasks for the participant rather than teaching or enhancing skills.

Companion services primarily focus on offering supervision and support with socialization. As part of the service, companions may also help with tasks such as grooming, household chores, meal preparation and planning, mobility assistance, and medication management, following regulatory guidelines. This service can be utilized during hours when the participant is sleeping, providing supervision and/or assistance with tasks that don’t require constant support or non-habilitative care to ensure the participant’s safety.

Companion services, for instance, can be utilized during overnight hours for a participant living independently who may not be able to safely evacuate in an emergency or simply requires ongoing monitoring for conditions unrelated to post-surgical care or convulsive (grand mal) epilepsy.

Caregivers with whom the participant lives may not provide Companion services when the participant has been sleeping 5 or more hours and does not require direct care or supervision during those asleep hours. When direct care or supervision is provided, the caregiver may be reimbursed. This service can also be utilized to monitor participants during social or non-habilitative activities, when needed, to ensure their safety. Transportation necessary to enable participation in community activities outside of the home in accordance with the participant’s ISP that is 30 miles or less per day is included in the rate paid to agency providers. Mileage that is needed to enable participation in community activities that exceeds 30 miles on any given day should be authorized on the ISP and billed by the agency as Transportation Mile. Transportation is not included in the wage range for Companion services provided by Support Service Professionals in participant-directed services. As such, Transportation services should be authorized and billed as a discrete service. When Transportation services are authorized and billed as a discrete service (regardless of whether the services are delivered by an agency or Support Service Professional), Companion is compensable at the same time for the supervision, assistance, and/or care provided to the participant during transportation. Companion services cannot be used to solely transport a participant as this would be considered a Transportation service available in the waiver. The participant must have a need for supervision, assistance, or the performance of tasks on the participant’s behalf while in the home and community locations for which transportation is necessary. Companion can only be provided to participants age 18 and older.

All medically necessary personal care is covered through Medical Assistance for participants aged 18 to 20 pursuant to the EPSDT benefit and cannot be provided as a part of Companion services. Medically necessary personal care can only be covered for participants aged 21 and older as a part of Companion services. This service can be delivered in Pennsylvania and in states contiguous to Pennsylvania. During temporary travel, this service may be provided in Pennsylvania or other locations as per the ODP travel policy.