If someone you love needs help with everyday tasks — bathing, dressing, meals, moving safely around the house — you are not alone, and there is a name for the kind of help you are looking for: personal care services. This guide explains what they are, who qualifies, how they are paid for, and how to get them in New Mexico, in plain language.
Key takeaways
- Personal care services (PCS) provide non-medical help with daily living so people can stay safely at home.
- Medicaid — Turquoise Care in New Mexico — is the main payer; Medicare generally does not cover ongoing personal care.
- New Mexico offers agency-based and self-directed care, and qualifying family members can often be paid caregivers.
- Eligibility is based on need, not age — an in-home assessment sets your approved hours.
What are personal care services?
Personal care services (often shortened to PCS) provide a trained caregiver in the home to help with what clinicians call activities of daily living — bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, eating, and moving safely — along with everyday tasks like meal preparation, light housekeeping, laundry, and errands. The goal is simple: help people stay safely in their own homes instead of moving to a facility.
Personal care is non-medical. That distinction matters, because it determines who provides it and who pays for it. Skilled needs — wound care, injections, therapy — fall under home health care instead, and the two often work side by side.
Do these programs exist everywhere?
Yes. Every U.S. state offers some form of Medicaid-funded personal care at home, though the names and rules vary widely — California calls it IHSS, Texas calls it PAS, and many states run it through Medicaid waivers. Two things are true almost everywhere:
- Medicaid is the primary payer for long-term personal care. Eligibility is based on both financial need and a functional assessment of how much help a person needs.
- Medicare generally does not cover it. Medicare pays for short-term skilled care after illness or surgery — not ongoing help with daily living. This surprises many families, so it is worth knowing early.
The rest of this guide covers how it works here in New Mexico.
How PCS works in New Mexico: Turquoise Care
New Mexico delivers Medicaid through a program called Turquoise Care. When you enroll, you choose (or are assigned) one of four managed care organizations — Presbyterian, Molina, UnitedHealthcare, or Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico — and that MCO coordinates your benefits, including personal care.
Eligibility for PCS is based on need, not age. A care coordinator from your MCO completes an in-home assessment of what you can and cannot safely do on your own, and that assessment determines the number of care hours approved each week.
Two ways to receive care: agency-based or self-directed
New Mexico offers a choice most families do not know they have:
- Agency-based care — a licensed agency employs, trains, schedules, and supervises your caregiver, and handles backup coverage when someone is sick. This is the simplest option for most families.
- Self-directed care — you act as the employer: you choose your caregiver, set the schedule, and manage the relationship, with a fiscal agency handling payroll.
Can a family member be paid to provide care? In many cases, yes. Under New Mexico’s self-directed option — and in some situations through agencies — a qualifying family member can be hired and paid as the caregiver. Rules apply (for example, around spouses and legal guardians), so ask your MCO care coordinator about your specific situation.
Programs many families miss
- EPSDT — children under 21 with qualifying needs can receive in-home support through Medicaid’s Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment benefit.
- Medically Fragile — a program serving individuals with complex, chronic medical conditions.
- Programs for former uranium miners and workers — federal compensation programs connected to the region’s mining history can fund in-home care for eligible workers and their survivors. This matters especially in the Grants and Gallup areas.
- VA benefits — veterans may qualify for in-home support through VA community care programs and Aid & Attendance.
How to get started, step by step
- Apply for Medicaid if you have not already — online through the YesNM portal, by phone, or at a local Income Support Division office.
- Talk to your MCO. Once enrolled in Turquoise Care, call the member number on your card and ask for a care coordinator to discuss personal care services.
- Complete the in-home assessment. Be honest about hard days, not just good ones — the assessment determines your approved hours.
- Choose your provider. You have the right to pick any qualified PCS provider that serves your area, and you can switch later if it is not a fit.
- Start care and speak up. Needs change. If they do, you can request a reassessment.
Common questions
Does it cost the family anything? For those who qualify through Medicaid, PCS typically comes at no cost to the family.
How many hours will we get? It depends entirely on the assessment — from a few hours a week to daily care for higher needs.
What if we are not sure we qualify? Ask anyway. A good provider or your MCO care coordinator will walk you through eligibility at no charge, and there are often more paths to coverage than families expect.
We live in a small community — is care even available? Personal care services reach most of northwest New Mexico, including Farmington, Aztec, Bloomfield, Kirtland, and Shiprock in San Juan County, Gallup and Crownpoint in McKinley County, and Grants and Milan in Cibola County — plus many surrounding communities. Do not assume you are too rural.
And once you are ready to compare providers, our companion guide covers the seven questions to ask any home care agency.
A local note
Basin Coordinated HealthCare has provided personal care services across northwest New Mexico since 1992, with offices in Farmington, Gallup, and Grants, and accepts all four Turquoise Care MCOs plus the programs above. Se habla español. Whether you work with us or another provider, we hope this guide makes the road ahead clearer — and if you just want help understanding your options, call (505) 325-8231. We answer those questions every day, no strings attached.