TL;DR. The Philadelphia Corporation for Aging (PCA) OPTIONS Program funds in-home care for Philadelphia residents age 60 and older who do not qualify for full Medicaid but still need help with daily living. PCA is Philadelphia’s Area Agency on Aging under the federal Older Americans Act, and A-Team Home Care is a contracted OPTIONS provider. This guide explains who qualifies, what services OPTIONS covers, how to request an assessment, and how the program fits with A-Team’s Family Caregiver Program.
What is the PCA Philadelphia OPTIONS Program?
The OPTIONS Program is the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging’s flagship in-home services program for older Philadelphians. PCA has been Philadelphia County’s Area Agency on Aging since 1973 and is the fourth-largest AAA in the nationwide network of more than 600 Area Agencies on Aging. The OPTIONS Program exists to bridge the gap between two groups of seniors: those with full Medicaid (who qualify for Community HealthChoices) and those with private resources who can pay for care outright. For everyone in between — the middle-income Philadelphia senior whose Social Security and pension are too high for Medicaid but too low to cover home care out of pocket — OPTIONS is the answer.
OPTIONS is funded through a mix of federal Older Americans Act dollars (Title III), Pennsylvania state lottery revenue, and Philadelphia city funding. PCA contracts with a network of approved providers, including A-Team Home Care, to deliver the in-home services.
Who qualifies for OPTIONS?
Per PCA’s published eligibility criteria, an applicant must meet four core requirements:
- Age 60 or older. No exceptions; OPTIONS is an older-adult program.
- Pennsylvania resident. Living in Philadelphia County.
- U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.
- Functional need. Requires some degree of assistance with physical and/or mental status that impacts daily functioning — for example, help with activities of daily living like bathing, dressing, meal preparation, or medication management.
OPTIONS uses a sliding-scale co-payment structure based on income. Per published Pennsylvania OPTIONS Program data, participants with incomes at or below 133% of the Federal Poverty Level have no co-payment, while participants between 134% and 300% of FPL contribute on a sliding scale. Specific income tiers change annually; PCA’s intake team confirms the current numbers during the eligibility assessment.
Quick reference
| Who qualifies | Philadelphia County residents age 60+, U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, with functional need for in-home help |
| Income limit | No hard cap; sliding-scale co-pay starts above 133% of Federal Poverty Level — contact PCA for current tier amounts |
| How to apply | Call the PCA Helpline at 215-765-9040 or email AskHelpline@pcacares.org to request an in-home eligibility assessment |
| Cost to family | No cost if income is at or below 133% FPL; sliding-scale co-pay above that threshold |
| Timeline | Typically 2–6 weeks from helpline call to first service, depending on assessment scheduling and care plan complexity |
What OPTIONS pays for
The OPTIONS Program covers a broad set of in-home services. From PCA’s published service list:
- Personal care for daily activities — bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, transferring
- Older adult daily living services (companion care, supervision)
- Home-delivered meals
- Home modifications and accessibility adaptations (grab bars, ramps, bathroom safety)
- Medical equipment and supplies
- Care management — assessment, care planning, advocacy, crisis intervention
- Adult day services referrals
- Domiciliary Care Program for adults who can no longer live alone safely
- Caregiver support services
A-Team Home Care provides the personal care and older-adult-daily-living portions of an OPTIONS care plan. PCA’s care manager coordinates the broader plan and connects families to the other services.
OPTIONS and A-Team’s Family Caregiver Program
The OPTIONS Program is the right fit for Philadelphia families who want to be paid to care for a senior parent or relative who falls into one of these scenarios:
- Parent is 60+ but does not have Pennsylvania Medicaid
- Parent’s income is too high for Medicaid (often Social Security plus a small pension)
- Parent qualifies for the sliding-scale co-pay tier and is willing to contribute
- Family lives in Philadelphia County (OPTIONS is Philadelphia-specific; suburban-county families with a non-Medicaid senior use different AAA programs in Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware, or Chester counties)
OPTIONS authorizes hours of personal care, and A-Team provides the trained, supervised caregivers — including the option for a family member to be employed as the paid caregiver where the participant’s care plan allows.
How to request an OPTIONS assessment
- Call the PCA Helpline. Dial 215-765-9040 Monday–Friday during business hours, or email AskHelpline@pcacares.org. PCA’s intake staff will ask basic questions about age, residence, income range, and the type of help needed.
- Schedule the in-home assessment. A PCA assessor visits the senior’s home and conducts a comprehensive needs assessment focused on the individual’s goals and preferences.
- Receive a care plan and authorization. PCA’s care manager creates a personalized care plan, determines OPTIONS service hours, and assigns a contracted provider — or honors the family’s request to use a specific OPTIONS provider like A-Team.
- Contact A-Team to begin services. Once authorized, call A-Team at (215) 490-9994. A-Team’s clinical team conducts an in-home intake, builds the personal care plan, and onboards the caregiver — including a family member if the family is enrolling in the Family Caregiver Program.
OPTIONS vs. Community HealthChoices: which one applies?
The two programs serve different populations:
- If your parent has Medicaid (or qualifies for it): Pennsylvania Community HealthChoices (CHC) is the funding path. CHC covers more hours per week and has no co-payment.
- If your parent is 60+, lives in Philadelphia, and is above the Medicaid limit: OPTIONS is the path.
- If your family is seeking case management plus paid caregiving (any faith, Greater Philadelphia): JFCS Enrollment is a separate option.
PCA’s care managers and A-Team’s intake staff routinely help families figure out which path applies. If your parent is right at the Medicaid income line, it’s worth calling both PCA and the Pennsylvania COMPASS Medicaid system to see which qualifies.
Why use A-Team Home Care for OPTIONS services?
A-Team is an ACHC-accredited home care agency serving all of Philadelphia and the surrounding four PA counties. For OPTIONS participants in the city, A-Team offers:
- Family Caregiver Program — paid W-2 employment for adult relatives
- RN clinical supervision and personalized care plans
- Bi-weekly direct-deposit payroll (every other Friday) with full tax withholding
- Bilingual caregivers — English, Russian, Ukrainian, Spanish, and others
- Skilled support for dementia, post-stroke, mobility decline, fall risk, and chronic conditions
- Local Philadelphia office staffed by people who know the neighborhood
A-Team’s Philadelphia home care service works across all 12 Philadelphia ZIP-code clusters, including West Philadelphia, Northeast Philadelphia, South Philadelphia, and Center City.
Frequently asked questions
Does my parent have to be a Philadelphia resident for OPTIONS?
Yes. PCA’s OPTIONS Program is specific to Philadelphia County. Seniors in Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware, or Chester County use their county’s Area Agency on Aging (e.g., Bucks County AAA, Montgomery County AAA). A-Team also serves those counties under their respective programs.
What if my parent has limited Medicaid?
Some seniors have Medicaid for medical services but do not qualify for Community HealthChoices LTSS specifically. PCA’s intake team can help determine which program covers in-home help, and A-Team works with both.
How many hours per week does OPTIONS pay for?
Service hours are determined by the PCA care manager’s assessment of need. Hours vary widely — from a few hours of weekly companion care up to substantial daily personal care. The assessment is individualized.
Can a family member be paid through OPTIONS?
OPTIONS authorizes services and A-Team employs the caregivers, including in some cases adult family members. The Family Caregiver Program’s exact applicability through OPTIONS is confirmed case-by-case with the PCA care manager and A-Team’s intake team.
Is there a waiting list?
PCA prioritizes services using individual, local, state, and federal financial resources before authorizing OPTIONS funding. In years when state appropriations are tight, OPTIONS can develop waiting lists, especially for non-priority services. The helpline (215-765-9040) provides the current status.
What’s the difference between OPTIONS and Older Americans Act services?
The Older Americans Act of 1965 created the federal framework; its 1973 amendments established Area Agencies on Aging like PCA. OPTIONS is PCA’s name for the specific Pennsylvania-administered program that delivers Older Americans Act in-home services, blended with state lottery funding, in Philadelphia.
Does PCA help with anything beyond home care?
Yes. PCA also administers home-delivered meals (Meals on Wheels), the Philadelphia LIHEAP Crisis program, transportation services, senior community centers, and a Long-Term Care Ombudsman program. The 215-765-9040 helpline is the single intake point for all PCA programs.
How to get started
Two phone calls get a Philadelphia family from “we need help” to “the OPTIONS plan is active”:
- PCA Helpline: 215-765-9040 — request an OPTIONS eligibility assessment
- A-Team Home Care: (215) 490-9994 — request OPTIONS to use A-Team as the provider, and explore the Family Caregiver Program
Visit the A-Team Family Caregiver Program page for the full overview of all three funding paths.
Resources and sources
- Philadelphia Corporation for Aging — Official site
- PCA — Help in the Home services
- PCA — OPTIONS Program eligibility assessment
- PCA — Funding sources
- Wikipedia — Older Americans Act
- Wikipedia — Area Agency on Aging
- ACL — Older Americans Act statute
- Paying for Senior Care — Pennsylvania OPTIONS Program overview
