Lawmakers are warning about tough choices in the upcoming budget cycle, and the Personal Care Assistance (PCA) program is not cheap. After Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey tried unsuccessfully to make budget cuts last year that would have reduced services to the elderly and people with disabilities, advocates are reaching out to her office ahead of this year’s budget season to plead for full funding in fiscal 2026. The administration aimed to cut $57 million in state spending for the program — though a federal match means over $100 million worth of services would have been cut in totality — to chip away at a $950 million MassHealth budget shortfall.
Advocates dropped a letter at Healey’s office asking her and Health and Human Services Secretary Kate Walsh to “provide full support” for the PCA program in the fiscal 2026 budget due on Jan. 22.