Companion services are provided to individuals living in private residences for the limited purposes of providing supervision and minimal assistance that is focused solely on the health and safety of the adult individual (18 and older) with intellectual disabilities. This service is not available to people who are residing in Unlicensed or Licensed Residential Habilitation settings. Companion services are used in lieu of habilitation services to protect the health and welfare of the individual when a habilitative outcome is not appropriate or feasible (i.e. when the individual is not learning, enhancing, or maintaining a skill). This service can be used for asleep hours when only supervision or non-medical or non-habilitative care is needed to protect the safety of the individual with intellectual disabilities. For example, a companion can be used during overnight hours for an individual who lives on their own but does not have the ability to safely evacuate in the event of an emergency. This service can also be used to supervise individuals during socialization or non-habilitative activities when necessary to ensure the individual’s safety. Companions may supervise and provide minimal assistance with daily living activities, including grooming, health care, household care, meal preparation and planning, and socialization. This service may not be provided at the same time as any other direct service.
This service is not available for people residing in agency-owned, rented/leased, or operated (i.e. licensed and unlicensed Family Living homes) homes. Companion and Home and Community Habilitation (Unlicensed) Services have a combined maximum limit of 24 hours (96 15-minute units) per participant per calendar day.