How To Know Your Personal Needs Allowance
A Personal Needs Allowance (or PNA) is no doubt a term the general population is unfamiliar with. Like many other legal terms, it can be confusing if you don’t know what it is or what it does. As such, this article aims to clear up any confusion you might have on the Personal Needs Allowance (PNA).
What is a Personal Needs Allowance (PNA)?
Simply put, a personal needs allowance is a standard amount of income that an institutional client is allowed to use for things like housing, clothing, personal items and other incidental things. The personal needs allowance may also sometimes be referred to as Clothing and Personal Incidentals (or CPI). The PNA is taken from the client’s countable income when determining the cost-of-care responsibility.
How is a PNA Determined?
A person’s personal needs allowance (PNA) is determined by the client’s living arrangement, such as any authorized services and material status. When someone is in multiple settings throughout the month, the personal needs allowance that is used in the cost-of-care evaluation will be the highest PNA the person was eligible to receive at any point throughout the month.
