Stay In Your Own Home

We know the most comfortable place to be is in your own home. For the past 20 years, older adults, people with physical, intellectual, and developmental disabilities, and their families have been encouraged to take control of their lives. Palco is proud to have been a pioneer in self-direction, which has provided assistance to so many in Arkansas and across the country.

The Palco Difference

We believe in our Mission and Core Values. They inspire us to provide you with more satisfying in-home personal care services. We promote expanded choice and control in our industry, and we encourage individual and collective change. Our role as a Financial Management Service (FMS) provider is to help you be a successful employer to your support workers. We assist you in hiring, paying for your support workers and services. Plus, we help you understand your state-approved personal spending budgets, and all state and federal rules.



A woman with wavy white hair cut into a bob is seated in bed. She is wearing comfortable clothing and smiling toward the man seated next to her, holding out a tray to her, filled with a nutritious breakfast. She uses self-direction

Benefits of Self-Direction

Self-direction provides many benefits to you, your families, and the community, as well as to state agencies.

  • People with disabilities and those who are elderly overwhelmingly prefer home and community-based services to living in a nursing home or other institution.
  • Research shows that people who direct their own services report higher instances of having their needs met, higher satisfaction, and higher quality of services. In short, they are happier.
  • Self-direction can support people to work and volunteer, leading to additional benefits for the individual and the community.
  • Self-direction can minimize caregiver burnout, decreasing the risk of nursing home admission down the road.
  • Self-direction creates new opportunities within local communities to employ people who may otherwise not be employed.
  • When people have the opportunity to direct their own budget, they can use that money to purchase goods and services within the local community.
  • Self-direction can help ease financial burdens individuals face as caregivers. Families experience less caregiver burnout with self-direction, as the program may offer respite from primary care responsibilities. Reduced burnout translates to less health-related issues amongst family caregivers.
  • Financial management procedures for participant-directed services can monitor and address potential fraud, which is rare in self-directed programs.

The two types of self-direction are employer authority and budget authority, as described below.

Employer Authority

  • Individuals choose their own workers
  • People have the right to hire, fire, schedule, and supervise their workers
  • Services are not arranged by an agency

Budget Authority

  • Individuals manage a specific allowance
  • Allowance can be used to employ workers or purchase goods (transportation, rehabilitation, assistive technology, ramps, and more)