Highwise Health
Massachusetts

MassHealth Personal Care Payment Delays Reported

Administrative hurdles have left caregivers unpaid and patients in Massachusetts facing gaps in essential support.

Updated on Sept. 23, 2026 in Special Needs

Gouache-painted illustration of a single paper folder with a brass medical seal, symbolizing administrative healthcare hurdles.
MassHealth payment delays have left personal care assistants unpaid and residents across Massachusetts facing service lapses due to new administrative signature requirements. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Do you trust that your local government programs provide reliable services to vulnerable residents?

Administrative processing issues at Tempus Unlimited Inc. have resulted in payment delays for personal care attendants and service lapses for program participants. The program serves more than 50,000 residents across Massachusetts.

Why it matters

The delays stem from a combination of internal documentation bottlenecks and new state-mandated requirements for physician signatures that took effect this year. These interruptions can directly compromise the stability of home-based care for individuals with disabilities.

Administrative data indicates that some personal care attendants experienced four-week gaps in pay, while participants reported service lapses and reduced support hours. These findings reflect challenges in processing clinical reevaluations for the program serving 50,000 individuals.

The players

Tempus Unlimited Inc.

A Stoughton-based organization responsible for conducting clinical reevaluations for state-funded personal care attendant services.

MassHealth

The Massachusetts state Medicaid program that oversees the personal care attendant program serving over 50,000 residents.

The details

Tempus Unlimited Inc. manages the clinical reevaluations required for MassHealth participants to maintain their support hours. On January 1, 2026, the state implemented new requirements necessitating primary care physician signatures on all care forms, which complicated the annual authorization process. These administrative hurdles have caused significant disruptions in the delivery of personal care services for participants throughout Massachusetts.

Timeline

  1. January 1, 2026: New state-mandated physician signature requirements took effect for care forms.

  2. The last several months: Program participants and caregivers experienced service lapses and payment delays.

  3. September 2026: MassHealth officials announced efforts to resolve the processing delays.

Health Landscape

The stability of the MassHealth personal care attendant clinical reevaluation process is essential for maintaining consistent care for thousands of residents. Recent administrative delays highlight the vulnerability of home-based support systems when new documentation requirements are introduced.

If you are a participant or caregiver currently experiencing service interruptions, verify your status by contacting your program coordinator to ensure all required physician signatures are on file. It is worth discussing any lapses in your authorized support hours directly with your physician and the program administrators.

The takeaway

Reliable access to care relies on consistent administrative oversight and clear communication between providers and the state. Residents should maintain copies of all signed care forms and track reevaluation dates to minimize the risk of future service interruptions.

Further reading

For more information on navigating local resources, see Special Needs.

Source note: This article includes information reported by GBH.

Live Poll

Do you trust that your local government programs provide reliable services to vulnerable residents?