Call us at 1-833-252-2737 (TTY 711)

8AM-8PM Monday-Friday

Call us at 1-833-252-2737 (TTY 711)

8AM-8PM Monday-Friday
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CDPAS, Explained

With CDPAS, Your Loved One Can Get Paid To Take Care of You! 

Through Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Services (CDPAS), your daughter, granddaughter, son, friend, neighbor, former aide or just about anyone of your choosing* can become your personal assistant, as a home health aide and get paid to do it! 

* Your spouse and/or designated representative is not eligible to be your caregiver under CDPAS.

 

What is CDPAS?

CDPAS is a New York State Medicaid Home Care Program that allows anyone from family members, friends, or neighbors to be paid for caregiving. This program permits you to hire and train your own caregivers and eliminates the need to pay out of pocket for tasks they may already be doing, such as:

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Assisting with activities of daily living

groceries

Helping with grocery shopping

cooking

Preparing nutritious meals

companionship

Providing companionship

 

Who Qualifies for CDPAS?

CDPAS is part of any Managed Long-Term Care (MLTC) services benefit package. Because CenterLight Teamcare is a PACE program, our participants qualify if your Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) determines you need services. Note that when the Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) determines you need services, the number of CDPAS hours per day and/or days per week is also determined by the IDT according to your health needs.

With CDPAS, you will have comfort and peace of mind because you select your own caregiver or personal assistant. Your caregiver will share your interests and familiarity with your language, culture, food, and customs. Your caregiver will know what makes you happy. In addition, you will train your caregivers and advise them on the best way to care for your needs and requirements.

If you qualify for CDPAS and your loved one can provide less hours of care than what the IDT determined you require, a back-up home health aide can be provided by CenterLight to ensure you have the home health care services you need.

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you really know the people taking care of you

With CDPAS, you may want to select at least two people to be your caregivers— the people who get paid to provide your home care services. Having a primary caregiver and a backup ensures that you always have access to care and that you don’t solely rely on one person. For instance, if your primary aide is out of town or sick, you have a back up person ready to care for you. Both of your caregivers will have been trained and will get paid for the hours they work. So, there’s no more out of pocket expenses to pay home attendants!

 

Examples of CDPAS in Action:

  • A participant can choose their granddaughter as her primary caregiver, because she prepares their favorite foods with the perfect amount of spices.

  • If a participant’s primary caregiver is scheduled to go on vacation, their secondary caregiver will take care of them until the primary caregiver returns. The secondary caregiver is already approved to work, and registered with a contracted fiscal intermediary so they can get paid for their caregiving hours.

  • It may be comforting for participants who only speak one language or dialect, such as Urdu or Filipino, that their child, grandchild, or spouse-in-law can continue to be their circle of support and provide care through CDPAS.

  • If someone had previously been paying out of pocket for multiple aides to cover all the hours they need care, through CDPAS those same aides are now paid through the program after getting their registration clearances.

 

getting started

As you start the process of enrolling in CDPAS, you or your designated representative will be responsible to supervise, train and schedule the work hours of your caregivers. If you currently do not have a designated representative and choose to appoint someone, they can be an added set of eyes for you and an added layer of security to help you manage and schedule your caregivers. Note that your designated representative is not compensated.

 

Let’s Recap! below are steps you may need to take to Enroll in CDPAS.

  1. Select your primary caregiver. This is someone who will provide personal assistant services to you.

  2. Select your back-up caregiver. This is the person who will be a substitute for your primary caregiver.

  3. Decide whether to select a Designated Representative. This person will assist you to train, supervise and schedule your caregivers.

  4. Complete a CDPAS Application and background documents.

  5. Schedule your caregivers for a background check and a fingerprint appointment.

  6. Both caregivers will register with a contracted agency of their choice.

  7. When your primary caregiver and their back up (if you choose to have one) are fully registered with all medical screenings completed, a CDPAS authorization will be issued to the agency.

  8. You and your Designated Representative will give your caregivers a schedule to work.

  9. Your caregivers will begin to receive compensation for the hours they work for you.

 

It’s important to remember that enrolling in CDPAS is a process.

However, if CDPAS is a good fit for you, it’s worth it! The length of the process depends on how quickly your caregivers can schedule their physical exams and complete their registration with the agency. But once you’re enrolled, you’ll enjoy personalized care from those close to you—and they’ll be compensated for caring for someone they care about—you!

 

If CDPAS sounds like a good fit, consider contacting us to begin your journey to personalized home care.

 

Photo is for illustration purposes only.

H3329_2019_BLOGCDPASv2 Approved 04012021
Last updated March 18, 2021

 

About the Writer

Felicia Watson

This blog post is guest-written by CenterLight’s CDPAS Specialist, Felicia G. Watson.


If you have questions, please call us at 1-877-212-8877, Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. TTY users should call 711. You may also request a callback from one of our representatives by completing the form below: