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Where to search for options for home-care services

By Dana Corwin

BSN RN NY Connects

Have you seen the ads that say, “You can get your Grandchildren or daughter paid to care for you? We see these all the time on Facebook, television, and in other areas. What does this mean?

How do you get this type of care? The answer depends on your individual situation. Let’s start by looking at what the service is all about. Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) is a program funded under NY State Medicaid and locally by our Chautauqua County Office for Aging Services. They are two different programs- but with a similar name: Consumer Directed Personal Care Assistance. The difference is which organization pays for the care. From there, there are differences in each program. In both programs, the consumer/client or person in the community that needs help at home can choose their worker/helper to provide the help they need at home, in their home. In either funded program, the services that are provided are person-centered that empower people to hire, train, and oversee an in-home worker. These services could be housekeeping, cooking, shopping, errands, and personal care. Both programs strive to provide home care services to chronically ill or disabled individuals who need help with these types of care.

The other important thing to understand is that the person you want to hire to help take care of you in your home has to become an employee of a fiscal intermediary (FI) company. This fiscal intermediary company acts as the employer on record and manages payroll payment for your worker, including payroll taxes, background checks, and medical evaluation of the worker to ensure their health to be able to safely take care of you. The FI does all this for you and with you. They assist you – the FI is getting you ready to hire, train, manage payroll, and fire workers for your care.

Overall, it is a good alternative in today’s home care because we are still experiencing a direct care worker shortage! So instead of using an agency to provide a worker- you along with the fiscal intermediary (FI) company you choose- work to get yourself an aide to help you in your home. There are NY state-approved fiscal intermediary companies. You can go to the New York State Department of Health for the Medicaid CDPAP program information https://www.health.ny.gov/health–care/medicaid/publications/adm/11adm6.htm. You can also see all the New York State-approved Fiscal Intermediary companies at www.cdpaanys.org. These are companies available to manage your FI needs. Every agency providing CDPCAP has contracts with FIs that work to assist the client.

To be eligible, you need to be self-directing- that means you can and will make decisions for yourself. If that is not the case, you can have another trusted individual like a relative do the directing for you. It is important to be directing or have someone that can do this for you because you interview, screen, train, schedule and give direction on your care needs to the person you hire and who will be helping you in your home. It may be an option for you however; it is not an option for everyone. You must have Medicaid and be approved for long-term community-based supports or be eligible for the Office for Aging Services home care program called EISEP- Expanded In-Home Services for the Elderly Home care program called EISEP.

NY Connects is the place to call to be connected to the help you need. It is the aging and disability resource center. NY Connects assists people of all ages. NY Connects offers information and assistance about local services that you may be eligible for to help you in the community. It is confidential and free and focused on the consumer’s needs and resources available to them. There are NY Connects programs located with the Office for Aging Services (OFAS) and the Southwestern Independent Living Center (SILC). You can reach NY Connects by phone: at 716-753-4582 or 800-342-9871 email: ccnyc@chqgov.com Southwestern Independent Living NY Connects at 716-661-3010 or 716-490-7561. There is an online resource tool called the NY Connects Resource directory as well at www.nyconnects.ny.gov.

NY Connects is brought to you by the Chautauqua County Office for Aging Services and the Chautauqua County Department of Health and Human Services.

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