Please Note: Edison Home Health Care is a Fiscal Intermediary for CDPAP. We do not administer the program. We can help you navigate, but application and enrollment for CDPAP must go through your Local Department of Social Services or Medicaid plan.
When trying to determine the best method of care for an elderly or ailing family member, there are many factors to consider. Should I have a family member or a friend help take care of me? Can that friend or family member afford to help take care of me? Enter Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Services (CDPAS).
Residents of New York have the option to participate in Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP), a Medicaid program which enables friends or family members to act as caregivers. This is an alternative to traditional home health aide or attendant services in that the consumer, or a family member (known as a Designated Representative) is responsible for hiring, training, and scheduling the CDPAP caregiver.
In your search for trying to find in-home services and care, you may have come across the following acronyms: CDPAP and CDPAS. But what are CDPAP and CDPAS? In this article, we will help de-mystify CDPAP and CDPAS, tell you which services are allowable under CDPAS, and how best to manage CDPAS participation.
CDPAP vs. CDPAS
CDPAP stands for the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program. CDPAP is a Medicaid program in which the consumer (the person requiring in-home medical services or assistance) or a relative directs their personal home care assistance.
Think of CDPAP as being a grocery store, where a consumer goes to get the food items that they want, rather than having someone else write the grocery list for them.
In accordance with CDPAP guidelines, consumers can choose to have a friend, relative, or a previously hired aide to act as their personal assistant, instead of having to live in an assisted care facility or choosing an agency to provide aide. The best part, these aides are paid through the CDPAP!
What is CDPAS and why is it associated with CDPAP?
CDPAS is a part of CDPAP. CDPAS stands for Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Services. CDPAS refers to the services offered within CDPAP, such as personal home care and assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs).
Remember the grocery store scenario we used earlier? If CDPAP is the grocery store, think of CDPAS as being the food! From the healthy snacks, fruits, vegetables, and the ice cream, CDPAP is the store you buy these items in while CDPAS is what you’re choosing to take home with you. To put it simply, CDPAS is the action part of CDPAP.
Specifically, CDPAS is a Medicaid home care service designed for those who require in-home assistance and meet eligibility requirements to receive home care, personal care, or skilled nursing services, and who wish to maintain control over who provides those services.
In accordance with Medicaid requirements, a consumer must be “self-directing,” meaning that they are able to make safe decisions for themselves. The consumer is in charge of directing their home care services, giving consumers the opportunity to determine who will best provide the services and care that they need.
What sort of CDPAS (services) are allowable under CDPAP?
Unlike traditional home health aides (HHAs) who are limited in the types of tasks that they can perform for consumers, aides participating in the CDPAP can do more for their consumers.
The services provided by the CDPAP assistant or aide will be determined by a Plan of Care, which must be developed by a registered nurse who has assessed the consumer. This Plan of Care will be structured to meet the consumer’s specific needs and will outline which tasks the CDPAP aide can perform.
Once a Plan of Care is developed, it will serve as a sort of to-do list for the aide. CDPAP aides can perform specific household tasks as well as medical tasks, such as administering oxygen and injecting insulin into the consumer. Additionally CDPAP aides can suction tracheostomies and care for wounds. CDPAP Personal Assistants can do nearly anything a registered nurse making a home visit can do. The guidelines for the CDPAP aide must be laid out by the consumer upon hiring.
By allowing the consumer to choose their aide, Medicaid believes that there will be less turnover of CDPAP aides providing care, resulting in overall better health care for the consumer.
If I hire a CDPAP aide, how does payment work? Do I have any other administrative responsibilities?
The CDPAP enables caregivers to receive an income for the hours that they work for their ailing relative or friend. The hourly pay can vary based on a number of factors. Many consumers may feel concern over having to deal with the administrative aspects of their care, but that’s where the CDPAP steps in.
The CDPAP requires the involvement of a fiscal intermediary, such as Edison Home Health Care, which will provide the administrative support consumers need to ensure that their aides are paid. The fiscal intermediary processes hiring documentation and other forms on behalf of the consumer, as well as facilitates payments through Medicaid.
To receive CDPAS, you or a designated representative must recruit, hire, train, schedule, and supervise your personal assistants. This means that you, or a designated representative must also terminate your personal assistant. By giving consumers this level of control, it gives the consumer the authority to control who they work with, when they will receive services, and how the tasks will be performed.
Why participate in the CDPAP and receive CDPAS from a personal caregiver?
If a consumer is seeking care for themselves, they may worry that they’ll get potentially inadequate care from a stranger. Or they may be confused perplexed by the rules and regulations from insurance companies, medical providers and government agencies. By enrolling in CDPAP, they are able to experience care from a friend or family member, and can be assured that their caretaker is being compensated for their time away from work or from their normal daily activities.
CDPAP allows consumers to have more control over their own care. If you’re interested in learning more about the CDPAP, contact us at 718-831-2900, and a specialist will guide you through the entire enrollment process. You can also see Caregiver Pay Rate and Salary to learn about caregiver pay rate and salary.
We look forward to helping you find the best home health care possible!
Please Note: Edison Home Health Care is a Fiscal Intermediary for CDPAP. We do not administer the program. We can help you navigate, but application and enrollment for CDPAP must go through your Local Department of Social Services or Medicaid plan.