The New York Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) empowers residents in the Empire New York State to take greater control over the quality of the care that they receive by employing people that they have selected receive by employing people they select to assist them. Beyond fostering greater independence for patients-turned-consumers, it also creates more desirable career opportunities for care providers looking for better benefits, higher wages, and more flexibility in their schedules.

As a consumer, however, CDPAP does require you to shoulder the financial obligations that come with require you to shoulder the financial responsibilities of employing your personal assistants. This can quickly become a burden, especially when you want to prioritize your quality of care above all else.

You participate in CDPAP to take total control of your care, not to become an accountant or human resources manager. If you decide that the administrative obligations of the program are not something you wish to fulfill on your own, you can turn to a fiscal intermediary for assistance.

If you are considering working with a fiscal intermediary to better manage your CDPAP personal assistance programmanage your CDPAP personal assistance program better, here are some of the ways that they can assist you:

No Out-of-Pocket Expenses

Like the services you receive through CDPAP, a fiscal intermediary is a Medicaid provider paid by the State of New York. You will never have to pay out of your own pocket to receive their assistance.

Fiscal intermediaries are compensated wholly by New York State’s Medicaid program and allocate additional funding toward compensating personal assistants. You can continue to receive your services at no additional costs.

Remove Complicated Paperwork

As with anything funded by a government entity, CDPAP requires significant time spent on administrative paperwork to participate. These documents and forms can quickly become confusing for many, if not overwhelming.

Your fiscal intermediary can assist you by partially or wholly completing many of these forms on your behalf. If there are documents that they are unable to fill out for you, they can also help guide you through them to ensure that your information is accurate and satisfies state requirements.

Hire Personal Assistants You Trust

While New York ranks in one of the top 10 as one of the best states for healthcare, you may prefer to receive care from someone that you already know and trust. This also allows you to offer a gainful employment opportunity to someone that you love.

New York State does place some restrictions on who can be hired as your personal assistant, however, New York State does place some restrictions on who can be hired as your personal assistant. A spouse or custodial parent of a child cannot receive compensation as a personal assistant under CDPAP guidelines. As long as someone meets the requirements to become a personal assistant, you can hire and train them.

Do you not have anyone in mind that you could employ as your own personal assistant? Full-service fiscal intermediaries can also assist you in recruiting a qualified, vetted candidate from their own resources.

Lastly, if you already have an aide that you pay out-of-pocket to assist you, you can hire them as a CDPAP personal assistant. A fiscal intermediary can help you with the paperwork to make this transition so that you can maintain the continuum of care that you are already comfortable with.

Become a True Employer

Similar to a business, as a consumer, you are responsible for recruiting, training, and compensating your personal assistant. As with employees, you likely want to reward the people that provide you with excellent care with the best compensation possible.

Working with a fiscal intermediary, you can instantly access better compensation options for your personal assistants, including:

• Higher, more competitive wages
• Weekly paychecks
• Paid time off and holiday pay
• Medical and dental benefits
• Retirement benefits
• Tax withholding and reporting

Rather than simply hiring someone to fill a job opening, you can provide a personal assistant with a rewarding career that makes a difference in your life. In any employment situation, a person is more likely to provide a higher level of service if they believe they are compensated fairly for their time and effort.

Get a Fiscal Intermediary for Your NY CDPA Program

If you’re a New York CDPAP participant, you know that finding the right fiscal intermediary can make all the difference.

At CDChoices, our team of fiscal intermediaries is dedicated to empowering New York consumers to pursue the quality care that they are entitled to. We make it our mission to help our participants live their best lives.

To learn more about how we can assist you, contact us today.