CDChoices Response to COVID-19

Every day, more news is shared about the Coronavirus or COVID-19. We feel it is important to address how a public health crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic could possibly affect you in the coming weeks or months. We have been receiving many questions related to Governor Cuomo’s PAUSE Act.

The Governor’s PAUSE Act, which shuts down non-essential businesses effective March 22 2020 at 8 PM, does not apply to CDPA. Fiscal intermediaries and personal assistants are essential healthcare workers.

CDChoices is taking steps to prepare our operations so we can continue to provide the best service possible while keeping our staff safe. Our staff is working; however, our office is closed to the public as of Tuesday, March 17 2020 until further notice. What does this mean?

  • We will NOT be meeting with consumers or personal assistants (PAs) in person during this public health emergency.
  • If you wish to drop off paperwork, drop boxes are available outside the front of our office and at the back of our building. We check these drop boxes daily.
  • If you need to discuss anything with us or need assistance, please use the phone or email. We can even arrange to have video conferencing, if you wish.

We are concerned about your health and safety, and the health and safety of the PAs you employ. Many of you may be in a high-risk category with any illness that impacts breathing or respiratory/lung function. We urge you to talk to your doctors about what actions are best for you and your staff.

Take steps now to prepare yourself by:

  • Having a discussion with your PAs about hygiene and proper handwashing.
  • Encouraging your PAs to disinfect surface areas, doorknobs, medical equipment and other areas at the end of their shift.
  • Recruiting or hiring extra staff to cover any vacancies caused if your regular PA cannot work. CDChoices provides a free on-line secure recruitment database called PAChoices to help you identify potential PA staff. You can access this by logging in to your consumer account on www.cdchoices.org.
  • Visiting websites and reputable news outlets for updates. We have provided some resources on our website..
  • Call your doctor at the onset of any sign or symptom of illness.

We are working to cross-train staff and prepare for possible work-from-home setups to reduce the impact of staff illness or absence. We greatly appreciate your patience as we strive to maintain our operations and services with fewer onsite staff.

To help avoid delays in payroll, Consumers are urged to use fax or email to submit timesheets as soon as possible after your last PA’s shift on Friday. If you must hand-deliver your timesheets, please use one of the drop boxes available outside our office. Time sheets are due each Monday. CDChoices provides free fax machines to consumers upon request to make it easier to meet this deadline. Please contact your Program Associate if you are interested in a fax machine.

As an agency, CDChoices has been preparing to keep meeting our essential functions for you, our consumers. We will continue to update you as quickly as possible during this public health emergency. Please follow our Facebook feed or bookmark this page for real-time updates.