Consumer Directed Personal Assistant Program

What is CDPAP?

The Consumer Directed Personal Assistant Program (CDPAP) is a Medicaid program that provides an alternative to traditional home care aimed to empower individuals in directing their own care. The services provided under the program are exactly like through traditional home care except the hiring, training, coordinating, and general operational duties fall under the consumer rather than the home care agency.  

Employment Model

Rather than the aide being an employee of the agency like in traditional home care, under CDPAP the Fiscal Intermediary (FI) acts as the employer on record for the aide and processes the payroll. 

Licensing and Reimbursement

The FI is an entity enrolled through the Medicaid program that has contracts with Managed Long Term Care (MLTC) plans, social service departments, or both. Operating an FI is a great supplemental service for a traditional home care agency, however it is not required to be a licensed agency. FIs are typically reimbursed by Medicaid through MLTC plans.

Why CDPAP?

Unlike in traditional home care, a CDPAP Personal Assistants (PA) does not need to be trained as a Home Health Aide (HHA). This means a family member or friend can be hired as a PA, which can help overcome language barriers. In addition, PAs can provide some skilled tasks, which will otherwise be required to be performed by a nurse.

For agencies that are waiting to be licensed as a Licensed Home Care Service Agency, operating a CDPAP is a great way to get started. Compared to obtaining a LHCSA license, the CDPAP timeline is a lot shorter and it is a great addition to running a companion care agency as you will now be able to indirectly provide personal care services and be reimbursed by Medicaid. 

Get started

If you are interested in CDPAP and want to learn more about the program or licensing process, reach out to us at homecaresetup@gmail.com or check out our website at http://newtconsulting.com. 

Starting a Home Care Agency in New York

According to the Census Bureau, the 65+ population will almost double compared to in 2012. With a rapidly aging population and the desire to remain at the home, there hasn’t been a better time to start a home care company.

When starting a home care agency, it is important to first understand the different type of care that can be provided.

Certified Home Health Agency (CHHA) vs Licensed Home Care Service Agency (LHCSA)

The difference between a CHHA and a LHCSA is that CHHAs are allowed to bill Medicare where LHCSAs can only work with Medicaid, private insurance, and private-pay. Typically, CHHAs provide short-term, intermittent skilled nursing services (for example after a hospital discharge) while LHCSAs provide routine, longer-term home health aide services, however there are some overlaps between the two.

To get licensed as a CHHA in NY, it is necessary to first go through a Certificate of Need (CON) application. The CON review process is very lengthy and there is no guarantee that it will be accepted. On the other hand, as of now LHCSAs do not need to go through a CON review process.

LHCSA Licensing 

In order to provide home care services in NY, it is required that you get licensed through the Department of Health (DOH). Becoming a licensed agency in NY can be a lengthy and frustrating process as the review goes through multiple steps.

You can submit an application through the New York State Electronic Certificate of Need system. Note that despite being called a CON system it is not required to go through a CON application for a LHCSA.

We are very familiar with the licensing process and we can provide guidance on the application process and electronic system, documentations, and NYS policy and procedure manuals.

About us

We have hands-on experience building and growing a home care agency from scratch. Coming from a non-health background we also understand how to break into the market and what it takes to run a successful agency.

If you are interested in our services or have any questions reach out to us at homecaresetup@gmail.com or check out our website at http://www.newtconsulting.com/.