Are You Impacted by the Changes to the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program?

Many New York residents rely on the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) to obtain their home care services through the New York State Medicaid program. CDPAP allows the community (home care) Medicaid recipient to choose their home care aide and be in control of the hiring, training, and scheduling of their home care aide. Many New Yorkers utilize the CDPAP program to allow for a loved one to serve as their paid caregiver, rather than a home care aide from an agency. Any Medicaid recipient who has a “skilled need” for assistance (such as assistance with insulin injections, dispensing of medication, or colostomy bag changes, for example) requires the use of a CDPAP caregiver, if care is to be provided in the home.

Traditionally, there have been a number of different agencies serving as “fiscal intermediaries” to disburse the Medicaid funds paid by the state to CDPAP caregivers. This year, however, in an effort to streamline all of the different agencies that offer CDPAP services under a single contract, the New York State budget bill included a mandate that all CDPAP consumers, and their home care aides, switch from their current fiscal intermediary for their CDPAP coverage to a SINGLE fiscal intermediary named Public Partnerships, LLC (PPL). Any individual utilizing the CDPAP program in New York is impacted by this change, and must enroll with PPL by March 28, 2025. If a consumer does not proactively make this change, they will no longer be able to coordinate their home care services through their current fiscal intermediary.

Between now and March 28, 2025, all CDPAP consumers can complete the transition to PPL as the fiscal intermediary through any of the following ways: 

1. Calling PPL Customer Support Center at (833) 247-5346
2. Online, by using the PPL@Home Online System at https://pplfirst.com/programs/new-york/ny-consumer-directed-personal-assistance-program-cdpap/ 
3. With a CDPAP Facilitator (a list of which can be found by visiting https://pplfirst.com/cdpap-facilitators/)  
4. Attending an in-person or virtual session regarding this change (upcoming dates for these sessions can be found at https://pplfirst.com/cdpap-resources-events/)  

If you are new to the CDPAP program, referrals will be accepted by PPL beginning on March 1, 2025. 

We highly recommend that all CDPAP consumers begin the PPL paperwork, and to reach out to the Elder Law attorneys at Falcon Rappaport & Berkman if you have any questions regarding this development. We remain available to help our clients manage this process and ensure that they continue to receive the CDPAP coverage that they depend on, through as seamless a transition as possible.