CDPAP - Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program
Choose the best caregivers, Choose the caregiver who know you best, Choose the caregivers you trust the most, your family and friends.
What’s Changing with CDPAP — and What You Need to Know
What’s New with CDPAP
As of April 1, 2025, New York State requires all CDPAP participants—both personal assistants and the consumers they serve—to enroll through a single fiscal intermediary, PPLFirst. This update aims to streamline program administration but may also result in longer processing times and limited new enrollments under the CDPAP model.
Key Points to Know
All existing CDPAP personal assistants and consumers must complete registration with PPLFirst to continue in the program.
Registration volumes may lead to extended wait times and fewer immediate openings for new participants.
Some prospective personal assistants and consumers are exploring alternative pathways to maintain or expand their care services.
Your Alternative Path with Caring Professionals
If you’re a CDPAP personal assistant not caring for a parent or child, you have the option to become a Certified Personal Care Assistant (PCA) through our agency. As a PCA with Caring Professionals, you can:
Earn up to $23 per hour
Complete your ACD exam and, if needed, follow up with flexible PCA training
Access a robust benefits package, including paid time off and health insurance
Receive in-person support at one of our local New York offices
For more information or to discuss your next steps, please visit our PCA information page or contact your nearest office. We’re here to help you choose the path that’s best for your career and your clients.
What is CDPAP?
Only one person knows what the best home care for you should be. That person is you.
That’s why the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program or CDPAP puts you in total charge of your home care.
Here’s great news. CDPAP — the Consumer Directed Personal Assistant Program, which is funded by New York Medicaid — gives you what you always wanted: The power to run your own home care, including having you select your paid home caregiver.
Even better, that caregiver, called a Personal Assistant (or PA), can be a close relative — like your daughter, or son, or niece — or a trusted friend or neighbor. It’s all up to you, because that’s the way it should be. The PA you select for CDPAP will be paid for providing the loving care only someone close to you can do.
CDPAP can change everything about your home care for the better.
What CDPAP Means to You.
- You choose your home caregiver.
- The person can be a close relative, friend or neighbor.
- You train that person for your needs.
- You can have them work on your schedule, not theirs.
What CDPAP Means to Your Caregiver.
- Even if they’ve been working for free, they now will be paid.
- They can earn up to $18 hour, available instantly with DailyPay (subject to T&Cs)
- On top of this, generous benefits are available including generous PTO, sick time, bonuses and life insurance.
- Medical benefits now provided to caregivers.
Am I Eligible for CDPAP?
- YES you are eligible for CDPAP ! As long as you
- Live in New York State
- Are eligible for New York State Medicaid*
- Require assistance with activities of daily living or skilled care
- Have a stable medical condition, be self-directing or have a designated representative that is willing and able to direct care
Is my PA Eligible for CDPAP?
- YES they are eligible for CDPAP! As long as they are
- Not your spouse, your parent if you are a child under 21, or your designated representative
- Legal to work in US
*If you are not yet a Medicaid customer, Caring Assistants can talk you through the CDPAP application process
CDPAP is the latest example of Caring Assistants’ long history of helping people just like you.
Simple & Fast
Caring Assistants' Experience
Focus on You
We will look after the admin
Years of Experience Helping
Caring Assistants' Experience
New York State Approved
New York Approved Fiscal Intermediary
CDPAP is the latest example of Caring Assistants’ long history of helping people just like you.
Simple & Fast
Caring Assistants' Experience
Focus on You
We will look after the admin
Years of Experience Helping
Caring Assistants' Experience
New York State Approved
New York Approved Fiduciary Intermediary
CDPAP FAQs
What is the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program or CDPAP for short?
- CDPAP is a New York State program that allows Medicaid recipients to take control of and direct how they receive at home personal care. You can hire almost anyone you want, schedule them to assist you on your schedule, train them to your standards, and supervise them to your satisfaction.
What kind of non-skilled services can my caregiver provide in the CDPAP Program?
- Caregivers can provide a wide range of assistance in CDPAP. Common examples are:
- Shopping
- Laundry
- Picking up mediations from the pharmacy
- Administration of medication
- Housekeeping
- Walking
- Dressing
- Eating
- Meal preparations
- Toileting
- Grooming
- Skin care
- Medical equipment
- Transportation (with limitations)
- Skilled nursing tasks
How does CDPAP compare to traditional home care?
- You, the CDPAP consumer, are the caregiver’s employer. It means that you choose who to hire, how to train them, what their schedule is, how to supervise them and when necessary, to terminate them. It also means that you are responsible to find replacements when your caregiver is not available to work. In traditional home care the agency is responsible for these tasks.
Can I qualify for CDPAP if I have Medicaid?
- Yes. Medicaid pays for CDPAP services.
Can I qualify for CDPAP if I have Medicare?
- Medicare does not pay for CDPAP. If you have Medicare AND Medicaid, your Medicaid can cover CDPAP.
Do I have to live in New York State to receive CDPAP?
- Caring Assistants can only assist with your CDPAP if you live in New York State.
Do I have to be enrolled with a Medicaid Managed Care Plan to receive CDPAP?
- At this time Caring Assistants can only assist with your CDPAP if you are enrolled with a Managed Care Plan. The good news is that we are in network with almost all major HMO and MLTCs in our service areas. Our team will assist you through the process of enrolling in a proper plan. Contact us.
Do I have to be self-directing to receive CDPAP?
- If you are not self-directing you can still qualify for CDPAP if you have someone to appoint who will direct care for you. That person is referred to as a designated representative. The designated representative is usually a family member other than the one who is caring for you.
Who can I hire to be my caregiver?
- Anyone as long as they are not your legal spouse, your designated representative, or your parent (if you are under 21).
Can my spouse be my caregiver?
- No. You cannot hire your spouse to be your caregiver.
Can my Power of Attorney, or my Health Care Proxy be my caregiver?
- Generally they can as long as you appoint someone else to be your designated representative. Contact Us for more information.
Can I hire a family member or friend who lives in my home to be my caregiver?
- Yes. The Medicaid rules allow the caregiver to live at the same address as the consumer.
Does my caregiver have to have any formal training or certificate?
- No formal training or certificate is required to be a caregiver.
So what do my PAs need before I hire them?
- PAs need:
- A physical from their doctor
- Tuberculosis testing (PPD skin test or a blood test)
- Tuberculosis questionnaire
- Proof of immunity to Rubella and Rubeola (German measles)
- Proof that they are legal to work in the USA
How many PAs should I hire?
- As many as you need to provide the services that you qualify for. It is always a good idea to hire backup PAs in case your primary caregiver is not available to work.
How much will my caregiver be paid in CDPAP?
- Up to $18 per hour
How often will my caregiver be paid in CDPAP in New York?
- PAs are paid weekly
- PAs can be paid daily if they choose now with Caring Professionals
What other benefits are offered for my caregiver?
- Generous paid time off and sick pay with no limit how much you can accrue
- Bonuses
- Term life insurance
- Subsidized medical insurance will be coming soon
*Benefits may be subject to eligibility. Contact our team for more information.
How many hours can my caregiver work for me?
- The number of hours is determined by your Medicaid Managed Care Plan based on a nurse assessment.
How much flexibility do I have with my schedule?
- You can schedule your approved hours in any way that works for you and your caregiver.
What is EVV in CDPAP?
- EVV means the use of an electronic system to verify the services a caregiver provides. The system will record the name of the patient and caregiver, the time and date that the services started and ended, the location of the visit, and the type of service that was provided.
Is EVV required in the CDPAP Program?
- The 21st Century Cures Act requires the use of EVV for CDPAP services. The requirement began in New York State on January 1, 2021.
What does EVV mean to me?
- EVV means that your caregiver will use an electronic system to verify their work. That system typically is a call in and out phone system or a mobile application that allows them to clock in and out.
- Yes. You are the employer and you verify your caregiver’s visits before they are paid.
How do I find out more about EVV?
- You can find out more by contacting us or by visiting the New York State EVV website NY Medicaid Electronic Visit Verification Program (EVV) or see the New York State EVV Fact Sheet
What areas do you service in New York as a CDPAP agency?
- Albany
- Erie
- New York
- Putnam
- Suffolk
- Allegany
- Genesee
- Niagara
- Queens
- Sullivan
- Bronx
- Greene
- Ontario
- Rensselaer
- Ulster
- Cattaraugus
- Kings
- Orange
- Richmond
- Wayne
- Cayuga
- Livingston
- Orleans
- Rockland
- Westchester
- Columbia
- Monroe
- Oswego
- Schoharie
- Yates
- Duchess
- Nassau
- Otsego
- Seneca
Click here to download Caring Professionals’ CDPAP Compliance Policy
Get In Touch about CDPAP
Give us a call now, (718) 621-8189, or fill out the form below to be contacted shortly by a member of our team.