Many New York families built their home care around CDPAP because a relative or close friend was already in the house. That program still exists. What changed is the paperwork side. New York now runs CDPAP through one statewide fiscal intermediary, Public Partnerships LLC, known as PPL. Some households have had a smooth handoff. Others have had trouble with timekeeping, pay, or reaching someone who can fix a problem.
Community Home Care offers a different arrangement. It is not a new version of CDPAP, and it does not replace the state program. Through our Family PCA/HHA Program, an eligible relative or friend can finish free certification, come on as our employee, and be scheduled with your loved one. Please read the relationship rules below before you assume the same assistant can continue. For some CDPAP assistants, especially an adult son or daughter, this path is not available.
Why families start asking about an alternative
The question we hear is not usually “is CDPAP over?” It is “is there another way to keep care in familiar hands?” According to the New York State Department of Health, CDPAP still lets an eligible Medicaid member choose and direct a personal assistant. The consumer, or a designated representative, remains responsible for recruiting, training, supervising, arranging backup coverage, and working with the fiscal intermediary on payroll.
The 2024-25 state budget authorized a single statewide fiscal intermediary. DOH selected PPL. As of April 1, 2025, PPL is the only entity authorized to provide those CDPAP fiscal intermediary services, and the state’s CDPAP page says every CDPAP recipient must work with PPL.
If that setup is working, you can stay with it. This article is for families who want a licensed home care agency to employ the caregiver, handle training, and be the place they call when something goes wrong.
What it means for the caregiver to work for Community Home Care
In this model, your chosen caregiver is not paid through a statewide fiscal intermediary portal. They join our staff as a Personal Care Aide or Home Health Aide after free training and the required background check and health screening. We then assign them to your loved one for the hours Medicaid authorizes.
The wage is $22.40 per hour. That figure includes union benefits such as medical, vision, and dental coverage, plus retirement and life insurance. Our team handles Medicaid paperwork and is available around the clock when questions or emergencies come up.
Community Home Care has been with New York families for 47+ years and has helped more than 20,000 of them, from our office at 3920 13th Avenue in Brooklyn, throughout the five boroughs and Nassau County. The arrangement is closer to Medicaid personal care services through a licensed agency than it is to consumer-directed care. You still choose the caregiver when that person meets the rules. We take on the employer role.
The relationship rule that surprises CDPAP families
Do not assume the assistant you have today can automatically stay on as the paid aide here. The two programs use different relationship rules.
Under CDPAP, a personal assistant may be a friend or many kinds of relatives. DOH says the assistant cannot be the Medicaid member’s spouse, the designated representative, or the parent of a CDPAP consumer who is under 21. An adult son or daughter may serve as a CDPAP personal assistant.
Community Home Care cannot employ, as the paid aide for a particular client, that client’s spouse, parent, son or daughter, or son- or daughter-in-law. If an adult child has been the CDPAP assistant, that person cannot be the paid aide in this program.
People who often can qualify include a grandchild, a brother or sister, a niece or nephew, a cousin, an aunt or uncle, a sibling-in-law, a neighbor, or a close friend. They must be at least 18, legally authorized to work in the United States, finish the free training, and pass the required checks.
If the current assistant is excluded, say so at the start of the call. Another eligible person may be able to train, or we can send one of our certified home health aides. For a shorter overview of who can be paid, see Can I Get Paid to Care for a Family Member in New York?.
Consumer-directed care and our program, side by side
| | CDPAP, with PPL as the fiscal intermediary | Family PCA/HHA at Community Home Care | | — | — | — | | Employer | PPL | Community Home Care | | Training and day-to-day support | The consumer or representative, under program rules | Our agency, with free PCA or HHA certification and a care team | | Adult son or daughter as the paid aide | Allowed | Not allowed | | Spouse as the paid aide | Not allowed | Not allowed | | Pay | Set by CDPAP | $22.40 per hour, with union benefits included |
We do not publish CDPAP wage rates here, because we do not set them. If you want a pay comparison, bring what you currently receive and we will walk through our rate.
Who the care is for
Your loved one needs New York Medicaid, or needs to qualify for it, and needs help at home with everyday tasks. Medicare, on its own, does not pay for this kind of long-term help in the home. When someone has both Medicare and Medicaid, Medicaid is typically the coverage that funds these hours.
Care is available throughout New York City and Nassau County, including Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau County, Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island.
What a move from CDPAP usually involves
No two plan situations look identical, especially when a managed long-term care plan is in the mix. We will not describe a single form that completes the change by itself. When you call, intake reviews current Medicaid home care and tells you what has to happen in your case.
The usual sequence is:
- Reach us at (718) 435-8555, or send a note through the contact page. We confirm coverage and whether your chosen caregiver can be hired for this case.
- A nurse comes to the home to assess needs.
- The hour total comes from the Medicaid assessment and the managed care or local plan, not from a number we choose.
- Your eligible relative or friend finishes free certification, or we assign one of our aides.
- Care starts in the home.
We cannot promise a calendar date until we have reviewed the file. For many families, that is a matter of several days once approvals and training line up. For others, it is closer to a month. The Brooklyn office at 3920 13th Avenue answers from 9 a.m. on weekdays, closing at 5 p.m. except on Friday, when the desk closes at 3 p.m. Support remains available after those hours.
If you would rather stay in CDPAP, the Department of Health’s CDPAP page lists official contacts, including PPL at 1-833-247-5346. Learn more about our agency on About Us.
Questions families ask before they leave CDPAP
If we already registered with PPL, can we still change to an agency?
Yes, registering with PPL does not lock you into CDPAP forever. Whether a change makes sense depends on Medicaid coverage and on who you want as the paid aide. A conversation with intake does not, by itself, end your current services.
Will the hours we already have automatically transfer?
Not automatically. Authorized hours follow the Medicaid assessment and the plan. We review what is already in place and explain what still has to be approved. Do not stop current care until you have a clear plan for the next week.
Our CDPAP assistant is my adult child. What can we do?
That person cannot be the paid aide in this program. A grandchild, a brother or sister, or a close friend is frequently eligible. If no eligible person is available, we can still send a certified Community Home Care aide so your loved one is not left without help.
Who handles payroll, timekeeping, and backup coverage?
We do. The caregiver is our employee. You are not asked to run a fiscal intermediary account, keep payroll records, or be the legal employer. If your chosen caregiver is out, we can help arrange coverage.
Does a call to Community Home Care cancel CDPAP?
No. You can ask questions, check the relationship rules, and compare options without changing anything that day.
What should we have ready when we call?
Have your loved one’s Medicaid information, the name and relationship of the person who wants to be the caregiver, and, if you have it, a sense of the hours already authorized. If anything is missing, call anyway. We will tell you what to gather next.
Talk through the options with intake
If PPL has been difficult to work with, or you simply want a local agency to employ the caregiver, call Community Home Care at (718) 435-8555, or request a free in-home assessment through our contact page. We will be direct about whether your chosen caregiver can be hired, and we will help you plan the next safe step.
