The CDPAP is a program that only exists in New York state. It works alongside Medicaid. If you want to look into it and use it, you must use Medicaid as well.

We will talk about some common questions people have about the CDPAP in the following article.

What Precisely is the CDPAP?

CDPAP means the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program. Basically, it pays someone to watch over you if you're on Medicaid and need daily assistance, but you don't want to hire a home health aide. If you use the CDPAP, you can appoint a caregiver who you choose.

You can use a family member, so long as they meet certain qualifications and go through a brief training program. If you've got a particular family member or friend in mind, and they're thinking about that training, they needn't worry. It does not take long to complete, and it's nowhere near as challenging as becoming a registered nurse or medical doctor.

A family caregiver you use through the CDPAP program will probably make you feel a lot better than if you had to use a stranger to care for you. That person might have to help you dress or undress, bathe yourself, and so forth. It's understandable if you want a friend or family member to do that instead.

Who Can Use the CDPAP?

If you live in New York state and also use Medicaid, you are probably eligible to use the CDPAP. However, you also need a doctor or another qualified medical professional to say that you need home healthcare.

Many conditions could qualify you. You might have a physical problem. Perhaps you lost a limb to diabetes, or you had a severe car crash and lost bodily functions.

You might also have cognitive decline and need someone to care for you. If you have mental impairment and can't choose someone using CDPAP to care for you, you might need a family member to decide who to use instead.

How Can You Become a Home Health Worker Through the CDPAP?

As for who can become a helper through the CDPAP, you'll need to meet certain qualifications for that as well. For instance, a child can care for their parent, but that child must be at least 18 years old. Another relative can do it too. For instance, you might appoint a nephew, niece, cousin, uncle, aunt, etc., to do the job.

You should know that you can't use a spouse to care for you as part of the program. A spouse can certainly care for you if you want them to, but they can't get money through the CDPAP. You also can't get money as a parent caring for a child under age 21 through the CDPAP.

You will have to go through the training, but you will also need someone from the program to examine you. It's a quick process. All they'll do is make sure you can lift things and perform other physical tasks the person in need might require.

Why the CDPAP and Not a Home Health Aide?

You might wonder at this point why you'd want to use someone through the CDPAP and not just hire a home health aide. There are a couple of reasons.

We already touched on the first one. Most people like it more if they have someone care for them who they know. The other reason probably matters more to most people, though.

Home health aides can always quit at any time. They might get a job that pays them more, or maybe they move across the country. The position has a fairly high turnover rate.

That's not likely to happen if you have someone you love caring for you. A family member will probably not abandon you suddenly. They will stick with you, even if your situation declines. That's why the CDPAP offers you peace of mind.

Also, home health aides can do a lot for you, but they can't legally do certain things. For instance, they can't administer oxygen to you if you're someone who needs that. They also can't give you insulin.

You'll want someone who can do that, and that means using a family member or friend and the CDPAP. If you can't find that, you might have to go to a nursing home since a home health aide can't help you in the way you need.

Licenses or Certifications

You don't need a license or certification to start getting money through the CDPAP. All you have to do is go through the training.

To start the process, you start filling out a form on the CDPAP website, or else you can call the number you'll find there. New York state has 62 counties, and you can use CDPAP in all of them.

You can visit the CDPAP locations all over New York state if you have questions that you can't find the answers to on the website. However, you can usually get answers in the FAQ section, or you can call and speak to a live operator. You can definitely send them an email and expect a rapid response too.

How Much Money Do You Get Through CDPAP?

You also might wonder about the CDPAP pay rate. After all, it's a job, even if you get to stay at home and care for a friend or relative. You're still working, and you should still get adequate compensation.

The pay rate depends on various factors. For instance, if you sign up for the program, the admins will look at where you live, your age, your prior healthcare experience, if any, and other things.

You can usually expect between $13.20 and $19.19 per hour, while you can get $19.80 to $28.63 per hour for overtime. You will have to talk about the specific pay rate with the program if you feel like you want to move forward.

Why Take Part in the CDPAP?

You should not expect the CDPAP to make you rich. It's a job, and it pays, but most people don't do it for the money. They do it because they know someone who has needs, and they don't want a stranger to care for them.

If you know someone who needs assistance that the CDPAP can provide, you might do it because it's gainful employment, but you'll also probably grow closer to them. They need you in a very real and meaningful way, and you will likely spend many hours per day with them.

It's not always easy work, but you may connect with someone like never before when you do it. Whether you're related to that person by blood, marriage, or you're just a friend or neighbor, you might form an unshakable bond as you help them get through their daily life and the challenges it presents.

Also, you may find that in later years, if you cared for a person through the CDPAP, and now you want to move on to something else, you might want to care for another person in a similar way. Maybe you won't find someone else and care for them through CDPAP, but the program might inspire you to pursue registered nursing or the home health aide profession.

You might find that you like to help people. You can restore their dignity and make them feel human and even loved.

More CDPAP Information

Before you decide whether or not to pursue this program, you should know a few more things about it. The program's idea dates all the way back to the 1970s, and it started gaining steam in 1979. Its first year was 1992, and it got the CDPAP name soon after that.

You should know that it keeps growing in New York state as more time passes. Every year, more people sign up for it and benefit from it. At this point, every New York state county has individuals who use it.

You should understand that if you're on Medicaid and you want to sign someone up for this program, you can sit down with them and talk about what they'll do for you. No two individuals who use the program will probably need precisely the same services. You might have an assistant who cooks and cleans up around the house in addition to helping with your physical needs.

You should know that this is an at-will program for both those who need it and people who sign up for it and receive the proper training. If a time ever comes when either or both of you feel like the arrangement doesn't work anymore, you can change the conditions or part on good terms.

If you need daily help and have Medicaid, think about this program, especially if you know someone who wants to care for you and needs a job. You can both get something you need. You get the help you deserve, and your family member or friend gets financial compensation as they care for you.