Have you seen commercials or Facebook postings for an amazing program called Consumer Directed Personal Care Program (CDPCAP)?

It sounds amazing and it is a service available for people in our community. CDPCAP is a program that allows home care consumers to hire the caregiver of their choice, including most family members and friends.

So if the advertisements picqued your interest, let us share some information about the service in Chautauqua County. Let us start with what it is. It started as a Medicaid program and the commercial you see and hear are from licensed providers in New York state. However, not all the ads are clear about who pays for them, what areas they serve or if they serve here in Chautauqua County.

The program provides services to chronically ill or physically disabled individuals who have a medical need for help with activities of daily living (ADLs) or skilled nursing services in the Medicaid funded CDPCAP. The Medicaid and medical program services can include any of the services provided by a personal care aide. Additionally the Office for Aging Services (OFAS) Home care program offers a consumer directed program that is not medical program. It offers the same flexibility in hiring a friend or loved one to help with household chores and/or personal care.

In either program: Medicaid or non-medical/OFAS, the consumers have flexibility and freedom in choosing their caregivers. The consumer or the person acting on the consumer’s behalf (such as the parent of a disabled or chronically ill child) assumes full responsibility for hiring, training, supervising, and — if need be — terminating the employment of persons providing the services.

The Consumer Directed program is a great option to traditional home care services. If you need help in the evenings or at night or weekends-, you have more flexibility with the worker you find, hire, train, and schedule at the times you need most. CDPCAP assistance is designed for elderly or disabled persons that require care in their homes and wish to maintain control over whom provides these services.

Things to remember:

¯ you must qualify for the program. If it is a Medicaid program, you must have Medicaid and since the Medicaid program is medical, there are requirements from a medical doctor/provider.

¯ if you do not have Medicaid, the Office for Aging Services has a consumer directed – nonmedical program that is for people 60 and over. Close relatives may be eligible to be paid to provide care for you in your home. These personal assistants are not required to have special certification or licensing.

If you want more information about Consumer Directed Personal Care Assistant Programs (CDPCAP) call NY Connects. We can help you understand which type of CDPCAP- Medicaid or Non-Medicaid you may be eligible for and then tell you how to connect to those options. NY Connects is your access to local community services and supports, open to all residents including the elderly, disabled, developmentally disabled, children with special needs and caregivers living in Chautauqua County. This service is confidential and free; and focused on the consumer’s needs and resources available to them for access to local community services and supports for long-term care. Call 800-342-9871 or local numbersin (716-753-4582), Jamestown (716-661-7582) or Dunkirk (716-363-4582).