To reassure the public about concerns of delayed salary payments, the state of New York has agreed to extend the conversion deadline for the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) until June. Beneficiaries of the program must complete registration by May 15, while caregivers must complete online registration by June 6. Those who have not completed registration or are facing difficulties in registering can continue to process their salaries through the original third-party companies, but they must still complete registration with PPL within the new deadline. For individuals unable to receive salaries through the old system, PPL will provide an expedited registration process.
This reform, initiated by Governor Kathy Hochul last year, aims to reduce Medicaid spending. The state government had originally planned to transfer approximately 250,000 home care consumers and their caregivers from around 600 third-party payroll processing organizations to the sole designated fiscal intermediary, Public Partnerships LLC (PPL), headquartered in Georgia.
Since January of this year, state health officials have been taking emergency actions to assist all consumers and caregivers in transitioning to the new system. As the original deadline of April 1 set by the state government for transferring all users and personnel to the PPL platform approaches, concerns arose from the public that the new system may not be able to complete registrations and salary processing in a timely manner. The government extended the registration deadline by 30 days and promised to make retroactive wage payments, but it still sparked concerns of confusion and service interruptions.
In the days leading up to the end of the transition period on April 1, New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) filed a lawsuit on behalf of affected consumers and companies, alleging that technical issues severely impeded the registration process, potentially leading to care interruptions. Federal Judge Frederic Block of the Brooklyn Federal Court subsequently issued a temporary restraining order allowing the original third-party organizations to continue serving users who had not completed the transition. In the following days, lawyers from both sides engaged in negotiations in an attempt to reach a consensus while ensuring uninterrupted care.
Last Wednesday, April 9, an agreement was reached between the state government and the lawyers representing home care users to extend the final deadline for the consolidation of the CDPAP program until June 6.
According to the latest draft agreement, home care users must complete registration by May 15, while caregivers must complete online registration by June 6. Cases that have not completed the transition or where caregivers encounter registration difficulties can continue salary processing through the original third-party companies, but they must still complete registration with PPL within the new deadline. For individuals unable to receive salaries through the old system, PPL will provide an expedited registration process.
“This agreement helps the state government advance the CDPAP reform and ensure comprehensive implementation of the reform,” stated Sam Spokony, a spokesperson for the Governor’s Office, emphasizing that users and workers who have completed registration will not be affected.
Reports from New York State and PPL indicate that the majority of CDPAP beneficiaries and caregivers have successfully registered or are in the process of registering with the PPL system. As of early April 2025, approximately 216,000 consumers have completed the transition, with over 245,000 home caregivers beginning or completing their registrations, out of which 160,000 have already completed the transition.