[Cdpaanys] CBS Albany: "Not enough training": Former PPL workers say poor training plagued CDPAP payroll shift

[Laura Cardwell]

*"Not enough training": Former PPL workers say poor training plagued CDPAP
payroll shift*
CBS Albany
<https://cbs6albany.com/news/local/not-enough-training-former-ppl-workers-poor-training-cdpap-transition-public-partnerships-home-care-doh-new-york-wrgb>
|  Briana
Supardi

ALBANY, N.Y. (WRGB) — For thousands of New Yorkers who rely on the state’s
Medicaid home care program, the last few weeks have been filled with
frustration as the state transitions the program to a single payroll
provider, Public Partnerships LLC (PPL).

Now, former PPL employees are speaking out, saying they were left untrained
and unsupported — and that problems inside the company contributed to
missed paychecks for caregivers across the state.

“We had to teach ourselves,” said one former PPL customer service
representative, who requested anonymity. “It was self-learning — watching
videos to figure out PPL’s system.

The transition, part of a state-mandated change in the Consumer Directed
Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP), officially began on April 1.

Since then, some caregivers have reported missing paychecks, receiving
incorrect payments, and struggling to get help from customer service.

“People cannot call to get the help that they need because there's not
enough workers, not enough training,” said the former worker.

Another former employee told CBS 6 that even supervisors were unprepared to
handle the transition.

“Our supervisor in particular didn't have a clue as to what was going on,”
they said.

Workers described a chaotic rollout that left them feeling unable to
properly assist CDPAP consumers and caregivers.

In addition, they felt the system itself was not designed to adequately
accommodate CDPAP consumers and their disabilities.

“PPL does not know how to handle something of this magnitude,” said the
worker.

The pay issues are now the focus of a class action lawsuit filed Friday by
The Legal Aid Society. The lawsuit alleges that technical failures with
PPL’s timekeeping system led to missed paychecks for thousands of
caregivers enrolled in CDPAP.

in a statement, PPL said it “continually evaluates” its call center
operations to ensure quality service, adding that agents receive retraining
and one-on-one coaching as needed. The company said staff who fail to meet
quality requirements or follow protocols “have been let go.”

A statement provided by PPL read, "Each of our call center staff and
supervisors receive comprehensive training prior to working directly with
consumers and personal assistants. A specialized learning and development
team also has developed learning aids including videos, scripts and
in-person and virtual classroom tools. Staff must pass a knowledge test
prior to taking calls and we have ongoing quality monitoring for staff
coaching and adherence. All agents have access to PPL’s Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQ) answers as well as program rules and procedures. We have
over 150 highly qualified supervisors and managers, many of whom have been
working with our call center since we opened it and prior to that. Daily
call center huddles provide supervisors with updates and ongoing training
support."

The New York State Department of Health, which oversees CDPAP, told CBS 6
it is closely monitoring the transition to PPL.


-- 

Laura Cardwell

Director of Operations & Events

CDPAANYS/CDANY

she/her/hers

(518) 813-9537 ext 1
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