About CDPA

Who Can Use the Program?

To be eligible for CDPA, an individual must:

• Be Medicaid eligible;
• Be eligible for home care services, personal care services, or private duty nursing;
• Require some or total assistance with one or more home care, personal care, or skilled nursing service;
• Have a stable medical condition; and
• Be self-directing or have a designated representative who is willing and competent to assume the roles and responsibilities that go with the program.

The definition of a self-directing consumer is:

“a consumer who is capable of making choices regarding the consumer’s activities of daily living and the type, quality and management of his or her consumer directed personal assistance; understands the impact of these choices; and assumes responsibility for the results of these choices.”  (10 NYCRR 505.28(b)(9))

Since the consumer assumes employer responsibilities, (to recruit, hire, train, supervise and terminate) s/he must be capable off performing these duties.  Directing the personal assistant and completing required paperwork are core competencies.

In counties where cases are authorized by the local department of social services, county caseworkers and nurses assess each individual for his/her CDPA eligibility.  In counties where mandatory managed care and managed long term care have been implemented, case workers and nurses from the consumer’s plan assume these responsibilities.