Families concerned by proposed changes to in-home caregiver program in New York
Gov. Kathy Hochul is proposing changes to the increasingly popular Medicaid-funded Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program.
The changes could include eliminating what is called a designated representative for individuals who utilize a personal assistant, or caregiver, to perform daily tasks. The program allows Medicaid recipients to hire someone of their choosing to fill that role, and for individuals who aren’t able to make that decision themselves, the responsibility for hiring, managing and if needed, removing that individual from the position falls to the designated representative.
While the proposal is not included in either one-house budget, families impacted told Spectrum News 1 they are concerned ahead of negotiations.