Not many people know that they can get paid to be a friend or family member’s caregiver, which is what this article will cover.
Keep reading to learn about all the benefits that come with being your loved one’s caregiver, which include a flexible work schedule, multiple payment options, a notably lucrative retirement plan, and more.
What is a CDPAP Caregiver?
CDPAP stands for the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program. Through this amazing initiative, patients in New York can hire friends, family members, and/or relatives to be their paid caregivers or “Personal Assistants”.
CDPAP is mostly available to Medicaid recipients. That is to say that when the patient chooses someone to aid them with fulfilling daily tasks and taking care of their home, Medicaid pays the caregiver directly.
In addition to the convenience of making an income by assisting a loved one, you should keep in mind that there are plenty of other upsides to being a CDPAP caregiver.
CDPAP Caregiver Benefits
Here are some of the main benefits and advantages that both yourself, as a CDPAP caregiver, and your sick or elderly loved one will enjoy:
Consumers Can Choose Their Caregiver
Instead of having to reside at a nursing home or long-term care facility, the patient that you’re caring for can obtain the treatment and support that they need from the comfort of their own home.
The care recipient can also maintain their current daily routine, including when they wake up, go to sleep, and eat their meals.
Flexible Hours
You and your friend or family member can put together a schedule that’s suitable for the two of you.
You may want to consider creating one that takes your and the recipient’s external commitments into account.
No Training
While New York requires registered nurses to undergo extensive training programs, CDPAP caregivers are permitted to bypass this.
To illustrate, CDPAP caregivers can perform the following tasks even if they aren’t trained:
- IV needle injections
- Oxygen therapy
- Wound care (such as sanitizing and covering wounded areas)
- Other professional services that only trained and registered nurses can offer
Simply put, you can provide your loved one with the same services and forms of care that a professional nurse would, but without enrolling in any training courses.
Nonetheless, you still have the option to sign up for nursing classes. In fact, doing so is recommended because it allows you to become a better caregiver who can fulfill your sick or elderly loved one’s needs more efficiently.
You should initially find a balance between dedicating time to these training programs and being there for your friend or family member.
Fast Enrollment
Since you don’t have to complete nursing courses, you can quickly enroll as a CDPAP caregiver. After that, you may immediately begin to work and start earning an income.
$11 per Hour
CDPAP caregivers receive $11 per hour, which is almost $450 for a 40-hour week. They get paid every week.
Payment Options
If you become a CDPAP caregiver, you could choose to receive your funds through one of the following three methods:
- Direct Deposit: Your income is directly deposited into your bank account.
- Mailed Paycheck: Medicaid sends you a weekly check via mail.
- Credit Card: You get a prepaid credit card that you may use for transportation, at grocery stores, and to pay your bills.
Keep in mind that your preferred payment option is also used to compensate you when you work additional hours during any given week.
Paid Overtime
CDPAP caregivers who put in more than 40 hours in a week are eligible for overtime pay.
To clarify, overtime compensation is equal to your typical hourly rate multiplied by 1.5. At $11 per hour, your pay would be $16.50 for each overtime hour that you put in.
For instance, if you performed your caregiver duties for 50 hours in a single week, you get paid your typical $440 plus $165 for doing 10 hours of overtime work (or $605 in total).
Above all, you are entitled to overtime pay even if you’re caring for multiple friends or family members.
To give an example, a CDPAP caregiver spent 30 hours assisting a certain patient and 20 to help another one. In this case, they still get their typical 40-hour week paycheck, alongside payment for 10 hours of overtime work.
Can Take Care of More Than One Patient at a Time
Among the main benefits to being a CDPAP caregiver is that you could support multiple friends and/or family members simultaneously.
This is particularly useful for those who have two elderly parents or grandparents. Similarly, if several of your friends got disabled or injured in a car accident or a comparably-harmful incident, you can be a CDPAP caregiver for each of them at the same time.
However, all CDPAP caregivers can receive the benefits, regardless of how many people they work with.
Health Insurance
You qualify for health insurance coverage if you provide care in the following counties in the state of New York:
- Nassau
- Suffolk
- Westchester
- All counties in New York City (including Bronx, Kings, New York/Manhattan, Queens, and Richmond)
Even if you don’t live in these areas and, as a result, can’t enroll in health insurance, you are still able to claim the other benefits that CDPAP caregivers enjoy across the Empire State.
Paid Sick Time
Paid sick leave allows you to maintain your income when you take time off work after getting sick or injured.
As a CDPAP caregiver, you have up to 40 hours of paid sick time per year in which you will continue to receive your hourly rate and the associated boons.
Retirement Plan
A sizable 401(k) retirement plan is one of the most lucrative and advantageous CDPAP caregiver benefits.
Firstly, the patient’s Medicaid program matches your 401(k) contributions by the same amount, up to a maximum of 3% of your weekly earnings. Secondly, when you fund your retirement plan with 3% to 5% of your income, Medicaid matches your deposit by 50%.
For example, if you made $450 in a week and deposited 3% of it (or $13.50), your 401(k) will be funded by $27 after Medicaid makes an equal contribution.
Meanwhile, if you opt to add another 2% of your earnings (or $9), Medicaid contributes half of that amount ($4.50). In total, your 401(k) would be funded by $40.50 for the week ($22.50 of which is through your income, and $18 is deposited by Medicaid).
At the end of the day, CDPAP caregivers have a lot of flexibility that extends to the majority of the benefits that we covered in this article, ranging from the ability to set their own hours and choose their preferred payment method to the optional (rather than mandatory) training courses and expanded retirement offerings.
When combined with the sense of gratification that comes with helping a close family member or friend, these benefits make being a CDPAP caregiver worthwhile and incredibly rewarding.