New York Medicaid home care: CDPAP, personal care and how to apply

In New York, Medicaid pays for home care mostly through two routes: personal care services, where a home care agency sends an aide, and the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP), where you choose and hire your own assistant. The New York State Department of Health runs Medicaid and both programs.

The two ways Medicaid pays for home care

The Department describes personal care services (PCS) as help such as housekeeping, meal preparation, bathing, toileting and grooming. It says Medicaid managed care organizations and local departments of social services contract with home care agencies that employ the aides. PCS is also available through private payment and some health insurers.

CDPAP covers similar tasks, plus nursing tasks, but you do the hiring. The Department says CDPAP lets Medicaid members who are eligible for home care services choose and hire their own personal assistant. For the details, see CDPAP in New York: who qualifies, PPL and how to enroll.

Medicaid.gov describes this model as self-directed services: participants choose, hire, train and supervise the people who provide their services. In New York, CDPAP is the self-directed option.

What changed recently

Two changes matter if you read older advice.

1. One statewide fiscal intermediary. The Department's CDPAP page, revised May 2026, says Public Partnerships LLC (PPL) is the Statewide Fiscal Intermediary and all CDPAP recipients are required to work with PPL. The Department's pages show transition notices from early 2025.
2. Minimum Needs Requirements. From September 1, 2025, adults 21 and older seeking PCS or CDPAP must meet a higher level of assessed need. The Department's wording is in the CDPAP page and PCS page, and we repeat it in the FAQ below. People already authorized or enrolled in managed long term care as of that date continue under the previous criteria.

Who runs each part

• New York State Department of Health: the state Medicaid agency, and the publisher of the PCS and CDPAP rules.
• Local departments of social services (LDSS): the county-level offices. The Department says they contract with home care agencies for PCS and, with managed care plans, develop plans of care.
• Medicaid managed care plans and managed long term care plans: the Department says managed care organizations contract with agencies. The Minimum Needs Requirements also apply to people 18 and older who want to join a Medicaid Advantage Plan or a managed long term care plan.
• New York Independent Assessor Program (NYIAP): does the independent assessment. The Department says adults 18 and older need a community health assessment and clinical appointment from NYIAP before they can receive PCS or CDPAP.
• Public Partnerships LLC (PPL): the statewide fiscal intermediary for CDPAP.

How to apply

1. Get Medicaid. Medicaid.gov's state agency list gives a NY State of Health number for people enrolled that way and links local numbers for everyone else. If you already have Medicaid, skip to step 2.
2. Ask for a home care assessment. For ages 18 and older, NYIAP does the community health assessment and clinical appointment. For people under 18, a doctor sends a Physician's Order for Services to the local social services district or managed care plan.
3. Choose PCS or CDPAP. The Department publishes a CDPAP and PCS comparison chart and fact sheet.
4. For CDPAP, register with PPL. All CDPAP inquiries go to PPL at 1-833-247-5346, according to the Department. You can also contact your managed care plan or local department of social services for help with registration.

The PCS page also links to the Department's Medicaid "how do I apply" page, which has a frequently asked questions section for people with an immediate need for personal care.

Can a family member be paid

Through CDPAP, yes. The Department says the personal assistant can be a friend or family member, as long as they are not the Medicaid member's spouse, their designated representative, or the parent of a CDPAP consumer under 21. Our paid family caregiver page for New York explains this in more detail.

Questions to ask when you call

• Have I been scheduled for the NYIAP community health assessment and clinical appointment?
• Do the Minimum Needs Requirements apply to me, or was I already authorized or enrolled in managed long term care on September 1, 2025?
• Should I choose a home care agency under PCS or hire my own assistant under CDPAP?
• If I choose CDPAP, is my assistant registered with PPL, and who do I call about payment problems?
• Who is my designated representative, if I have one, and does that person plan to be paid? (They cannot be.)

Terms you will see

• NYIAP: the New York Independent Assessor Program, which does the independent assessment for adults.
• Personal assistant: the worker you hire under CDPAP.
• Fiscal intermediary: the organization that processes your assistant's wages, withholdings and employment records. For CDPAP it is PPL.
• Designated representative: someone who can make decisions for a consumer who cannot self-direct, and who cannot be the paid assistant.
• Facilitator: an optional helper for CDPAP registration, chosen through the Department's selection form.

What this page does not cover

New York also has other Medicaid long-term care programs, such as managed long term care and PACE, which the Department mentions on its CDPAP page, and home and community-based waivers. We read the PCS, CDPAP, CDPAS and NYIAP pages but not the pages on those other programs, so we have not described them. Ask your local department of social services or your plan.

Where Carevo fits

Carevo is a connection platform and directory. We do not run or enroll anyone in Medicaid, set eligibility or hours, or vouch for any provider. If you want a licensed agency instead, or help while your application is processed, use the care-type links below.

Programs in New York

• Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP): CDPAP lets New York Medicaid members who qualify for home care hire a personal assistant they choose, including most family members. Since 2025 every CDPAP consumer works with one statewide fiscal intermediary, Public Partnerships LLC (PPL).

Find providers in New York

• Home care in New York
• Home health care in New York
• Nursing homes in New York
• Intellectual and developmental disability services in New York
• Paid family caregiver in New York