By Hank Russell
Once again, Assemblyman Keith Brown (R,C-Northport) called for the delay in the implementation of changes to the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) back to July 1. Despite these efforts, Brown said, CDPAP continues to experience hurdle after hurdle in fully implementing necessary changes, including turning the administration of the program over to a single company, Public Partnerships LLC (PPL).
The Messenger reported that state Senator Mario Mattera (R-St. James) and other elected officials released a blistering letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services stating that the situation is beyond the state’s ability to fix. They called on HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (I-CA) to launch a full investigation into the “slipshod” rollout and examine how this rushed change could impact vulnerable New Yorkers.
This transition to PPL has created turmoil for the more than 250,000 consumers in New York state who have long-term medical needs and more than 200,000 home care aides employed by CDPAP, according to the assemblyman. Brown asserted that consumers have not been given enough time to register to PPL to avoid lapses in care, and home care aides are not receiving complete paychecks on time due to this rushed transition.
“Unfortunately, despite the Senate and Assembly Minority Conferences’ efforts to call for a delay in the implementation of changes to CDPAP from April 1, 2025, to July 1, 2025, we did not receive the extension we were looking for,” said Brown. “In response to intense public outcry and a federal lawsuit filed in April of 2025, Gov. Hochul and the New York State Department of Health have extended the deadline multiple times for consumers and home care aides to be able to enroll in the new program under PPL, but these extensions are nowhere near enough.”
Long Island Life & Politics reached out to the Health Department and was referred to PPL.
In response, the company said that, since the rollout four weeks ago, the company issued payments to approximately 165,000 CDPAP personal assistants and more than $395 million in payments have been issued to date. According to PPL, paychecks were issued to over 99% of fully registered PAs who submitted their time sheets within a timely manner.
“As the new statewide payroll system moves forward, PPL continues to ensure that all timesheets and payments are completed in accordance with CDPAP consumer service authorizations and program rules, as per State and Federal guidelines,” PPL said in a statement. “We are committed to supporting consumers and PAs and to helping to sustain CDPAP for people who receive and deliver this essential care.”
Although they did not address the deadline issue, PPL mentioned that the company consolidated over 600 fiscal intermediaries (FIs) as a result of “insufficient program integrity practices” that led to “fraud, waste, and abuse, including a $68 million fraud indictment involving former CDPAP FIs.
“While change can be difficult, it is necessary to protect the program and ensure that Medicaid funds are directed to servicing individuals that need care,” the company stated.