The PPL Disaster Hurts Aide Workers, Too

A while ago, I wrote about how the New York Medicaid changes negatively affected people with disabilities. Our governor decided to hand off our Consumer-Directed Assistant Program (CDPAP) to Public Partners, LLC (PPL). This out-of-state, for-profit corporation has a history of unfairly compensating its workers, among other issues.

But another side of this horrific, unwanted change is how it affects aides.

Imagine if your aide or caregiver gets paid incorrectly or is not being paid at all in the end. Now, you have to pick and choose what you can or can’t afford to pay week by week. Caring Majority Rising, a political movement comprising people with disabilities, older adults, family caregivers, and home care workers in New York State, conducted this survey to highlight the dire situation.

This organization has been advocating against this transition since the start of January this year. And, just a few months ago, I met someone through my work for this organization whose life had been turned upside down because of these changes.   

This aide started working when the CDPAP program was just 5 years old, the same time they started their career in caregiving 25 years ago. They’re passionate about this work, which makes the changes to our homecare system harder for them.  

Because of these changes, this aide had to set up a GoFundMe. 

They started the GoFundMe for dental work, but now they need it to pay for their basic needs. Once again, PPL is not paying enough (or, in some cases, not at all) to fairly compensate their aides. It’s not right or fair that aides now have to do this because of this one evil corporation and their mismanagement of this Medicaid-funded program.

And it’s not just the money aspect of things for these aides, either. Because PPL refuses to compensate them fairly, it has negatively affected their health. Aides like the person I mentioned have now had to start taking more anti-anxiety medication, blood pressure medication, and other medications to treat conditions exacerbated by stress.

People have left this field because of companies like PPL and their poor practices. These aides don’t want to leave the field, but they feel like they have no other option at this point. That is the sad and honest reality of the situation right now for people who love aid work. PPL offers poor health insurance coverage, which means aide workers can’t afford to get the care they need.

With this crisis in New York, we need to remember that people with disabilities and older adults need aid care to live their most independent lives possible. Without that, who knows where millions of New Yorkers will be? 

Let’s not forget that, in our fight against PPL, we have to work together to better the lives of all of us, not just the people who receive the care but also the ones who give it to us every day of our lives. They deserve better than this. 

Featured image of aide worker provided by the author