CDPAP in Puerto Rico? The Rules + Your Options in New York

💡 Key Takeaways

CDPAP is a New York State Medicaid program. It does not operate in Puerto Rico, and New York Medicaid does not cover care delivered there.
If you move from Puerto Rico to New York, you can qualify: establish NY residency, enroll in NY Medicaid, then apply — as of the 2025 transition, CDPAP runs through a single statewide fiscal intermediary, Public Partnerships LLC (PPL).
If CDPAP doesn’t fit — no eligible family caregiver, or you need care to start fast — Medicaid-covered agency home care (a PCA or HHA) is the parallel route, and it is what we provide.

Thousands of families search every month for “CDPAP Puerto Rico” — usually a family already caring for a parent or spouse, hoping to be paid for that work the way New York families can be. The honest answer has two halves: what is possible in Puerto Rico, and what becomes possible if your family is in New York.

Is CDPAP Available in Puerto Rico?

No. The Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) is created and funded by New York State Medicaid, so it exists only in New York. Puerto Rico runs its own Medicaid system with its own home care benefits, and it does not have a CDPAP equivalent that pays family caregivers the same way. If your loved one lives in Puerto Rico and will stay there, ask the Puerto Rico Medicaid program directly about the home and community-based services they currently offer — benefits change, and the local office is the reliable source.

Moving From Puerto Rico to New York: How You Can Qualify

Residents of Puerto Rico are U.S. citizens, so there is no immigration barrier — but Medicaid does not transfer between Puerto Rico and New York. The path looks like this:

1Establish New York residency. Live in New York with the intent to stay — a lease, utility bill or similar is typically enough documentation.

2Enroll in New York Medicaid. Your Puerto Rico coverage does not carry over; you apply fresh in New York. Our guide to getting approved for Medicaid home care covers the documents and the income rules — and being over the income limit is often solvable.

3Complete the home care assessment. The NYIA assessment determines how many weekly hours of care are authorized.

4Choose your route: CDPAP or agency care. For CDPAP, you enroll through PPL (see below) and your chosen caregiver becomes your paid personal assistant. For agency-directed care, a licensed agency like Advantage Home Care matches and manages the caregiver — often the faster start.

What Changed With CDPAP in 2025: PPL

CDPAP used to run through hundreds of fiscal intermediary companies. In 2025 New York consolidated the program under a single statewide fiscal intermediary, Public Partnerships LLC (PPL) — every CDPAP consumer and personal assistant now enrolls and gets paid through PPL. Advantage Home Care is a licensed home care agency, not a CDPAP fiscal intermediary, so we will tell you plainly: if CDPAP is the right fit for your family, you enroll through PPL, and details change — confirm current rules with PPL or NY Medicaid directly.

Where we do help: many families discover CDPAP is not the fit they hoped — the intended caregiver moved away, works full-time, or a spouse (who generally cannot be the paid assistant) is the only one available. In those cases, Medicaid pays for an agency caregiver instead — a personal care aide or home health aide — at no cost to eligible families. Same Medicaid, same hours, no waiting for a family member to be available.

Se Habla Español

Many of the families asking these questions are Spanish-speaking. Our coordinators and many of our caregivers speak Spanish, and we regularly help families arriving from Puerto Rico set up Medicaid and home care in New York. Read more about home care in your language.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a family member get paid to be a caregiver in Puerto Rico?

Generally not through a CDPAP-style program — Puerto Rico’s Medicaid system does not offer one statewide. Check with the Puerto Rico Medicaid office about current home care benefits. If the family moves to New York, paid family caregiving becomes possible through CDPAP.

Can I keep CDPAP if I move from New York to Puerto Rico?

No. New York Medicaid only covers care delivered in New York, so CDPAP ends when the consumer leaves the state. Plan the transition before moving.

How do I apply for CDPAP in New York?

Enroll in NY Medicaid, complete the assessment, then enroll yourself and your chosen personal assistant with PPL, the statewide fiscal intermediary. Rules about who can serve as the paid assistant (and the exceptions, such as spouses) come from NY Medicaid — confirm current details with PPL.

What if I need care to start before CDPAP enrollment finishes?

Agency home care can usually start much sooner — private pay within days, and Medicaid agency care as soon as approval and assessment are complete. Families sometimes start with agency care and evaluate CDPAP later.

Does Advantage Home Care offer CDPAP?

No — since the 2025 transition, CDPAP runs exclusively through PPL. We provide Medicaid-covered and private-pay agency home care across all five NYC boroughs, and we help families navigate Medicaid enrollment either way.

Talk It Through in One Call

Moving from Puerto Rico, or sorting out care after the CDPAP changes? Call 718-375-2707 — English or Spanish — and we’ll map out Medicaid, CDPAP vs agency care, and what can start now.

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