The state’s official payroll administrator for the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) is facing renewed criticism despite announcing a major milestone last week.
Public Partnerships LLC (PPL), which oversees payroll and program support for the Medicaid-funded initiative, said it has now issued over $1 billion in gross pay to more than 214,000 personal assistants across New York. CDPAP allows individuals with disabilities or chronic illnesses to hire and direct their own caregivers—often family or friends—instead of going through a home care agency.
The milestone came with updates to PPL’s app and expanded in-person support centers downstate. But caregivers in other parts of the state say that’s far from the full story.
Pamela McDaniel, a full-time caregiver to her daughter in Rome, New York, called the announcement “misleading and untrue.” In a letter shared with FingerLakes1.com, McDaniel outlined repeated payroll issues, lack of support in upstate communities, and unresolved security concerns with the PPL app and website.
“There are no offices in the upstate area, and PPL never answers their phones,” she wrote. “The app fails constantly, and people are losing their jobs, homes—even their lives.”
McDaniel added that she has received payment from PPL but says it was incorrect, and she’s been unable to access usable copies of her pay stubs. “There’s no payroll department to call,” she said. “And when you try to print stubs, they come out blurry.”
Her experience is not isolated. Facebook groups like PPL Help NY and Finding Common Ground Podcast have become hubs for caregivers sharing similar concerns—including reports of delayed payments, lost hours, and limited recourse when issues arise.
McDaniel also pointed to ongoing class-action lawsuits involving PPL, questioning the validity of the company’s payment claims and alleging systemic problems under the state’s new centralized payroll system.
“No personal assistant or consumer should be forced into a nursing home because of payroll failures,” McDaniel said. “We’re not seeing reform—we’re seeing a breakdown.”
Governor Kathy Hochul has defended the transition to a single statewide fiscal intermediary as a way to streamline CDPAP and reduce fraud. But critics argue the implementation has come at the expense of thousands of vulnerable families who rely on caregivers.
In her letter, McDaniel called on the governor to acknowledge what she describes as a policy failure. “Governor Hochul hired a company to dismantle CDPAP—not save it,” she wrote. “Prove me wrong.”
PPL has not responded to a request for comment. The company’s website still lists in-person support locations in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, Albany, Rochester, and Hicksville—but none in the Mohawk Valley, Central New York, or other rural parts of the state.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email protected].