ALBANY, N.Y. – Consumer Directed Choices, Inc. (CDChoices), a nonprofit organization providing Fiscal Intermediary payroll and program administration services to seniors and people with disabilities, launches an enhanced, easy-to-use workforce recruitment portal to connect individuals in need of home care services with “personal assistants” or caregivers. CDChoices believes that this new technology will streamline the hiring process and provide consumers and personal assistants with an easy, seamless experience.

Through CDChoices and New York State’s Consumer Directed Assistance Program, consumers control their own care by searching, interviewing, hiring, and training personal assistants. Given the national shortage of homecare employees, CDChoices proactively enhanced and simplified its recruitment platform to attract more users.

“We recognize the difficulty of recruiting personal assistants and the lack of attention paid to the home care industry, which is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the state,” says Christopher Graber, Chief Executive Officer of CDChoices. “New York currently has the greatest shortage of home care workers in the nation. We want to do our part to help our consumers increase their ability to attract, recruit, and retain dedicated workers.” 

Once a profile is created, a CDChoices consumer can search for personal assistants who match the specific care criteria they need. Similarly, personal assistants can search based on their own criteria and apply for specific job assignments that consumers have posted. Jobs feature full-time, part-time, and per diem.

Portal features include:

  • Direct MessagingThe workforce recruitment portal will enable secure, direct communications between consumers and personal assistants within the system. This feature will alert users by email or mobile text message each time they receive a communication in the portal. Not only does this protect user privacy, but it is an efficient way to communicate in real-time before scheduling an interview.

     

  • Sort and Filter Options – The workforce recruitment portal will enable a “sort” feature that allows consumers to organize applicants by their most recent log-in, profile creation date, and location to review potential workers residing closest to their home. The “filter” option will allow users to refine their search for a specific shift(s) they may need to fill, desired skill(s), language preference(s), and location radius (g., 10-miles from their home)
  • Saved Search Criteria & Job Posting Management – The workforce recruitment portal will allow users to save any searches they have completed within the system. They can choose to receive email and/or text notifications if there are new matches for their saved search criteria. Users can set different frequencies for receiving notifications, and finally, consumers can renew/repost the job when it expires. This will ensure the jobs posted within the portal are up-to-date and tailored to the consumer’s needs.

I am very impressed with the new portal and format,” says Lori Rappleyea, a consumer using CDChoices. “It will be much easier to look for a specific type of qualified person for a personal assistant position.”

Visit their website to learn if you are eligible for CDChoices through the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP). To learn more about becoming a personal assistant and creating a profile, visit http://portal.cdchoices.org.

About Consumer Directed Choices: Consumer Directed Choices, Inc. (CDChoices) is a private, nonprofit organization that acts as a fiscal intermediary providing payroll and program administration infrastructure to seniors and people with disabilities (consumers) who employ personal assistant workers through the Medicaid-funded Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP). CDChoices empowers Consumers who receive home care to enjoy greater flexibility and freedom of choice in obtaining services.

Headquartered in Albany, New York, CDChoices has supported over 3,400 consumers who employ over 10,000 Personal Assistants throughout New York State since 1997.

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