Advisory: April 12, 2012 - Home Care Registry Pre-2008 PCATP

April 12, 2012

This Advisory affects home care agencies that must enter into the Home Care Registry (HCR) individuals who became personal care aides (PCAs) through an "exit strategy" from an approved home health aide training program (HHATP).

A number of PCAs were certified prior to February 1, 2008, under a practice approved by the Department of Social Services known as "exit strategy." Under this practice, home care agencies with an approved HHATP were allowed to issue PCA certificates to students who successfully completed only the PCA portion of the HHATP. While the certificate identifies the individual as a PCA, the training program on the certificate is an HHATP.

In order to enter an aide into the HCR, the training program on the aide's certificate must be listed in the HCR. Some agencies have incorrectly entered "exit strategy" aides as HHAs because an approved personal care aide training program (PCATP) does not exist for them and is not listed in the Home Care Registry.

The Department of Health has implemented functionality for the HCR that allows agencies to enter "exit strategy" PCAs. If the date on the aide's certificate is prior to February 1, 2008, agencies may now select "Unlisted pre-2008 PCATP" from the training program drop down menu.

Home care agencies must continue to verify successful completion of training, correct any incorrect information that they entered in the HCR (including entering a PCA as an HHA), and add any missing information within 10 business days of the date of this advisory.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter. If you have any questions, please contact PCATP@health.state.ny.us or call the Bureau of Credentialing at (518) 408-1297.