A $6 billion Medicaid care program is being advertised to young New Yorkers as an easy way to stay home and get “paid by the government” — raising fears that taxpayer dollars are going down the drain.
In addition to being advertised on TV and on the subways, one viral video on TikTok highlights how a person can make use of the state’s Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP).
“Taking care of an elderly or disabled relative & not getting paid? You need to know about CDPAP,” the caption on the TikTok video reads.
The clip, posted by New York City-based content creator Erin McGoff, has garnered more than 89,000 likes and has been saved well over 26,000 times since it was shared late last year.
In it, McGoff – whose slew of videos offer up life advice – engages in a mock conversation with herself to reveal how a person could make use of the program.
Asked how her job is going, the TikToker responds: “Oh, I actually quit my job to stay home and take care of my mom. She’s getting really old and I don’t want to put her in a nursing home.”
When the friend says she’d love to care for her aging mom but couldn’t afford to give up her job, the content creator responds: “Oh, I’m not doing it for free. I’m getting paid by the government.”
The clip delves into how the Medicaid-run program essentially allows those with disabilities or chronic illnesses to hire their own personal caretakers – including family members.
“I have no medical background,” the TikToker says at one point, adding that the program varies by state.
Several commenters were quick to point out the specific program was rife with fraud.
“My mom did this. She was definitely only doing it for the money,” one viewer wrote.
“I work with clients who’s [sic] caregivers are family. There is so much fraud and financial abuse and theres [sic] nothing that we can do about it,” another said.
One TikTok user chimed in: “My brother in law gets paid to care for my father in law and no care is needed. Another waste to the budget to increase your taxes.”
Meanwhile, others joked they would seize on the program to ditch work.
“Imma bout to call my mom and tell her she needs me to take care of her,” one said.
Experts and industry reps have argued the CDPAP has been rife with fraud and abuse in recent years.
Reached by The Post, McGoff was shocked to learn of the program’s potential as a get rich scheme.
“The reactions were very positive. Some people griped that our tax dollars were getting stolen from people looking to ‘game the system’. Some others pointed out that you can only do this if your loved one is ‘poor enough”‘,” she said in a statement.
“But overall, many people were happy to learn about the program, and I’m sure looked into it for themselves,” she said.
“The ‘sandwich’ generation is certainly struggling, between young kids and aging parents. Any help they can get when it comes to care is greatly impactful.”
