The sudden resignation of the top executive at Public Partnerships LLC (PPL) has sent shockwaves through the New York home care community. PPL is the company tasked with managing New York’s Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) – a popular Medicaid home care program that allows seniors and people with disabilities to hire their own caregivers (often family or friends).
With PPL’s President (and effectively CEO), Maria Perrin, announcing she will step down within 60 days, stakeholders are anxiously asking: What does this leadership shakeup mean for the ongoing CDPAP transition?
To understand the impact, we must recall how we got here. New York’s CDPAP has grown exponentially over the past decade, serving tens of thousands of consumers and personal assistants (caregivers).
The program’s costs ballooned to over $9 billion annually, in part due to an inefficient patchwork of more than 600 fiscal intermediary agencies that handled payroll and administration. Reports of fraud and waste in some of those agencies prompted state officials to pursue an overhaul.
In 2024, Governor Kathy Hochul and the legislature made a controversial decision: to consolidate CDPAP under a single statewide fiscal intermediary. Following a competitive process (amid criticism that the outcome was pre-ordained), Public Partnerships LLC (PPL) was awarded a $1 billion contract to manage CDPAP across New York.
PPL, a private company with experience in self-directed care programs, officially took over CDPAP operations on April 1, 2025, replacing the hundreds of smaller companies that had been serving as intermediaries up until then.
This was an unprecedented change intended to streamline oversight, reduce fraud, and save money. But it also meant a massive transition for consumers and caregivers statewide.
From day one, the transition to PPL’s management has been anything but smooth. Thousands of caregivers and consumers reported frustration and chaos as they navigated new registration processes, timesheet systems, and payroll procedures.
These are not mere inconveniences – late or missing paychecks have real consequences. For families living paycheck to paycheck, any payroll hiccup means bills go unpaid.
In April, some caregivers saw short or zero-dollar paychecks, had trouble logging hours, or didn’t receive payment on time. Caregivers felt blindsided by new requirements, and many consumers feared their loved ones’ care could be disrupted if aides quit over paycheck problems.
State officials acknowledged the bumpy road. Governor Hochul admitted “all transitions are complicated,” and the Department of Health repeatedly extended deadlines to ease the switch.
For example, the cutoff for consumers to enroll with PPL was pushed from April to May 15, and for personal assistants from May to June. Legal action also forced adjustments – a class-action lawsuit on behalf of CDPAP users resulted in a settlement that gave consumers and caregivers until August 1, 2025, to register with PPL, with state oversight measures in place.
In short, what was meant to be a swift transition has stretched out over months under intense scrutiny.
Amid this turbulent transition, PPL’s leadership is now in flux. The news that Maria Perrin, PPL’s president and public face of the CDPAP rollout, will be resigning within the next two months comes on the heels of other executive changes.
In fact, Perrin’s departure is the third high-level exit at PPL in a matter of weeks. The company quietly replaced its CEO, Vince Coppola, with board member Miki Kapoor earlier this summer.
Further, insiders report that PPL’s CFO also recently left. With the CEO, CFO, and now President all exiting around the same time, it’s no surprise that alarm bells are ringing throughout the home care industry.
PPL’s official stance is that there’s nothing to worry about – they insist the timing is coincidental and that the company remains on solid footing. A spokesperson for PPL noted that the CDPAP transition is “nearing completion” and that Perrin is confident the team is prepared to succeed without her.
The company says it is conducting a “thoughtful search” for the next president and emphasized that its operations are strong as it approaches the finish line of the transition.
However, many stakeholders aren’t convinced. The abrupt leadership overhaul “raises some red flags for sure,” according to Assemblyman Harvey Epstein, who questioned why the original CEO resigned so suddenly if all was well.
Kapoor’s dual role as PPL’s CEO and a partner at Linden Capital Partners – a private equity firm with a stake in PPL – has further fueled skepticism. Lawmakers and advocates worry that having a private equity insider at the helm could tilt priorities toward investors over consumers, especially at a time when PPL should be laser-focused on fixing transition snafus.
State Sen. Gustavo Rivera, chair of the Senate Health Committee, pointed out that PPL’s leadership choices and transition performance are fair game for scrutiny.
A public hearing is scheduled for August 21 in New York City, where legislators plan to grill PPL (and the state health department) about the “troubled process” and demand answers for the myriad issues that have arisen.
All these developments beg the question: What happens now, and should caregivers, consumers, and home care agencies be worried? In the immediate term, Perrin’s resignation and the broader shakeup could have several implications:
A change in leadership during a major project can be distracting. PPL’s incoming executives will need to get up to speed on the New York operations quickly.
There’s a risk that internal focus shifts to reorganization and hiring when it should be on ironing out remaining transition problems. Any loss of momentum could threaten the ability to meet the final August 1 enrollment deadline or promptly resolve outstanding payroll issues.
For caregivers on the ground, the number one concern is getting paid accurately and on time. Will a new president or CEO change the systems or processes yet again?
PPL has tried to reassure folks that it is processing payroll daily and has 2,000 customer service reps ready to help. Ideally, the back-end teams and procedures remain the same despite the front-office shakeup.
On the flip side, the very public nature of these departures could prompt more oversight and support from the state. Lawmakers already smelling blood will be extra vigilant in monitoring PPL’s performance.
The August 21 hearing will be a pivotal moment; if PPL’s new leaders come prepared to answer tough questions and offer solutions, it might restore some confidence.
If not, we could see louder calls for the state to intervene further. In fact, some New York legislators have already introduced a bill to reverse the CDPAP changes and bring back multiple intermediaries.
While that bill’s prospects are uncertain, the leadership turmoil gives its proponents more ammunition in arguing the single-FI model isn’t working.
For many caregivers and families, trust in the system is fragile after experiencing such a chaotic transition. Hearing that the PPL executives in charge are all resigning may sow more doubt: Does PPL itself lack faith in its New York operations?
Home care agency owners and managers, many of whom lost business as fiscal intermediaries due to this consolidation, are watching closely too.
Some agency leaders feel vindicated that the transition’s flaws are coming to light. Others worry that if PPL fails, it could wreak havoc on consumers and workers alike. Every stakeholder is looking for reassurance that someone is at the helm and accountable.
The coming weeks will be critical for New York’s CDPAP. By August 1, tens of thousands of personal assistants and consumers are supposed to be fully onboarded with PPL – marking the end of the formal transition period.
Achieving that goal without further incident would be a big step toward normalizing the program under PPL’s management. PPL’s new leadership will need to deliver on the promise of a better-run, fraud-free CDPAP, which was the whole point of this upheaval in the first place.
Conversely, if problems continue or deepen, pressure may mount for New York State to consider more drastic measures. Regulatory action, financial penalties, or even revisiting the one-FI policy could be on the table if the transition is deemed a failure.
New York’s home care industry is holding its collective breath until it’s clear whether this ship can be steered away from the iceberg or not.
Download Blog
Our users reported 95% customer satisfaction in 2024. Schedule a personal walkthrough to see CareSmartz360, home care software in action.
AI Hub
