Back-Up Attendant Program (BUAP)
The BUAP provides temporary homecare services to In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) consumers with 25 or more personal care hours per week when their regular IHSS provider is unavailable due to an unexpected or unplanned event. The Back-Up Attendant Program was developed by the Personal Assistance Services Council (PASC) and the Department of Public Social Services to assist In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) consumers with severe disabilities in obtaining a temporary replacement homecare worker when their regular IHSS provider is not available.
Eligible IHSS consumers can call the Back-Up Attendant Program for a referral Monday through Friday, between 8am and 5pm at 877-287-6789. Calls made outside of these hours are answered by an answering service.
To qualify, consumers must:
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- Be approved by the County to receive 25 or more hours of personal care services per week
- Have an immediate need for a temporary IHSS back-up attendant and have no other resource available to provide the needed assistance
- Sign up with the PASC Homecare Registry
To become a back-up attendant you must meet, among others, the following requirements:
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- IHSS eligible and working less than 40 IHSS hours per week
- Have extensive homecare experience and/or be a CNA or HHA
- Complete BUAP orientation and application
- Participate in BUAP trainings
English Back-up Provider FAQs
PASC BUAP Frequently Asked Questions brochure.
Spanish Back-up Provider FAQs
PASC BUAP Frequently Asked Questions brochure.
English Back-up Provider Training February 2021
An 8-hour class for BUAP applicants.
Back-Up Provider System (BUPS)
By Alisha
/ On February 3, 2023
/
The BUPS is a new statewide program that allows any eligible recipient to receive In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) or Waiver Personal Care Services (WPCS) from a back-up provider when the recipient has an urgent or immediate need for back-up related to personal care services, which cannot be met by an existing provider, or when the recipient is transitioning from out-of-home care to home-based care and does not yet have an identified provider.
By Alisha
/ On February 3, 2023
/
An urgent or immediate need is defined by the state in the following manner:
- A need that is immediate and cannot be postponed until the regular provider is available to provide the service; and
- The need has a direct impact upon the IHSS/WPCS recipient, and delaying it would potentially jeopardize the health/safety of the recipient, which may result in the need for emergency services and/or out-of-home placement.
By Alisha
/ On February 3, 2023
/
Personal care is a task that is performed for a person’s health or well-being. Examples may include, but are not limited to:
- Eating
- Bathing
- Dressing
- Walking or moving around
- Getting in and out of bed
- Toileting
- Administering medications
By Alisha
/ On February 3, 2023
/
Yes. However, once the individual is hired to work for you and is “linked” to your case as a regular provider, they will not be able to provide back-up services for you in the future, and their pay rate will be that of a regular provider.
By Alisha
/ On February 3, 2023
/
It is not advisable to ask a back-up provider to work more than the number of hours previously approved by the BUPS due to the following reasons:
- The recipient may not have enough service hours available to cover the extra time, and this could cause the back-up provider to not receive full payment for services or require the recipient to pay out of pocket.
- The provider may exceed the maximum allowable number of work hours per week/month, resulting in an overtime violation.
By Alisha
/ On February 3, 2023
/
Under current state policies, going to a doctor’s appointment is not considered an immediate/urgent need.
By Alisha
/ On February 3, 2023
/
- PASC cannot guarantee that a back-up provider will be found in all instances.
- Factors such as the time of the request, service duration, worker availability, and location can all impact PASC’s ability to find and dispatch a back-up provider.
By Alisha
/ On February 3, 2023
/
No. PASC does not train back-up providers to perform service-related tasks. IHSS and WPCS recipients are considered employers for hiring, supervising, and training purposes. All training must be done by the recipient.
By Alisha
/ On February 3, 2023
/
The maximum service hours allowed under BUPS are 80 per fiscal year. Some exceptions allowed. A fiscal year is the period that runs from July 1 to June 30. Hours used under BUPS are deducted from the recipient’s total monthly hours allotment.
By Alisha
/ On February 3, 2023
/
Current BUPS policies state that if a recipient chooses not to use or terminates the back-up provider referred to them by the county or public authority, it will become the responsibility of the recipient to find and hire a back-up provider. This recipient-chosen provider, who is not part of the BUPS, will not be paid the two-dollar wage differential.
By Alisha
/ On February 3, 2023
/
- No. A back-up request is based on urgent/immediate need. A provider taking a vacation would be considered a planned event, and therefore not applicable. The same reasoning applies when use of sick time is planned in advance.
- PASC recommends hiring a provider to cover for the time the regular provider will be away. Recipients can contact the PASC Homecare Registry for assistance with this.
- If a provider calls out sick the same day they are scheduled to work, and did not notify the recipient in advance, a back-up request can be made due to the sudden loss of care.
By Alisha
/ On February 3, 2023
/
The toll-free number to request BUPS or BUAP services is (877) 287-6789.
