BACK-UP PROGRAMS: Back-Up Attendant Program (BUAP) and Back-Up Provider System (BUPS)

Eligible IHSS recipients can chat with us online, send an email to bups@pascla.org or 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.

The Back-Up Program is a last resort and an extra step that PASC takes to help the recipient get connected to an emergency Back-Up provider and is never a guarantee.

The Back-Up Provider will be claiming the hours that your regular provider did not work. Please be mindful of the timesheets you approve for your regular provider.

BUAP	BUPS
Must be an APPROVED and ELIGIBLE IHSS recipient	Must be an APPROVED and ELIGIBLE IHSS or WPCS recipient
REQUIRES minimum 25 hours of personal care services per week	Does not require minimum number of hours to qualify
Have an immediate need for a temporary IHSS back-up attendant and have no other resource available to provide the needed assistance	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	Sign up with the PASC Homecare Registry
HOURS REQUESTED must come from existing monthly IHSS hours	HOURS REQUESTED must come from existing monthly IHSS hours

To become a back-up attendant you must meet, among others, the following requirements:

- 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

Frequently Asked Questions

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What is the Back-Up Provider System (BUPS)?

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.

What is considered an urgent or immediate need?

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.

Are back-up hours additional to my monthly IHSS hours?

No. The hours used to complete back up services MUST BE subtracted from your total monthly hours. A back up request cannot exceed the amount of hours the regular provider would normally work.

What are Personal Care Services?

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

What are the qualifications of back-up providers?

Back-up providers have experience assisting seniors and people with disabilities. They are required to attend a special one-hour informational meeting for back-up providers.
BUAP providers will need to provide proof of Certified Nursing Assistant Certificate (CNA), a Certified Home Health Aide Certificate (CHHA), the In-Home Supportive Services Training Certificate, or the Homecare Integration Training Certificate.
All back-up providers must be working less than 66 hours per week.

Can I hire a back-up BUPS provider if they did a great job for me?

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.

What is the pay for a back-up provider?

Individuals who work as BUAP providers are paid three dollars an hour more than regular IHSS providers. BUPS providers are paid two dollars an hour more than regular IHSS providers.
This higher wage acknowledges the extra effort required to respond promptly, on short notice, for a referral to a new recipient in an unfamiliar location.

What is the best way for a recipient to request a temporary back-up provider?

Send an email with your name, case number, and address to bups@pascla.org
Live chat by selecting the chat bubble on the bottom right corner of our webpage.
Call the BUAP/BUPS toll-free number (877) 287-6789.

What happens if the back-up provider works an hour over the time approved by PASC?

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.

What if I just need someone to drive me to my doctor’s appointment?

Under current state policies, going to a doctor’s appointment is not considered an immediate/urgent need.

Can PASC guarantee a back-up provider referral when needed?

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.

Can PASC train the back-up providers to perform certain specific services?

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.

How many hours of BUPS services can a recipient receive?

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.

If I do not like the back-up provider, can you send me someone else?

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.

Can I request BUPS services if my provider has vacation/sick time that they wish to use in the near future?

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.

Does a back-up provider provide the same services as the recipient’s regular provider?

A back-up provider should be prepared to perform the same range of tasks that your regular provider is authorized to provide, according to IHSS guidelines.

What should a recipient do when the back-up provider arrives at their home?

Explain the types of services you need and the number of hours to be worked.
Direct and supervise the work, and give the provider clear instructions on how you would like services to be provided.

What can a recipient do if they have problems with the back-up provider?

Email bups@pascla.org or call (877) 287-6789 if:

The back up provider does not arrive as scheduled.
You choose not to use the back-up provider.
You are dissatisfied with the back-up provider or their work.

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