Love is the only proper and adequate attitude towards every person. - St. John Paul II
COMPARE
Domestic Duty vs. Certified Home Health Aide
ICONNEL currently offers the following:
NY, PA, CT only: - direct hiring placement services for companions.
NJ - No services offered.
Direct Hire of Companions (Offered in NY, PA, and CT only)
Agency Hire of Companions, Homemaker Home Health Aides and Personal Care Assistants (Offered in NJ Only)
ICONNEL Candidates vs. Certified Home Health Aides
Domestic Duty Personnel work directly for the client at the risk of the client. ICONNEL maintains relationships with domestic duty candidates who average approximately 7.5 years experience and have a passion for working for the elderly in a compassionate manner. Some candidates also have four year nursing degrees and even doctorate degrees from their country of origin.
All our Domestic Duty Personnel are legally authorized to work in this country. This means that that our federal government USCIS (United States Citizen and Immigration Services) and the Dept. of Homeland Security has granted permanent resident status or authorization to work legally in the United States.
ICONNEL conducts reference checks, qualitative interviews, and collects feedback surveys from prior clients.
The Client pays the domestic worker directly which often results in a significantly higher pay rate than what would otherwise be earned through any institution. We have an inventory of substantially better candidates for you to choose from as a result of this arrangement.
For NJ, anyone assisting (in contact with) a person 60 years of age or older must be serviced by an agency who has state certified homemaker home health aides. The aides must be an employee of the agency and be supervised by a registered nurse, and the client must be assessed prior to start of services.
In order to be certified, CHHA candidates simply need to attend 76 hours of training and pass a non-standardized competency exam usually administered by the same agency who hires them, on many occasions in employee’s native language. Due to tremendous overhead costs such as liability insurance, malpractice insurance, payroll taxes and an inordinate amount of supervision, politics and regulatory administrative work, many agencies have resulted in paying home-maker home health aides between minimum wage and approximately $10 per hour on average. ICONNEL has received many calls from applicants who were referred to us from welfare, unemployment and parole offices. We have seen many applicants of which only 10% are actually capable of handling this line of work.
ICONNEL Home-maker Home Health Aides who meet ICONNEL standards are paid between $15 to $20 per hour. However, for what they are allowed to do as governed by law, everyone loses. Administrative costs are enormous for the agency, the workers make less, are less enthusiastic about reporting to a supervising nurse, and the customer pays substantially more.
Job Duties
Client can design domestic worker duties accordingly to the Client's needs. This arrangement eliminates the State requirements for any certification or artificially high costs resulting from union programs.
In New York and in New Jersey, the duties of domestic employees who are placed by ICONNEL or any other agency are prohibited by state law from providing “care” or “assisting” the Client in any way.
Duties of Certified Home Health Aide are limited by State regulations, Reimbursement policies of insurance Companies, as well as rules of the health care agency. For example in NJ, a Certified Aide may not change bandages, may not apply eye drops, may not measure sugar levels, may not give insulin shots, may not feed the client using a feeding tube, and may not drive the client.
All Certified Aidess must be supervised by a staff Registered Nurse who comes out every 30 to 60 days to assess the client’s condition and manage the aide.
Employer
The Client is the employer. Client can choose who to hire, and interview the candidates freely without facilitation by the agency.
The health care agency is the employer. Agency's supervising personnel chooses the most suitable person for your needs based on intake information provided by the client or his/her family. The Client often does not have a voice on the person who will care for him/her.
Screening Process
Client’s or Power of Attorney’s responsibility based on information provided to you by your employee and ICONNEL.
All personnel is screened and fingerprinted as part of the NJ State certification process. CT and NY State does not certify CHHAs. They only approve the training institutions on the course curriculum.
Cost
Your cost varies depending on who you hire, service needs, and your offering terms of employment. Live-ins usually cost approximately $143-$209 per day, plus room and board. Live-ins can work 5,6 or 7 days/week. Hourly personnel costs approximately $18.70-$22 per hour. Costs include agency fees. Hourly workers requests a minimum 4 hours per shift, 5 days per week with a minimum duration of 4 weeks of employment. The rates are the same for night shifts (6pm to 6am) and weekends (Friday night to Sunday night).
Client or Power of Attorney can negotiate the rate with the domestic worker directly during the interview with the potential employee.
Agency fees are based on 10% of estimated gross wages paid to your employee. Client pays the caregiver directly and agency fees are paid separately to the agency.
If your scheduling needs are temporary or less than 5 days/week, please contact our office to see if we can accomodate you.
ICONNEL charges $300 per live-in day, and $35 per hour. Additionally, there is a $100 assessment fee for each RN visitation which is done as needed.
Based on our research, agencies are currently charging clients between $200 to $500 per day, plus room and board, and $20 to $45 per hour. The caregiver earns between a minimum wage to $10 per hour on average and is paid by the agency.
In order for us to pay NJ CHHHAs a competitive wage of approximately $15 per hour, we have to charge you at least $35 per hour.
The rate is not negotiable and can be increased depending on growing cost of insurance, taxes, gasoline cost.
It is up to you to change your State regulations before you become Senior Citizen, who needs such help. Write to your legislatures today!
Minimum Time to Hire
There is no minimum time period for which you have to hire the person. However, the workers rely on this occupation as their main source of income. For this reason, it is recommended that a 5 day/week commitment is made to reduce the need to travel between multiple job assignments.
Depends on the agency.
Insurance and Bonding
Client is responsible for covering employee with insurance. Check with your insurance Agent to verify if you have coverage through your homeowner’s policy. Since the Client is the employer, bonding would also be a choice to cover in the event that the employee steals from them. ICONNEL is happy to say that their personnel placed within a Client's home has had a no theft issues, due to its character reference and rigorous interview and assessment process.
All employees must be insured through the agency. NJ Agencies have to carry a licensing bond; bonding the employees is optional.
Taxes
Client is responsible for paying the employee and for complying with all government withholding and payroll taxes accordingly. However, there are great payroll service providers and CPA firms who can perform these tasks for you at a reasonable price.
The agency pays the aide and is responsible for complying with all government withholding and payroll taxes.
Training and Orientation
Client’s responsibility.
Agency's responsibility.
Guarantee
Enjoy peace of mind: a continuous guarantee to substitute your employees for their time off on weekends and holidays.
Depends on the agency.
