Hire a Caregiver

Getting Started

My Place CT provides guidance to help you or a loved one hire a formal caregiver. Specifically, if you are potentially eligible for one of the Medicaid waivers, services and programs listed below it most likely will involve “self-directed” services. This site can help you get started in the hiring process.

Self-directed Medicaid services means that participants, or their representatives if applicable, have decision-making authority over certain services and take direct responsibility to manage their Services & Supports. The self-directed service delivery model is an alternative to traditionally delivered and managed services, such as an agency-based delivery model. Self-direction of services allows participants to have the responsibility for managing all aspects of service delivery in a person-centered planning process.

Self-direction promotes personal choice and control over the delivery of waivers and state plan services, including who provides the services and how services are provided. For example, participants are afforded the decision-making authority to recruit, hire, train and supervise the individuals who provide their services. Participants may also have decision-making authority over how the Medicaid funds in a budget are spent.

It is important to understand that by hiring someone to provide care in your home you’re considered an employer and the person you hire is considered your employee. You have the freedom to compare and choose a caregiver and you have the responsibility to train, supervise and define job tasks and schedules for your caregiver, often referred to as a Personal Care Attendant (PCA).

Select a step below to find the appropriate information you need, register a profile with CTHires.com and draft and post a job description.

Step 1: Get Your FEIN and SEIN

If you are signed up to receive services from one of the state Medicaid programs below, you already have an FEIN that was provided to you in a mailed letter from the State of Connecticut. If you don’t know your FEIN, the agency that manages payments for your services should be able to provide it to you. Contact the agency that serves your program, waiver or service below.

Allied Community Resources

If you use Allied Community Resources for your support staff payroll and can’t find your FEIN or SEIN/UI numbers, call 860-627-9500 or e-mail info@alliedgroup.org and they can help you. Allied Community Resources covers people in these programs, waivers and services, administered by the Department of Social Services (DSS):

Money Follows the Person (MFP)
Community First Choice
CT Homecare Program for Elders (CHCPE)
Personal Care Attendant (PCA) Waiver
Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) Waivers

Sunset Shores

If you can’t find your Federal or State EIN, call 800-887-0647 and at the prompt, choose Option #5. Sunset Shores covers people on the:

Department of Developmental Services (DDS) Waivers

Advanced Behavioral Health

If you can’t find your Federal or State EIN, call 866-548-0265. Advanced Behavioral Health covers people on the:

Department of Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) Mental Health Waiver

Unsure if you’re eligible?

If you think you may be eligible for these Medicaid waivers, services or programs listed above, click on the hyperlink of each one.

Not covered?

If you are not covered by the programs listed above and need your federal EIN and state UI numbers, contact an accountant or a lawyer to help you get set up.

Get a Temporary UI Number

If you don’t yet have a state UI number, you can get started by using any 7-digit number to register on CTHires.com for free. This is a temporary UI number but be sure to save it. The Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL) will confirm your UI request. Your permanent UI number will be provided to you at a later date.

Step 2 : Register at CTHires.com

Part 1: Create a Profile
Registering a profile on CTHires.com is quick and easy. From the homepage, select “Not Registered?”

Part 2: Choose Account Type
Select the Individual, Employer, or Provider account type. Select Employer if you want to post job openings.

Part 3: Employer Use Policy
Read and agree to the Employer Use Policy. This contains important information about the employer’s responsibilities and obligations as well as their relationship with the employee.

Part 4: Finalize Registration
Enter your FEIN or SEIN and your UI numbers. Then select Continue and fill out the remaining prompts to create a username and password and finalize registration. After the account has been created, a CTHires.com staff member will verify your information and contact you via the website’s message system or email, which may take up to 3 business days. Until your registration has been verified, job posts you create may not be visible to potential candidates.

Step 3: Draft a Job Description

Once your account has been approved, you can start drafting job posts to find a caregiver. Writing a comprehensive, detailed job description is essential to helping you find qualified candidates for your job.

The key to writing an effective job description that attracts suitable candidates is to include commonly-used keywords popular among the type of caregivers you are looking for. Job seekers typically search by keywords, job title and town or ZIP Code.

A good start to tailor your job description is to use the titles of the Services & Supports pages found on My Place CT, such as “Homemaker Services.” Review the services offered and include what applies to your needs and preferences in your job description.

Include the town and ZIP Code of where the actual job will be located. For privacy reasons, you may not want to list your street address because all job seekers can view this information.

Step 4: Create a Job Post

Part 1: Create a Job Post
From the homepage, select ‘Post a Job Opening’ in the Employers section.

Part 2: Select ‘Post a Job.’
In the ‘My Employer Workplace’ section, select: How We Can Help You > Post a Job > and select Post a Job.

Part 3: Select ‘Add New Job Order.’
At the bottom, select ‘Add New Job Order.’ When you return to this screen, you’ll see all the job orders you’ve created.

Part 4: Choose Job Order Type
Choose to create a Basic Job Order or Custom Job Order. Creating a Custom Job Order offers more flexibility and customization options. Enter the Job Title. Select ‘Next.’

Part 5: Fill Out the Job Description & Criteria
Follow the prompts on the pages that follow. You’ll be asked to write a job description, include information on salary and hours and determine minimum age, education and experience requirements. You can also specify desired skills and whether a driver’s license will be required.

Part 6: Review the Job Dashboard
After submitting all the information into the job post, you’ll receive a Job Order Number and the job will be posted online. If you’re submitting a job post immediately after registering an account, it may be placed on hold until a CTHires.com staff member verifies your registration information, which may take up to 3 business days. You will be notified via the website’s message center and your email if you provided it.

Hire a Caregiver Through an Agency

You can also hire a caregiver through a private agency. These agencies typically provide a variety of predefined physical, social and emotional Services & Supports, may not be as flexible compared to independently hiring, and may be more expensive. However, caregivers employed through an agency are generally certified, trained and specially qualified to address a variety of needs and issues of their client.

Alternative Online Job Posting Sites

There are other online options you can use to create and post jobs in search of a caregiver. Websites like Indeed and Monster offer free access to employers to hire candidates.

Following similar guidelines to drafting a post on CTHires.com, it is advisable to draft a job posting using commonly searched for keywords and job titles in the field you are looking for. In addition, you should include your town and ZIP Code. To narrow your list of candidates, make use of screener questions.

To maximize your search efforts, you may wish to cross post job descriptions across CTHires.com and other websites.

You’re an Employer. Now What?

Hiring someone to work in your home can be a big decision. A comprehensive hiring guide created by Connecticut Community Care, Inc., (CCCI), a leading care management organization, tells you what you need to know about hiring in-home caregivers. From background checks to paperwork to managing care, you’ll find it here. Download the manual, “You Are Now The Employer of Personal Care Assistants.“