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When it comes to selecting a private-pay home care provider, you'll be faced with important choices that few consumers are well prepared to make! Should you use an agency or should you hire someone on your own? If you decide to use an agency, should you choose a placement service or a company that employs its workers directly?
Why Use an Agency?
As many families have discovered, home care rates can be lower if you hire help on your own rather than using an agency. Before deciding to hire privately, be sure to ask yourself these questions.
- Are you prepared to place ads, screen responses, interview, call references, and conduct criminal background checks? How will you know whether a candidate has the right training and skills?
- Have you calculated the cost of required payroll taxes, including Social Security, unemployment, and workers' compensation? Did you know that you must pay these taxes even if you use a placement service or nurse registry?
- Are you ready to supervise workers and resolve misunderstandings that may arise?
- What if your worker calls in sick or is unexpectedly delayed? If you provide back-up yourself, won't you still be on-call around the clock?
A quality agency that directly employs its home care associates will assume all of these responsibilities, providing the invaluable relief that comes from having dedicated professionals standing by you, ensuring the best possible care and handling the unexpected, 24 hours a day. To learn more about choosing an agency, see Questions for Private Agencies.
Placement or Employment Model?
When you use a placement agency, you are the legal employer of the direct care workers in your home. You'll be responsible for paying Social Security and unemployment taxes and may be charged an agency fee (or placement fee) in addition to the hourly rate for the direct-service worker. In contrast, hourly rates charged by an employment-model agency cover payroll taxes, worker's compensation, and, in most cases, administrative costs.
For more information, see A Consumer Cost Comparison. |
