Consumer Direct of Washington (CDWA)

Get Help and Contact CDWA 

February 2024 update: We won bonuses from CDWA!

If you need help or have questions, contact CDWA at: 
Email: InfoCDWA@ConsumerDirectCare.com   
Toll-Free Phone Number: 866-214-9899   
For deaf and hard of hearing: 877-398-7969
Text: 877-532-8568
Website: www.ConsumerDirectWA.com    

In-person help: You can schedule an in-person office visit in Lacey, Everett, Federal Way, and Spokane. CDWA also has a limited number of in-person events around the State, including some with language interpretation. Go to CDWA’s event calendar to schedule an appointment.

Frequently Asked Questions

W-2s

What should I know about my 2023 CDWA and DSHS/IPOne W-2s?

1. CDWA W-2s are available at myADP.com – we have filed a grievance on their failure to also mail them out to all employees – if you are unable to access them on ADP please call or email the MRC at mrc@seiu775.org or 866-371-3200
2. According to CDWA, Box 1 of the W-2 will only reflect your taxable income, which for some live-in caregivers who are “difficulty of care exempt” will be much lower than your gross wages. It will, however, include things like pay for training and PTO. For more info see: IRS Notice 2014-7, Difficulty of Care Payments Excludable from Income and CDWA’s W-2 Q&A.
3. Some IPs received a FICA rebate towards the end of 2023 because they had less than $2,600 in taxable income. This could also make your W-2 look different from your last pay stub.
4. If you wish to adjust your withholdings for 2024, you can update your W-4 following these instructions. Remember, this will only impact your withholdings going forward. IPs who are Difficulty of Care except can opt to have their federal income tax withheld by inputting an amount next to “Extra Withholdings,” but Difficulty of Care exemptions cannot be opted out of.

More information about CDWA W-2s are available on their website.

Each tax situation is unique, and there are multiple factors that can impact your W-2 such as the number of deductions taken, extra withholdings, difficulty of care exemptions, and other factors. We recommend IPs reach out to tax professionals for individual tax assistance as the MRC cannot provide tax advice or evaluate your W-2.

If you still believe your W-2 is incorrect, please follow these steps:

1. We encourage you to call your service coordinator at CDWA first.
2. If you don’t know your client’s assigned service coordinator or can’t reach them, call CDWA at 866- 214-9899.
3. If CDWA is not able to address your concern, please call our Member Resource Center at 866-371-3200 with details on what is incorrect about your W-2. Please keep in mind that we cannot make an evaluation of W-2s to determine if they are correct or not due to individual tax circumstances, but we can investigate specific issues you or a tax professional identify to us that CDWA has incorrectly reported or deducted from your taxes.

If you received a corrected CDWA 2023 W-2 (W-2C)

CDWA alerted us that they mis-reported taxable earnings in Box 1 on some IP’s W-2s. This will result in approximately 1,800 IPs receiving corrected W-2 statements (called a W-2C).

The issue causing this is some IPs can end up with negative taxable earnings because of payroll deductions exceeding their taxable earnings, which most often involves IPs with Difficulty of Care exemptions. CDWA did not catch this error, and it caused some taxable earnings to be reported incorrectly in Box 1.

We filed a grievance over the issue due to their mistake to ensure any additional fees IPs face to have their taxes re-prepared or re-filed are paid by CDWA as well as pursuing any other damages that may be a result of the error.

FAQ

How do I know if my W-2 is incorrect?

CDWA sent out email communication between February 7 – 8. to the impacted IPs with the subject line “Update on Your W-2 from CDWA”. If you received that email, your W-2 was impacted, and you will be receiving a corrected W-2. We recommend IPs consult a tax professional to review your W-2 and individual tax situation for any other tax concerns you may have.

I haven’t received a notice from CDWA about a corrected W-2 but heard about the issue from a friend. What do I need to do?

CDWA is communicating directly with the IPs who will receive a corrected W-2. If you did not receive a notice from CDWA, you will not be receiving a corrected W-2 due to this issue. If you have questions about your taxes, we recommend IPs reach out to tax professionals for individual tax assistance. Please keep in mind that the MRC cannot make an evaluation of W-2s to determine if they are correct or not due to individual tax circumstances, but we can investigate specific issues you or a tax professional identify to us that CDWA has incorrectly reported or deducted from your taxes.

When will the corrected W-2C be available?

CDWA has told us corrected W-2s will be available on ADP by February 12, 2024, and that they will be mailed to the address on file as of February 9, 2024.

How will I receive the corrected W-2?

The corrected W-2 will be available electronically via ADP, and IPs who have not opted into only receiving their W-2s electronically will also receive a corrected W-2 in the mail to the address CDWA has on file as of February 9, 2024.

Do I need to re-file my taxes if I have already submitted them?

We can’t give individual tax advice, but IP’s who have already filed their taxes may want to determine if the corrected W-2C changes how much you owe the IRS or receive as a refund, which may mean you need to re-file your taxes with the corrected W-2C from CDWA. We recommend IPs consult with a tax professional for specific guidance, and please save any receipts related to paying for a re-filing or tax consultation services and contact the MRC as we will fight for reimbursement from CDWA for any added expenses IPs have due to this W-2 mistake.

What if I already paid for tax preparation services or to file my tax return?

If CDWA’s error causes you to incur additional expenses to re-file or re-prepare your taxes, please save any documentation you have including receipts and contact the MRC so that we know you have damages due to CDWA’s error. We will hold CDWA accountable and fight to make sure IPs aren’t paying for CDWA’s mistake. As part of the grievance process, we will ask for that documentation at a later date.

Continuing Education

When is the training deadline?

All caregivers with an outstanding CE requirement for 2019, 2020, 2021 or 2022 must complete it by August 31, 2023. After this date, your annual CE due date is your birthday. You can learn more at the Benefits Group website.

How can I get paid for my training hours?

CDWA has already opened the ability to claim time for CE trainings that are needed by 8/31/2023. You can go into the DirectMyCare web portal and claim training hours. Once in the portal, select “Admin Time” under the Client dropdown to enter your training time. The job aid for entering Training Time in the DirectMyCare web portal is called “Adding Paid Time Off and Training Time” found on the CDWA website under IP Resources > Time and Mileage Entry Materials.  You can get paid for training hours as you earn them.  If you are unable to enter training time, you should contact your Service Coordinator.

When do my training hours get sent to CDWA?

The training that you complete through SEIU 775 Benefits Group on Cornerstone Online Training is sent to CDWA every business day. You do not need to send screen shots, mail certificates of completion or contact Cornerstone. Training completion information will be reflected in the CDWA DirectMyCare web portal within 72 business hours (3 days) of completion.

What training hours will be sent?

Only the training completion records needed to complete a current training requirement will be sent to CDWA and you will only be paid for the number of CE hours that are required. For example, if you need 12 hours of CE but take all 36 hours available on Cornerstone, then only the 12 required hours will be sent. If training completion is not reflected correctly in the CDWA DirectMyCare web portal after 72 hours of course completion, you should contact the Member Resource Center (MRC) to check that records show you have completed the necessary requirement.

Don’t know the number of hours you need to take?

Please look at recent emails from SEIU 775 Benefits Group, email the MRC at mrc@myseiubenefits.org or call the MRC at 1-866-371-3200 (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)

Other CE deadline questions?

Visit SEIU 775 Benefits Group for more information on CE deadlines and more.

“Late” Time Submissions

We have received lots of questions and concerns about the email from CDWA on time submission and corrective action, particularly the warning from CDWA that “late” time submission could be subject to discipline or even termination.

We have raised these concerns with CDWA and are demanding changes in the policy. Here are a couple things we know so far:

1. This was a generic email sent to all IPs. It does not mean that anyone who received it had a problem or is receiving a specific warning or notice. It was intended to simply be instructional and informational – not a warning to specific providers.
2. CDWA has told us their intention on late time submission is ONLY to warn or discipline caregivers for frequent exceptionally late time submission, in particular when caregivers submit time more than 3 months after the pay period.  
3. While we encourage caregivers to submit time as soon as possible, and to avoid submitting time more than 3 months after they are first able to submit time for payment, we are demanding further negotiations over this issue. We do not believe caregivers should be disciplined for not submitting time when they are first able to do so. If you are disciplined or warned for “late” time submission please call or email the MRC.
4. We expect that caregivers will have the right to union representation in any “discipline” or “corrective action” conversation with CDWA. If you receive a warning or corrective action notice that you believe is inaccurate or unfair please call or email the MRC at mrc@seiu775.org and it will be escalated to a union representative who will get back to you.

Other Questions

Why does my Paid Time Off (PTO) balance appear incorrectly in DirectMyCare?

CDWA announced that PTO has been successfully transferred from IPOne and the balances should appear correctly on DirectMyCare. IPs can claim their PTO. If there are any issues you should contact CDWA.

How can I claim mileage?

Mileage is no longer authorized under a service line. Instead, the Case Manager’s authorized mileage is under approved tasks. To claim mileage, you will need to select mileage when submitting completed tasks for the shift.

How can I claim non-service hours?

You can go to the “Time Entry” page in the DirectMyCare portal and select “Admin Time” from the drop-down menu. You will see service codes for the authorized non-service hours such as PTO, Travel Time, or Training hours.

How does the process for authorizing personal care service hours and mileage work?

The client’s DSHS Case Manager sends the authorization to CDWA. If the client has one IP, CDWA opens authorization for that IP. If the client has multiple IPs, they or their authorized representative must allocate the hours for each IP before CDWA can open authorizations.

Who authorizes my training pay?

CDWA opens payment authorizations for any required training.

How does CDWA notify IPs of our background check renewal deadline approaching?

CDWA sends the following reminder notices to IPs in U2 system:

• 60-day reminder – IP gets a U2 notice
• 30-day reminder – IP gets a U2 notice
• 15-day reminder – IP gets a U2 notice and a reminder call
• 10-day reminder – U2 notice is sent to both IP and the client’s CM, the client gets a reminder call
• 5-day notice – IP gets a U2 notice and a phone call
• Expiration notice – IP, CM, and the client get a U2 notice. A physical letter is also sent to the client.

My background check shows as expired in DirectMyCare even though I renewed it before transitioning to CDWA. Why is this happening?
This may be because the background check was not completed correctly. You can contact CDWA or reach out directly to the BCCU to resolve the issue.

When my background check expiration date is approaching, do I need to wait for instructions from CDWA?
No, you can contact the Background Check Central Unit (BCCU) directly for instructions.

I cannot claim all the hours I was authorized for the month. Have Work Week Limit rules changed?
Work Week Limit rules remain the same for IPs. IPs can’t go over their WWL in a workweek (Sunday-Saturday) regardless of what their monthly authorization is.

What is included in the CDE rate? How much goes towards administration and how much towards IP wages and benefits?

DSHS has received questions about state system generated letters that you may have received regarding the Consumer Directed Employer (CDE) rate of $31.32 which is paid by the state of Washington to Consumer Direct Care Network – Washington. This amount includes an hourly labor rate for IP wages, benefits, taxes, and other employee-related expenses and an administrative rate for the employer functions CDWA is required to provide under their contract. This is not a rate specific to any particular caregiver; different caregivers have different wage rates based on their career cumulative hours and other factors, like differentials and overtime pay. This is the standard single rate paid to the CDE for all hours worked by all caregivers, which is a weighted average rate that accounts for those differences.

As an IP, your individual rate of pay will remain the same as it is today upon transition to the CDE. The expenses that the State of Washington previously has been responsible for paying to cover benefits described in the Collective Bargaining Agreement and employer taxes are now paid directly to the CDE as part of the hourly rate.  As the employer, CDE will be responsible to manage these employee-related expenses.

Does this impact taxes for IPs?

CDE will not impact the tax status of Individual Providers. IPs who qualify under the Difficulty of Care income exemption may continue to exclude income from federal income tax reporting. IPs who are currently exempt from FICA and FUTA will continue to be exempt.

Where can I find more information about CDE and CDWA?
You can find more information at DSHS’s website and also at CDWA’s website.