Benefits for Caregivers working in Upstate & Western NY Counties
For benefits questions, call 929-227-4392 or email [email protected].
For questions about timesheets, permanent schedule changes, the FreedomCare app, and your paychecks, please call 718-989-3886.
InstaPay4Care is an optional feature that allows you to choose to have early access to approved pay that you have earned. InstaPay4Care is not an advance.
How does it work?
Work your scheduled shift and clock out on time after your visit.
Submit your daily timesheet.
A popup will appear that says InstaPay4Care Available. To get paid for that visit right away, tap Yes.
To agree to the Terms and Conditions tap on Caregiver’s Signature.
Sign and tap Redeem Visits. You are all set! In less than 10 minutes, most of your pay for those visits will appear on your RapidCard.
The rest of your pay is withheld for taxes and deductions. This is an estimate of what we expect your payroll taxes and deductions to be based on your previous paychecks. If there is any pay leftover after taxes and deductions, it will be added to the next payroll.
How do I make sure my visits are eligible for InstaPay4Care?
You must clock in and out on time to make a visit eligible for InstaPay4Care. There is no extra cost to receive InstaPay4Care.
You can view your visits that are eligible for InstaPay4Care by going to the FreedomCare Plus App home screen, then tapping on My Payroll then InstaPay4Care.
Yes! You may have more than one visit that is eligible for InstaPay4Care. If so, you can get InstaPay4Care for each of those visits.
Is there a fee to receive InstaPay4Care?
No, there is no cost to receive InstaPay4Care.
If there is any pay leftover after taxes and deductions, when will I receive it?
If there is any pay leftover after you redeem your InstaPay4Care visits, it will show on your paycheck the following week.
For example, if you worked on Monday, January 11th and Wednesday, January 13th and you redeemed InstaPay4Care for those two visits, the rest of your pay will appear on your paycheck that you receive on Friday, January 22nd. This is because you are paid every Friday for the prior week. For example, your paycheck that you receive on Friday, January 22nd is for the week of Sunday, January 10th to Saturday, January 16th. Please see the visual below.
If you work 30 hours per week or more, you can sign up for health insurance through Total Plan Concepts using the MagnaCare network.
Is there a premium?
Yes. Your premium (or weekly payment) for health insurance would be $44.17 per week.
How do I sign up?
To sign up, complete the Group Benefit Form within 90 days of your start date and email it to [email protected] or fax it to (347)-230-5491. If you sign up, you will start receiving health insurance 90 days after your start date. If you want to sign up for health insurance after 90 days of employment, you must have a qualifying life event or wait until open enrollment.
Can I add my child to my health care plan?
To add a child under 26 to your health insurance plan, it costs an additional $27.04 per week. They would be enrolled in the same medical plan as you have. You can add your child(ren) to your health insurance plan during any of the following times:
within 90 days of your start date at FreedomCare (coverage will start 90 days after your start date)
Feeling sick and need to speak with a health provider? Just tap on the Speak To a Health Provider button on the home screen of the FreedomCare Plus App. If you don’t have the app, use this link: www.freedomcareny.com/telehealth1. This service is available to you and your patient at no cost, Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.
You can get up to 56 paid sick hours per year. Your sick hours start accruing right after you start working. You get 1 sick hour for every 30 hours you work, up to 56 hours per year. If you are sick and cannot make it to work, you may take 1 paid sick hour for every hour that you are scheduled to work that day as long as you have accrued enough sick hours.
You may begin using paid sick time 120 days after your first workday. To take your sick time, you must call your Care Coordinator.
You cannot take more than 56 paid sick hours per year. If you don’t use your paid sick hours, you can roll over up to 56 hours of sick time to the next year for 1 year. If you need to take more than 56 sick hours in a year, you can sign up for Paid Family Leave or Family and Medical Leave, depending on your situation.
Overtime refers to any hours that you work over 40 hours in a week. You get paid time and one half per hour when you work over 40 hours in a week.
In accordance with New York State Paid Family Leave, FreedomCare provides job-protected paid leave to bond with a new child, care for a loved one with a serious health condition, or help relieve family pressures when someone is called to active military service.
If you have a regular schedule of 20 or more hours per week, you may apply to take Paid Family Leave after 26 weeks of employment.
If you have a regular schedule of less than 20 hours per week, you may apply after 175 days worked.
If you have a foreseeable situation, you must notify FreedomCare at least 30 days prior to when you need to go on leave. If the event is not foreseeable, you must notify FreedomCare right away.
To apply for Paid Family Leave, contact your FreedomCare Coordinator.
FreedomCare offers a 401(k) plan, also known as a retirement plan, that you can contribute to 90 days after your start date.
To sign up and enroll:
To sign up for the 401(k) plan, first create an account with Principal Financial by following these steps: https://tinyurl.com/3r4yeu68
Then learn how to enroll by watching this video or contacting the Orenda Sponsor Service Team at (212) 564-2464 or [email protected].
Before registering, please note:
• To withdraw funds from your retirement account, you must pay a mandatory 20% withholding tax. If you are under age 59½, an additional 10% early distribution penalty applies.
• The retirement plan does not allow loans.
Join our FreedomCare Caregivers Support Group on Facebook! The group is a community forum for you to talk openly about your caregiving experience and receive support and encouragement from other caregivers. It’s a place to share your experiences, challenges, and guidance with others who will understand.
To join, click here and select +Join Group. We will approve your request shortly!
Please note, only actively working FreedomCare caregivers can join this group, and you must have a Facebook account to join. Be sure to answer all the membership questions and include your legal name if it’s different from your Facebook name. Otherwise, we cannot accept your membership request.
Please be respectful with your posts. We can’t wait for you to join us.
To help you provide the best care for your patient, FreedomCare offers training courses on health conditions your patient may have. The courses are available on the FreedomCare Plus App and include:
Using the FreedomCare Plus App (for iPhone and Android)
Metabolic Diseases (Diabetes)
Chronic Pain
Cardiovascular Diseases (Heart Disease)
UTI – Urinary Tract Infection
COPD
Alzheimer’s/Dementia
Successful ADLs – A Guide to a Safe Living Environment
Sexual Harassment – Basic Training
PPE: Personal Protective Equipment
COVID-19 Training
CPR
First Aid
Click here to access the FreedomCare Employee Handbook for caregivers.