Tag Archives: best home care

Best Home Care Debuts Blog Series “Navigating Home Care’s Red Tape”

Best Home Care, a Twin Cities home health care agency, debuts a blog series that provides insights to the various financial assistance programs available for home care services.

Minneapolis, MN, USA — Best Home Care MN, a Minneapolis home health care agency, has launched a new blog series entitled “Navigating Home Care’s Red Tape.” The three-part series features insightful blogs on some of the home care industry’s most confusing topics surrounding paying for home care services in the State of Minnesota. The blog series can be found on the Minneapolis home care agency’s website: http://www.besthomecaremn.com/blog.

The home care professionals at Best Home Care have helped hundreds find affordable solutions for the at-home care services they need without having to pay entirely out of pocket. With a background as a lawyer, founder Andre Best brings a professional understanding of the many programs and options available for paying for in-home supportive services.

“It’s great helping our clients understand the legal side of home care and the various state and federal programs available to them,” said Best. “This new blog series provides a good overview on these programs to help people better understand their options.”

The three-part blog series focuses on three home care programs:

• PCA Choice: A financial assistance program for home care services which provides the recipient the ability to maintain more control. Under this option, the recipient is responsible for organizing home care training, hiring their personal care assistant, and creating a PCA care plan.

• Traditional PCA Option: Under this program, the PCA agency is responsible for finding, hiring, training, scheduling, and firing personal care assistants for their clients.

• Waiver Programs: These are condition specific options to help individuals pay for home care services. Various waivers in the State of Minnesota include: Brain Injury Waivers, Alternative Care, and Developmental Disabilities Waivers.

Each blog goes into further detail on each of the programs and provides links where people can learn more and apply. For more information on these programs or ways to pay for home care services, contact Best Home Care at 651-330-2550 or info@besthomecaremn.com.

About Best Home Care
Best Home Care is a top in-home health care agency providing support for personal care assistants (PCA) and family caregivers in Minnesota. Founded in 2005 by Andre Best, an attorney and former union president, the company offers administrative assistance and educational resources for those providing home care for seniors and individuals with various disabilities and diseases. Best Home Care is a PCPO, PCA Choice, and Waivered Service Provider.

Media Contact:
Andre Best
Best Home Care
2562 7th Ave E #201
North St Paul, MN 55109
651-330-2550
info@besthomecaremn.com
http://www.besthomecaremn.com

Best Home Care Launches Updated and User-Friendly New Website

Best Home Care, a Twin Cities home health care agency, has launched a new website featuring an enhanced design and more streamlined layout.

Minneapolis, MN, USA — Best Home Care MN, a Minneapolis home health care agency, has debuted a new design and layout for their website (http://www.besthomecaremn.com). The main focus of the redesign was to improve a visitor’s experience by creating simpler navigation options and a more streamlined site map. An elegant web design was included in the new site to provide a modern feel.

The home care professionals at Best Home Care began pouring over the PCA agency’s old website to determine what could be improved in late 2015. After deciding on an improved site layout and design, the home care team passed it along to the company’s web designers to bring it to life. After several rounds of refinement and revisions, the new Best Home Care website was launched on April 21, 2016.

Some items addressed in the Best Home Care website redesign included:
– Simplified the main menu to include seven headings instead of the eleven on the previous website
– Reorganized the content on various pages to help visitors find caregiving resources conveniently
– Streamlined the homepage to appear much cleaner with clear paths for information
– Applied larger font sizes throughout the website to assist those with vision challenges

“All the home care professionals here at Best Home Care are excited about our new website,” said Andre Best, Owner of Best Home Care. “Since taking it live, we have received a lot of positive feedback and compliments!”

While many items were updated throughout the design, most of the features and resources of the old site remain present. In addition to basic information about the Minnesota home care agency, the website features a plethora of resources for personal care assistants and family caregivers as well as valuable caregiver support tools. One of the website’s most visited pages since launch is the Get Paid for Taking Care of a Family Member. This page explains the different approaches for a family caregiver to be compensated for their in-home supportive services.

The Best Home Care website redesign was performed by Brandography, a Minneapolis digital marketing agency.

About Best Home Care
Best Home Care is a top in-home health care agency providing support for personal care assistants (PCA) and family caregivers in Minnesota. Founded in 2005 by Andre Best, an attorney and former union president, the company offers administrative assistance and educational resources for those providing home care for seniors and individuals with various disabilities and diseases. Best Home Care is a PCPO, PCA Choice, and Waivered Service Provider.

Media Contact:
Andre Best
Best Home Care
2562 7th Ave E #201
North St Paul, MN 55109
651-330-2550
info@besthomecaremn.com
http://www.besthomecaremn.com

Best Home Care Discovers Tax Exemption for Personal Care Assistants and Family Caregivers

Best Home Care, a Twin Cities home health care agency, has discovered federal and state tax exemptions for home caregivers that provide PCA services for an individual that shares a residence with the caregiver.

Minneapolis, MN, USA — Best Home Care MN, a Minneapolis home health care agency, has discovered a unique tax exemption for home care professionals this tax season. The tax exemption applies to home caregivers residing at the same property as those they care for whether related or unrelated. Depending on a caregiver’s specific circumstances, income earned from these home care services may not be subject to Federal or State taxes in Minnesota.

On January 3, 2014, the Internal Revenue Service issued Notice 2014-7, 2014-4 I.R.B 445. Notice 2014-7 gives an overview and guidance on the federal income tax treatment of certain payments to individual care providers or the care of eligible individuals under a state Medical Home and Community-Based Services waiver program. However, those providing PCA services to recipients not on a Medicaid waiver may still qualify for this exemption depending on the nature of the payments and the purpose and design of the home care program.

The State of Minnesota has a similar income tax exemption for caregivers providing home care services for an individual with whom they share a residence. Enacted initially by the Federal government, the exemption specifically assists family caregivers providing at-home care and in home supportive services for a loved one. Traditionally unpaid or low-paid home care professionals, family caregivers provide the majority of home care services in the United States.

“Here at Best Home Care, we only had seven PCAs that qualified for this tax exemption,” explained Andre Best, Owner of Best Home Care MN. “However, for these seven it made a world of difference. Helping our home care employees find solutions they didn’t know existed is the best part of my job!”

This year, the last day to file IRS tax returns is Monday, April 18th. Personal care assistants and family caregivers that may qualify for this tax exemption are encouraged to contact their tax specialist to learn more. Those employed by a home health care agency should contact their representative to learn about other tax information as it applies to home care workers.

About Best Home Care
Best Home Care is a top in-home health care agency providing support for personal care assistants (PCA) and family caregivers in Minnesota. Founded in 2005 by Andre Best, an attorney and former union president, the company offers administrative assistance and educational resources for those providing home care for seniors and individuals with various disabilities and diseases. Best Home Care is a PCPO, PCA Choice, and Waivered Service Provider.

Media Contact:
Andre Best
Best Home Care
2562 7th Ave E #201
North St Paul, MN 55109
651-330-2550
info@besthomecaremn.com
http://www.besthomecaremn.com

Best Home Care Releases New White Paper on Becoming Certified Disabled

Best Home Care, a Twin Cities home health care agency, has released a white paper entitled, Learn the Different Paths to Becoming Certified Disabled in the State of Minnesota. This home care resources is downloadable for free on the home health agency’s website.

Minneapolis, MN, USA (January 30, 2016) — Best Home Care, a Minneapolis home health care agency, has released a new white paper entitled, Learn the Different Paths to Becoming Certified Disabled in the State of Minnesota. The white paper examines the benefits of becoming certified disabled and explains the various processes of certifying disabilities in an easy to understand manner. The home care professionals at Best Home Care have made this caregiver resource downloadable for free on their website. Those interested in accessing this new white paper should visit http://www.besthomecaremn.com to learn more.

Individuals with a certified disability are eligible to receive Medical Assistance, which may be used to pay for home care services and other critical goods and resources. Best Home Care’s white paper offers step-by-step guidance on how to go about certifying disabilities and includes links to the correct forms and webpages needed to complete the certification process. The 9-page paper also explains when it’s necessary to have a disability certified, the general criteria for determining disabilities, and lists several disorders and diseases that are considered “disabling” by the Social Security Administration.

Becoming certified disabled can be a confusing process and the Minnesota home care agency receives calls nearly every week asking for assistance and guidance. “Our home care professionals saw an opportunity to help a lot more people, a lot more efficiently,” said Andre Best, Owner of Best Home Care. “In just a month, this white paper has proved itself as an invaluable resource for our home care clients and personal care assistants throughout the Twin Cities. The response has been tremendous!”

In an effort to help as many people as possible, Best Home Care is offering this white paper as a free download on their website. This is the second white paper released by Best Home Care, In 2015, the home health agency released its first white paper entitled, Learn Valuable Information for Getting Paid to Take Care of Your Family Member or Friend. Best Home Care’s website also contains many other free downloadable caregiver resources including white papers, home care articles, blog posts, and links to various caregiver support sites.

About Best Home Care
Best Home Care is a top in-home health care agency providing support for personal care assistants (PCA) and family caregivers in Minnesota. Founded in 2005 by Andre Best, an attorney and former union president, the company offers administrative assistance and educational resources for those providing home care for seniors and individuals with various disabilities and diseases. Best Home Care is a PCPO, PCA Choice, and Waivered Service Provider.

Media Contact:
Andre Best
Best Home Care
2562 7th Ave E #201
North St Paul, MN 55109
651-330-2550
info@besthomecaremn.com
http://www.besthomecaremn.com

Best Home Care Announces Same-Day Paychecks For Employees and Personal Care Assistants

Best Home Care, a Twin Cities home health care agency, has begun providing employees with same-day paychecks. This announcement comes after the passing of new laws requiring Minnesota home care agencies to provide overtime payment.

Minneapolis, MN, USA (November 23, 2015) — Best Home Care, a Minneapolis home care agency, is now offering same-day paychecks to their entire staff of home care professionals and personal care assistants. This news comes after the passing of a law in the State of Minnesota that requires Minnesota home care agencies to compensate their PCAs for every hour of overtime worked. The new bill signals a momentous shift in home care administration practices and Best Home Care is proud to be a leader in this movement.

By offering same-day paychecks, Best Home Care seeks to provide an efficient solution to a common need among home care professionals and family caregivers. Using Best Home Care’s exclusive Homecare Timesheet App, personal care assistants are able to request payments when they need them instead of waiting until the end of a pay period. The Minnesota PCA agency also allows their employees to submit timesheets via fax, email, and electronic PDF while offering timesheet reminders via telephone or email.

“Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for our personal care assistants to be compensated for the home health care services they provide,” said Andre Best, Owner of Best Home Care. “Often times, PCAs will have difficulty submitting their timesheets on time or have a small mistake on their timesheet. Instead of waiting another two weeks to be paid, we seek to provide a way for our home care professionals to receive their money when they need it.”

On October 13th, the new home care overtime laws went into effect throughout Minnesota. This law greatly benefits personal care attendants working for a home care agency that provides overtime pay as they are now compensated for their work. However, a good number of Minnesota PCA agencies do not allow for overtime pay and as a result, these agencies were forced to cut employee’s hours to comply with the new state requirements. Despite these recent legislative changes within the home health care industry, Best Home Care has not cut any hours or pay rates for their personal care assistants; staying true to a promise that owner Andre Best made to employees.

About Best Home Care
Best Home Care is a top in-home health care agency providing support for personal care assistants (PCA) and family caregivers in Minnesota. Founded in 2005 by Andre Best, an attorney and former union president, the company offers administrative assistance and educational resources for those providing home care for seniors and individuals with various disabilities and diseases. Best Home Care is a PCPO, PCA Choice, and Waivered Service Provider.

Media Contact:
Andre Best
Best Home Care
2562 7th Ave E #201
North St Paul, MN 55109
651-330-2550
info@besthomecaremn.com
http://www.besthomecaremn.com

Best Home Care Announces New Benefits For Its Home Care Employees

Best Home Care, a Twin Cities home health care agency, provides resources for personal care assistants and family caregivers to stay healthy while providing home care services.

Minneapolis, MN, USA (July 26, 2015) — Best Home Care, a Minnesota home care agency, is excited to offer new benefits for its home care workers including paid time off and a higher starting wage for all employees, plus free preventative health care for full-time employees and their dependents. These added benefits come upon the ratification of a new union contract that specifies PTO and pay rates for all home care workers serving consumer directed recipients. Best Home Care will make these benefits available to all its employees, regardless if they are union members or not.

As of July 1st, all employees of Best Home Care will now receive paid time off hours, which they can use to take time for themselves or to be with their families. This marks the first time the home care company will offer PTO to both its full and part-time employees. In line with the specifications outlined in the newly ratified union contract, Best Home Care has adjusted the starting wage for all its home care workers to $10.75. This rate is the new industry standard across all home care agencies in Minnesota.

Best Home Care is also offering a free preventive health care plan for all of its full-time employees and their dependents. The health care plan will cover preventative health services, such as shots and screening tests, at no cost to the home care worker. This marks the first time in the home care agency’s history that it will offer health benefits to its home care professionals at no charge.

“These new employee benefits are just one more way we’re working to make Best Home Care a quality place to work,” said Andre Best, owner of Best Home Care. “We want each of our home care workers to know that Best Home Care has their welfare in mind and these benefits are our response.”

In an effort to make working for and receiving home care services from Best Home Care easy and convenient, the company has updated its HomeCare Timesheets App. This app allows Best Home Care’s personal care assistants and home care professionals to conveniently submit the amount of hours worked directly from a smartphone. The app’s update includes enhanced features such as saved profiles and a new user-friendly time entry screen that makes entering work hours easier than ever.

About Best Home Care
Best Home Care is a top in-home health care agency providing support for personal care assistants (PCA) and family caregivers in Minnesota. Founded in 2005 by Andre Best, an attorney and former union president, the company offers administrative assistance and educational resources for those providing home care for seniors and individuals with various disabilities and diseases. Best Home Care is a PCPO, PCA Choice, and Waivered Service Provider.

Media Contact:
Andre Best
Best Home Care
2562 7th Ave E #201
North St Paul, MN 55109
651-330-2550
info@besthomecaremn.com
http://www.besthomecaremn.com

Best Home Care Starts Assisting Families New To Home Care Navigate Their Options for PCA Services

Best Home Care, a Twin Cities home health care agency, assists family caregivers and those new to home care navigate the process of starting PCA services.

Minneapolis, MN, USA (June 30, 2015) — Best Home Care, a Minnesota home care agency, specializes in helping families find the appropriate home care services for their loved ones. The home care professionals take time to guide families through the PCA process to ensure their needs are met quickly and accurately.

Beginning home care services can be intimidating and difficult for individuals jumping into personal care services for the first time. Best Home Care’s unique 5-step process for starting PCA services makes it easy for families new to home care to get started with the following steps:

1. Fill out Best Home Care’s online contact form
2. Request and complete an official PCA assessment
3. Best Home Care will train and hire a home caregiver of your choosing
4. A qualified nurse will determine how many hours of home care you are eligible to receive
5. Home care services will begin with the personal care attendant of your choice

Throughout this entire process, the Best Home Care staff is available to help with any questions or concerns. The home care agency also offers free home care resources for family caregivers and personal care assistants that provide in-home supportive services. These online resources offer support for caregivers that struggle with the stress of providing home care and tips to help manage caregiver burnout.

Best Home Care encourages family caregivers or anyone starting home care services for the first time to complete the online contact form on the company’s website. Once the form has been submitted, the home care agency’s team will connect with you and guide you step-by-step through the rest of the process to start home care services.

About Best Home Care
Best Home Care is a top in-home health care agency providing support for personal care assistants (PCA) and family caregivers in Minnesota. Founded in 2005 by Andre Best, an attorney and former union president, the company offers administrative assistance and educational resources for those providing home care for seniors and individuals with various disabilities and diseases. Best Home Care is a PCPO, PCA Choice, and Waivered Service Provider and a member of the Minnesota Home Care Association.

Media Contact:
Andre Best
Best Home Care
2562 7th Ave E #201
North St Paul, MN 55109
651-330-2550
info@besthomecaremn.com
http://www.besthomecaremn.com