Required New Hire Paperwork

What is PCA Orientation?

• PCA New Hire Orientation is a 4-hour program.  Starting February 1, 2021, the Workers’ Rights section of the orientation is being moved from the consumer led portion of the orientation to the 1199SEIU Training and Upgrading Fund (TUF) portion alongside the Infection Control training that started on October 1, 2020 (Infection Control Training Flyer). Any PCA completing the orientation for their consumer on or after February 1, 2021, will need to complete the final 2-hours of orientation with TUF within 30 days of completing the orientation with their consumer (Orientation Notice).  PCAs will be paid 4-hours for completing the orientation only after completing both portions of the orientation.

When are the timesheets due in the FI (Fiscal Intermediary) office?

• For you to get your PCAs checks in a timely manner (on Fridays based on your weekly schedule), we need to have your timesheet (in good order) no later than 4:00pm on Monday following the reporting period.
• Etimesheet Users enrolled in Direct Deposit can receive their payment as early as Wednesday by submitting timesheets by midnight Sunday.

What are your business hours?

• Our Consumer Relations Department is available to answer your calls 7:30 am – 4:30 pm Monday through Friday.

How do holidays work?

• For holiday hours worked between 6am-11:59pm, you get an hour at the regular rate plus an additional half-hour of pay, bringing the payment for holiday hours to one-and-a-half the regular rate. (New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr Day, Juneteenth, 4th of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day)

What is Earned Paid Time Off (PTO)?

• As of July 1, 2019, PCAs will begin to earn 1 hour of paid time off (PTO) for every 30 hours worked.  Please refer to Get Information on Paid Time Off (PTO)
  

How do I stop my PCA’s Direct Deposit?

• Please have your PCA request in writing.  Make sure they include your (employer’s) name and company code (Consumer #).  They will then need to provide us with a new direct deposit application, debit card enrollment form or DD Exemption Form, as Direct Deposit is mandatory for all PCAs as of 1/1/2017.

Did you receive my approval?

• You should be receiving notification from MassHealth in regards to your approved hours and dates of service (DOS).  You should also be receiving a letter from the PCM (Provider Care Management) Agency.  We do not send any letters from the FI office.

Why isn’t a PCA paid when a consumer is in the hospital or long-term care facility?

• This is a regulation set by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  There are no exceptions.

Why did I get a letter from you saying I was overbilling my hours?

• We send you letters notifying of overuse in order to make sure you do not run out of hours toward the end of you approval.  If you have any questions about our findings, please contact the Consumer Relations Department.

Are my PCA’s Tempus Unlimited FI or PCM Agency employees?

• You hire them, train them, decide on their hours and terminate them if you have to. You are the employer of record for the state and federal governments, not Tempus Unlimited (FI) or the PCM Agency.

How can I get more timesheets, W4s, I9s, PCA Signature forms or your weekly schedules?

• You can download them from our form finder or Paperworkr and print them from home if you have access to a printer.  If you do not have access to a printer, you can request to have the forms mailed to you by calling our Consumer Relations Department.

Can a Consumer call on a Monday to verify that we received their timesheet/paperwork?

• You can call to see if the timesheet was processed, if not, inform the caller to note the time he/she faxed it and he/she can call the following day between 7:30am – 4:30pm and we will be happy to verify receipt of the timesheet/paperwork.

Should I fax or mail my timesheets in?

• For faster payment of timesheets, we strongly recommend that you fax them to us at 1-800-359-2884.

Do PCAs get time and a half for holidays?

• Yes, but only for six holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr Day, Juneteenth, 4th of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

Why wasn’t I paid for all the hours submitted on my timesheets?

• There are various reasons for this, we recommend that you call our Consumer Relations Department.

My check was mailed, but I haven’t received it, what should I do now?

• Please give us a call, if we are able to verify that you have been paid, you may request we put a stop payment on the check.  We will issue a new check after 5 business days. This is a MassHealth requirement, there are no exceptions.

What do I do if I receive the check I placed a stop payment on previously?

• You cannot cash the check as it has been stopped. Please destroy or VOID the check.

How do I terminate a PCA?

• You can terminate a PCA at any time; you will need to complete a PCA/Worker Employment Termination Form.  The reason for termination is helpful for us if the PCA applies for unemployment.

When are your fax machines on?

• Fax machines are on 24 hours 7 days a week.

Can you explain the overbilling letter to me?

• We calculate the overbilled use hours on the last timesheet you submit covering two weeks.  During this period, if your use exceeds your weekly allowable hours indicated on your approval, then we send an overbilling letter.  If we see the overbilling continue over three pay periods, then we will request skills training from the PCM that you are affiliated with.  If we see continued overbilling, then we must report it to MassHealth.  MassHealth may then “CAP” your hours, meaning that we cannot pay you for more than your weekly-approved hours.

What is the Office of Inspector General (OIG) Verification?

• We are required by law to check your new PCA hires on the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to see if there are any restrictions for their employment.  If their name appears on this list, we will notify you immediately and no payroll can be processed for these individuals.

What if my shift goes past midnight?

• PCAs that clock-in using the EVV app and have a shift that goes past midnight of the following day, will have that shift automatically split for them by the system. In the EVV portal, they will see the shift end at 11:59PM of the previous day and resume at 12:00AM the next day until they clock out. If the shift that crosses midnight needs to be entered manually in the EVV portal, you will have to put the start time on the day the shift started and then the end time as 11:59PM on that day. You will then continue the shift by starting a new shift at 12:00AM the next day and then the time the shift ended.

What are the overnight rounding rules?

• Shifts that start and end between 12:00AM and 6AM are worked between 12:00AM and 6:00AM that are under 2 hours in length will be rounded up and paid as 2 hours to the PCA. This means the consumer’s approval will be deducted for 2 hours even if the PCA only worked 1 hour between 12:00AM and 6:00AM. Shifts worked between this time that are 2 hours or more in length will be paid as the total amount of hours submitted on the timesheet.

• Due to the overnight hours rounding rules, any shift that is ended by a PCA at 11:59PM and a new shift started at 12:00AM will be considered a continuous shift by MassHealth and only the total hours worked will be paid.

PCA Jury Duty

• PCAs who attend Jury duty during a scheduled work shift should submit the scheduled hours on their timesheet for processing. PCA Consumer/Employer should work with their PCM agency to request additional hours added to their PCA authorization for Jury Duty hours.
• EVV users add the jury duty hours as a manual shift via the EVV portal.

Daylight Savings Time Alert

• Shifts worked overnight on 3/8/26 may be impacted by daylight savings time. Please review PCA hours and make adjustments as needed.