Caring for the: Newborn, Children, Rehabilitating, Convalescing, Elderly

AdvantagePlusAgency.com is a Licensed and Insured Home Care Agency!

We offer a complete spectrum of in-home or hospital custodial care for adults, the convalescing elderly, and people with special needs. We have newborn & infant care along with a wide variety of childcare. AdvantagePlusAgency.com is your complete family care agency.

THE ADVANTAGEPLUSAGENCY.COM MISSION STATEMENT

Our mission is to advance the quality of life for the people we care for and to relieve the accompanying burdens placed on their family members. It is our goal to make certain that the Client can have peace of mind, knowing that their loved ones are getting the care they need.

Our caring staff at AdvantagePlusAgency.com listens to your needs. To ensure we can take proper care of your specific needs, we recommend filling out one of our assessment forms in order to give us a clear understanding of your particular situation. For a better evaluation we will come out to your home and give you an assessment free of charge. We will put all of our policies, procedures and any agreements, in clear and concise terms in writing. We will then start the caregiver interviewing process to make sure the person(s) you choose will not only be able to take care of the needs requested, but also is compatible with the care-recipient in need, so they will feel comfortable.

We offer a complete spectrum of care services for the entire family, including:

• Newborn and infant care
• Child care
• Teen care
• Adult care
• Elder care
• Care for those with Special Needs

Within these groups we offer an array of different services tailored to your needs including babysitting, daycare supervision, nursing, rehabilitation, companionship, hospice care and many more levels of service. Our Care Center provides you with a comprehensive list of the services available to you.

OUR ORGANIZATION

AdvantagePlusAgency.com is organized into three centers:

• The Care Center
• The Resource Center
• The Recruitment Center

The Care Center may be your first and last stop in the search for the aids, resources and tools you need for care service for yourself and your loved ones, at a cost you can afford. Our highest priority is ensuring that you get the service, information, and resources you need, whether it is with our caregivers or with someone else that is helping you. Our job is to maximize your options, reduce your costs and ensure that you get the proper care you need. Moreover, once care service has begun, the friendly staff within our Care Center supervises our caregivers and regularly checks in with you to ensure you are receiving exactly what you need and want.

The Resource Center is here for your convenience to place a host of support tools, equipment, supplies, information and contacts that you may need right at your fingertips. Whether you need a walker, a bedpan, nutritional products, a legal form, a telephone number for a new doctor, or an array of other resources, the Resource Center has it all. The goal of the Resource Center is to make available to you all the supplemental products, education, information and contacts you will ever need to improve and simplify your life regarding care management in one easy-to-access location.

The Recruitment Center is where we focus on recruiting and training quality caregivers for our pool of providers. We have developed new tools to streamline the process of accepting and screening new caregiver applicants so that we can spend more time focused on delivering quality care. Our training programs offer our caregivers access to instructional and educational programs designed to improve their skills and abilities and thereby improve the level and quality of care being delivered.

NEEDS ASSESSMENT

AdvantagePlusAgency.com believes that properly assessing your true needs is the first step in delivering quality care. This is why AdvantagePlusAgency.com has developed our special assessment form. Our assessment form can be filled out right online, or you can call AdvantagePlusAgency.com and one of our on-call specialists will be happy to fill out the assessment form for you. Our caring specialists at AdvantagePlusAgency.com take the time to understand all the aspects of the care you need and ask specific questions to discover the needs you may not have contemplated. For example, consider a simple request for a companion - someone to keep an elderly person company, take them for walks and read stories to them. We have found that often times a Care Recipient of this kind also needs help in preparing meals, handling telephone calls, shopping and housecleaning, but didn't think to ask of those things when placing their request. Our assessment process is designed to bring out all the needs you really have and match you with an affordable and appropriate caregiver.

FAMILY DYNAMICS

We understand the importance of considering family dynamics and the different types of care needed for the many issues that arise within those dynamics. We believe that if we make available all the resources and tools needed to ensure proper and cost-effective care is delivered, we can help extend and improve the quality of life for our Care Recipients.

• AdvantagePlusAgency.com recognizes the many problems associated with care giving. We want to do our part to help eliminate those problems by providing qualified caregivers, and provide the tools and needed resources to augment and enhance the care received.
• We not only provide qualified, compassionate caregivers, we also continue to motivate and support them so we can help build a better caregiver.
• We also provide the added information and resources to help far beyond what the agency offers as a service; that is the advantage of working with AdvantagePlusAgency.com.
• If we cannot provide the right caregiver we will do our very best to find an Agency that can. That is the AdvantagePlusAgency.com guarantee.

We believe that our service is all about being able to stay at home while getting the added help one needs to help with managing the dynamics of the family. It is more than just matching the Caregiver's skills with the Care-Recipient's needs; you have to take into account their personalities and comfort levels as well. And if we cannot find the right Caregiver in our pool, we will do our very best to find an agency that can. Our prime objective is the proper care of the Care Recipients.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM US

• Personal Attention. We listen to your needs and desires and ensure that someone is always monitoring your care services.
• Accurate Assessment. We ask a variety of questions to give us a clear understanding of your particular situation. For a better evaluation we may need to come out to the home (free of charge).
• Honest Dealings. We will put all of our policies, procedures and any agreements in writing in clear and concise terms.
• Flexibility. Our services are available on an hourly or daily, temporary or extended, basis. LIVE-IN or LIVE-OUT (Some minimum requirements may apply!) Emergency and after-hours counselors are on-call 24-hours a day to serve you!

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM OUR CAREGIVERS

• CPR and First Aid Certifications
• Live Scan Background Checks
• Proper Identification
• References
• Compassion
• Dedication
• Honesty
• Skills and Knowledge
• Professionalism

Besides ensuring our Caregivers have the skills and abilities to giver proper care, we also work to attract only those that are honest, caring, compassionate, and love helping others. Finding people with the skills is not as hard as finding ones with the right attitudes to match the personalities of our Care Recipients.

If you are ready to begin receiving care, start now! Fill out our our special AdvantagePlusAgency.com assessment form.

Or, if you prefer to conduct the assessment over the phone, call us now at 800 687 8066.

Let us help you get the care your need right away!

Once you have identified one or more caregivers that you believe will serve you well, you may then choose from one of our three service plan options to begin service. Those three options are described below.

Payroll Care Service
On Payroll Care jobs, AdvantagePlusAgency.com is the Employer of Record of the caregiver and assumes responsibility for payroll taxes, worker's compensation and liability insurance. This plan allows for maximum flexibility and permits the plan of care to be modified as the situation changes. Under this plan, the caregiver is an Employee, as defined by the IRS, and the Agency is the Employer.

When insurance is involved, on Payroll Care jobs, we will bill the insurance company directly and work in conjunction with your Case Manager to ensure that proper care is provided according to the plan of care prescribed by your doctor. We can provide a licensed nurse who oversees the plan of care. For your convenience, we bill directly to the insurance company and get paid directly by them. In order to ensure continued and uninterrupted service, should there be a delay in receiving funds from insurance, we will continue to pay the caregiver until we receive the funds with no out-of-pocket expense to you, unless other arrangements have been made in advance. We provide all necessary documentation to the insurance company and case manager that they request.

On Payroll Care Service, the hourly rate you or the insurance company pays to the Agency includes:

• All of the Agency essential functions described in Section 2 of the Client Handbook.
• The cost of the caregiver(s) earnings
• Payroll taxes and other government-required Employer contributions
• The scheduling of caregivers on the schedule you request
• Coverage by our Workman’s Compensation Insurance
• Identification, withholding, submission and reporting of all applicable payroll and other government taxes required of Employers
• Coverage by liability insurance
• Our coverage of caregiver salary despite delays in receiving funds from an insurance company (paycheck buffering)
• Complete administration of the case including all required forms and documentation
• Supervision of the caregiver(s) and handling of any performance issues that could arise.

Payroll is the most comprehensive of the service plan options that we offer. Accordingly, it has a higher cost associated with it than the other two service plan options, Fee-For-Service or Permanent Placement, which are described below.

Fee-For-Service
On Fee-For-Service jobs, the Agency is not the Employer of record of the caregiver. We refer a qualified caregiver to you who has been processed through our Agency. Although you hire and pay them directly, we continue to act as an Agent for the caregiver and negotiate the terms and conditions of their employment with you. You pay the agency a fee, an additional amount separately from what you pay the caregiver, either per hour or per day, usually invoiced weekly. This plan allows for you to get familiar with the Agency and our caregivers and for us to learn more about the Care Recipient to make the best match.

Under a Fee-For-Service plan, you establish the nature of the relationship with the caregiver that you choose. Typically clients choose either an independent contractor or employer-employee relationship with their caregiver(s). How you handle this decision and the subsequent activities resulting from it is a matter between you and the caregiver(s) only. However, whatever relationship you decide to create with your caregiver, we recommend that you establish a basic agreement in writing so that there is no misunderstanding about expectations or processes. We can recommend one or more sources where you can obtain a basic agreement suitable for the purpose that most clients seem to desire, and we have included a sample of a basic agreement in the Appendix of our Client Handbook.

If insurance is involved, under this plan we will assist you with insurance claims as a courtesy, but we are in no way responsible for any insurance matters and you are fully responsible to pay the agency fee as invoiced to you, regardless of whether the insurance company pays or not. Our assistance includes providing you with time sheets and nursing notes to be completed by the caregiver(s) and verified and signed by you. We have instructed all our caregivers on how to complete these forms properly. You then submit these documents to the insurance claims department with the appropriate claim form in order to process the claim properly.

Although Fee-For-Service jobs cost less than Payroll jobs, you still receive all the Agency essential functions listed in Section 2 of our Client Handbook, including unlimited replacements and/or substitutions of caregiver(s) for any reason.

Although there is no restriction on how long you may have a Fee-For-Service arrangement, Fee-For-Service jobs are ideal for short-term care needs because the agency’s fee is on an hourly or daily basis. Longer-term care needs are more economically handled under a Permanent Placement arrangement.

Permanent Placement
Permanent Placement jobs are the same as Fee-For-Service in most respects. The primary differences are these:

• The Agency fee is a one-time fee up front fee, which is usually 80% of the caregiver’s first month salary, instead of an hourly or daily fee.
• The Permanent Placement agreement entitles you to utilize the caregiver(s) we provide you for the term of the agreement, that is usually 8 months.
• Under original Permanent Placement agreements, we will provide unlimited substitutes or replacements for your caregiver(s) at no additional charge, but only during the term of the agreement.
• When the Permanent Placement agreement is about to expire, you have three options:
  A) Stop the care service when the agreement expires
  B) Renew the contract in Full
  C) Renew the contract in Part

(See the Client Handbook for details)

It is the Client’s responsibility to ensure adequate service coverage for their needs by contacting the Agency prior to the expiration of their Permanent Placement agreement to discuss renewal. However, we do, as a courtesy, usually try to contact Permanent Placement clients prior to expiration of their agreement to discuss renewal options.

If the Caregiver either proves to be unsatisfactory to the Client, or terminates the position before the guarantee period expires, the Agency guarantees, for the length of the agreement, to replace, at no additional fee, the caregiver/Independent Contractor with a comparable caregiver/Independent Contractor at a comparable rate providing the same, or reasonably the same, level and schedule of service to the Client. The Agency is NOT responsible for the replacement of the caregiver/Independent Contractor if the Client is either charged with abuse or harassment of the caregiver/Independent Contractor, or providing unfit working conditions, or the Client relocates and the caregiver/Independent Contractor declines to travel. An appropriate authority must verify any charges of abuse or harassment.

If the Agency is unable to provide a replacement to fit the job description as per the original job order, the Agency will make the following refunds to the Client: The Agency will prorate the length of the contract with the amount of the fee paid, minus a non-refundable $500. The date the position becomes vacant will determine when the prorating begins.

The Agency will also provide, within the length of the original agreement, a temporary replacement for the Independent Contractor, at no additional fee, for relief of the caregiver/Independent Contractor due to sickness, vacation, or other reasonable emergencies. Late or last minute requests for temporary replacements will be paid at the prevailing rates reflecting the circumstances surrounding the request. This may exceed the agreed rate stated above. Permanent Placement renewals are subject to the renewal terms in the Client Handbook.

to answer any questions regarding any of the AdvantagePlusAgency.com services, feel free to call us! We look forward to speaking to you personally. Our office hours are Monday-Friday from 8:00 A.M. - 6:00 P.M. We are on-call 24/7 for emergencies.

Note: We are now serving the San Francisco Bay Area as well. We are now building our database of quailified caregivers in the area.

Serving the Los Angeles, Ventura, and San Bernardino Counties We are quick to respond and are very flexible, whenever and wherever the need arises!!

We accept most insurance: We also accept, Cash, Checks, Moneys Orders, Master Card, Visa, and American Express as forms of payments.