Work Week Limit (WWL) and Client Authorization

The best way is by using the DirectMyCare web portal and/or the time submission calculator. The web portal will show you hours that have been entered, remaining WWL amounts, any hours that have been allocated to you by the Client, and notifications.

It is your responsibility to make sure you don’t go over either of these amounts. Your Consumer Direct Care Network Washington (CDWA) Service Coordinator is happy to provide more guidance on how to stay within these amounts.

If you use the DirectMyCare portal to submit your time, you will get a pop-up warning when you try to submit time that goes over your Client’s authorized amount. You can correct your time before submitting it to CDWA so you will not go over the amount.

On the CareAttend app, the WWL amount is not visible, and you will not get pop-up warnings. However, you can see shift history with CareAttend to monitor what has been submitted. The CareAttend app and IVR entries are captured precisely and then rounded to the nearest quarter hour. If you started your shift late, you may need to adjust your entry before submitting it to CDWA.

You can also call the CDWA self-service payroll IVR to hear how many hours you have submitted and how many hours are remaining. More information can be found in the Self-Service Payroll IVR guide.

The Client’s monthly authorized amount is the total service hours your Client(s) can receive in a month. These hours are authorized to CDWA and not to Individual Providers (IPs). Your Managing Employer, which is your Client or their Authorized Representative, is provided the authorized amount. They can also view this on the DirectMyCare web portal.

Your Managing Employer is responsible for setting your weekly work schedule and they can allocate hours for you to work. This will help you stay within the Client’s authorized amount.

This is a portion of the Client’s authorization that is assigned (allocated) to the IP(s) to work. This is a way to help manage how many hours each IP is working every month to stay within the Client’s authorized amount. Allocations should not exceed the IP’s WWL.

Clients can allocate hours themselves through the DirectMyCare Web portal.

Follow the instructions in this interactive tutorial or by watching this video.

Clients can also contact their CDWA Service Coordinator, who can allocate hours on behalf of the Client.

On the DirectMyCare web portal.

Step 1: Sign in to your DirectMyCare web portal account.

Step 2: Click the Authorization button.

Step 3: Select the appropriate Client from the dropdown menu.

Step 4: Use the authorization allocation grid to see how many units (not hours) have been allocated to you by service code. To get the total hours, take the allocated units and divide by 4.

This short video goes over how to read the allocation screen.

As the legal employer, CDWA follows the Department of Labor’s rules for paying employees. For some IPs, we can deny the overages based on their live-in status or relationship to the client. For more information, please refer to 79f of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

For others, we must pay any time that was worked, including overages. Unauthorized time may be subject to corrective action.

The standard WWL is 40 hours per week for most IPs.  An IP may have a temporary or permanent WWL that exceeds 40 hours. The WWL is the maximum number of service hours an IP can work in a work week (Sunday through Saturday). They must stay within their established WWL. It is the IP’s responsibility to make sure the number of hours assigned to them by each Client does not add up to more than their WWL. All service hours count towards the WWL except admin time, travel time, and required training.

If an IP needs their WWL increased, please submit a request to CDWA. We will review the inquiry and decide if a temporary WWL increase is appropriate.

On the DirectMyCare web portal.

Step 1: Sign in to your DirectMyCare web portal account.

Step 2: Click the Time / Mileage Entry button.

Step 3: This shows you your total WWL amount. This is NOT the total amount your Client has assigned you to work, which may be less. The total remaining is for ALL Clients.

CDWA reviews, and may approve, temporary WWL requests. Requests must be within the Client’s authorized number of hours.
See this guide for more information on how to submit a request.

All WWL requests are made to CDWA. WWL requests cannot exceed the Client’s authorized hours. Changes in Client needs (which may result in higher Client authorized hours) should be reported to the Case Manager.

Going over these amounts can result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination. It is the IP’s responsibility to say within their Work Week Limit (WWL) and the Client(s) monthly authorized amount. IPs must make sure the work schedule assigned to them by each Client does not add up to more than their WWL.
CDWA’s progressive corrective process:

• 1st offense – Documented coach and counsel
• 2nd offense – First written warning
• 3rd offense – Final written warning
• 4th offense – Human Resources review for suspension or termination

CDWA reserves the right to skip steps in the process in cases of severe violations. The entire corrective action policy can be found in the IP Employment Handbook.