Caregivers in the Self-Determination Model

Behind every Self-Determination Program (SDP) participant who hires their own staff is a small team of caregivers: the people who provide daily care, support and company. They are caregivers in the full legal sense, with the same protections as any other California worker. This article explains who employs them, what they should receive from the first day, and what keeps good caregivers from leaving.

Your caregivers work for you, not for Sentinel Four. You are the managing employer: you choose who is hired, set the schedule and direct the work. Sentinel Four is the co-employer for payroll, taxes and workers' compensation, so the paperwork is handled and you stay in charge.

Who is the employer

In the Co-Employer model, the participant or family and the Financial Management Service (FMS) share the employer role. You recruit, hire, schedule and supervise. Sentinel Four handles payroll, tax withholding and filing, workers' compensation and employer compliance. The caregiver reports to you for the work and to us for the paycheck.

In the Sole Employer model, you or your representative are the legal employer of record and Sentinel Four is the payroll agent. Either way, the caregiver should never be treated as a contractor. They are a W-2 caregiver. Our models page compares the options, and our guide to hiring your first caregiver covers the steps before day one.

What a new caregiver gets on day one

Many caregivers come to the program wanting to help and knowing little about payroll or labor law. Clarity is our job. Before a caregiver's first paid shift, they receive and complete:

• Onboarding documents and wage notices. We collect the federal and state employment forms and the written wage notice California requires, and set the caregiver up in ADP, our payroll system.
• A background check where required. Anyone providing direct personal care needs criminal background clearance before starting. Family members who live in the same home are exempt. The provider pays for the check, and we direct the caregiver to fingerprinting.
• The AxisCare app. All staff paid with SDP funds are subject to Electronic Visit Verification (EVV). The caregiver installs AxisCare on a personal phone and clocks in and out of every shift, which records time and location. As of January 1, 2026, caregivers who use a personal device for this receive a $2.50 per-pay-period reimbursement, shown as a separate non-taxable line on the pay stub. See EVV: clocking in and out.
• Portal access. Caregivers can see their own hours and pay records in our caregiver portal.

A caregiver who has all four understands what they will be paid, how their time is recorded, and where to look when something does not add up.

Compliance protects both sides

Compliance is not paperwork for its own sake. It is what makes the working relationship fair to the caregiver and safe for the family. Concretely:

• Wages and hours. California minimum wage, overtime, and meal and rest break rules apply to household and domestic caregivers. We calculate pay under those rules from the EVV records. The specific thresholds change, so ask your case manager for the current figures rather than relying on an article.
• Taxes. Federal and state income tax, Social Security and Medicare are withheld from each check. Sentinel Four pays the employer share and files with the IRS and the California Employment Development Department (EDD). The caregiver gets a W-2 by January 31.
• Paid sick leave. California requires it, and it accrues for SDP caregivers like any other caregiver.
• Workers' compensation. If a caregiver is hurt on the job, coverage is in place. In the Co-Employer model Sentinel Four carries it; in Sole Employer the family may use ours or its own. See workers' compensation for SDP caregivers.
• Reporting duties. Caregivers are mandated reporters of abuse and neglect, and the FMS files Special Incident Reports with the regional center when required.

Following these rules means the caregiver is treated equitably, and the family is not exposed to wage claims or tax penalties.

What keeps caregivers

Retention in SDP starts with reliability. Caregivers stay when three things are true.

• Pay is accurate and on time. Since the pay period beginning December 29, 2025, Sentinel Four pays weekly. Hours from Monday through Sunday are paid on a Monday. A caregiver does not wait two weeks or more for a check.
• Hours are transparent. The EVV record is the timesheet. The caregiver, the family and our payroll team all see the same clock-in and clock-out times, which removes most disputes before they start.
• Questions get answered. Every family has a dedicated case manager. A caregiver with a pay stub question or a missing shift has a named person to call, not a call center.

When the mechanics work, the caregiver can focus on the participant.

How Sentinel Four handles this

• We employ 1,200 or more caregivers on behalf of the families we serve, in the Co-Employer and Sole Employer models.
• Onboarding documents and wage notices are collected by us and caregivers are set up in ADP before their first shift. We direct new direct-care caregivers to fingerprinting when a background check is required.
• Every shift is clocked in AxisCare. Payroll runs weekly, with paydays every Monday, and the device reimbursement is applied automatically.
• Taxes are withheld and remitted, workers' compensation is carried, and W-2s go out at year end. How caregiver payroll works walks through a pay run step by step.
• Caregivers have their own portal login for hours and pay records, and every family's case manager handles caregiver questions as well as the family's.