{"pack":"pa-hca","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/","name":"Pennsylvania Home Care Policy and Procedure Manual","state":"Pennsylvania","service":"Home care","license":"Pennsylvania home care agency license","count":49,"forms":60,"categories":[{"name":"Client rights","count":4},{"name":"Service delivery","count":10},{"name":"Clinical tasks","count":1},{"name":"Safeguarding","count":3},{"name":"Infection control","count":2},{"name":"Emergency preparedness","count":1},{"name":"Records","count":1},{"name":"Privacy","count":3},{"name":"Human resources","count":11},{"name":"Governance","count":5},{"name":"Quality","count":2},{"name":"Business","count":3},{"name":"Ethics","count":3}],"policies":[{"ref":"PA-HC-CPL-01","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/complaints-and-grievances/","title":"Complaints and Grievances","category":"Client rights","citation":"28 Pa. Code §611.57(c)(5)","summary":"Gives consumers and families an easy way to complain to the Agency, by phone, in writing or in person, without fear of retaliation; sets the Agency’s own time frames to acknowledge (5) and resolve (30) complaints; tells consumers how to complain to the Department of Health and the Area Agency on Aging Ombudsman; and, for waiver participants, keeps the complaint system and quarterly review that 55 Pa. Code §52.18 requires.","sample":true},{"ref":"PA-HC-CR-01","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/consumer-rights-and-protections/","title":"Consumer Rights and Protections","category":"Client rights","citation":"28 Pa. Code §611.57(a)","summary":"Sets out the rights Pennsylvania law gives every consumer of the Agency (involvement in service planning with reasonable accommodation of needs and preferences, at least 10 calendar days’ written notice before the Agency ends services, and freedom from staff acting as power of attorney or guardian or requiring checks to be endorsed to the Agency), the further rights the Agency guarantees as its own standard, the consumer’s responsibilities, and how rights are explained, documented and protected.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-CR-02","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/consumer-information-packet-and-disclosure-of-direct-care-worker/","title":"Consumer Information Packet and Disclosure of Direct Care Worker Status","category":"Client rights","citation":"28 Pa. Code §611.57(c)","summary":"Requires the Agency to give every consumer, the consumer’s legal representative or a responsible family member, before services start, an information packet in a form that is easily read and understood with each item 28 Pa. Code §611.57(c) and section 806.3(b) of the Health Care Facilities Act require, including the Department of Health’s Consumer Notice of Direct Care Worker Status, to update it when the worker, hours or fees change, and to keep signed proof on file.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-CR-03","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/consumer-control-choice-and-the-consumer-s-representative/","title":"Consumer Control, Choice, and the Consumer’s Representative","category":"Client rights","citation":"28 Pa. Code §611.5","summary":"Puts the consumer in control of their own home care services, as 28 Pa. Code Chapter 611 requires: the consumer, or the consumer’s representative, directs which services are given and how; staff respect choices, including the choice to refuse a task; the Agency checks who may act as the consumer’s representative and what they may decide; and no employee ever acts as a consumer’s power of attorney or guardian.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-ADM-01","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/intake-acceptance-of-consumers-and-initial-assessment/","title":"Intake, Acceptance of Consumers, and Initial Assessment","category":"Service delivery","citation":"28 Pa. Code §611.57(c)","summary":"Sets out how the Agency handles a referral, decides fairly and consistently whether it can safely meet a consumer’s non-skilled home care needs, carries out an initial home visit assessment, signs a service agreement, and completes every step that must happen before the first visit, including the information packet and, for waiver participants, an approved service plan and confirmed eligibility.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-COR-01","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/coordination-with-service-coordinators-managed-care-organizations-and/","title":"Coordination with Service Coordinators, Managed Care Organizations, and Other Providers","category":"Service delivery","citation":"55 Pa. Code §52.14(o)","summary":"Sets out how the Agency works with the consumer’s family and representative, physician, home health and hospice providers and, for waiver participants, the service coordinator and managed care organization: what workers report about changes in the consumer, who the supervisor contacts and how quickly, what information may be shared, and how the Agency stays within its non-skilled scope when other care is needed.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-DC-01","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/termination-of-services-discharge-and-transfer/","title":"Termination of Services, Discharge, and Transfer","category":"Service delivery","citation":"28 Pa. Code §611.57(a)(2)","summary":"Requires the Agency to give every consumer at least 10 calendar days’ advance written notice before the Agency ends services, allowing shorter notice only when the consumer has failed to pay despite notice and is more than 14 days in arrears or when the direct care worker’s health and welfare is at risk; sets out the grounds for ending services, the content of the notice, help with transfer to another provider, consumer-initiated endings, and extra steps for waiver participants.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-SAF-01","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/consumer-safety-falls-and-safe-transfers/","title":"Consumer Safety, Falls, and Safe Transfers","category":"Service delivery","citation":"28 Pa. Code §611.55(c)(3)","summary":"Sets out how the Agency keeps consumers safe at home: a home safety check at the start of services and each year, fall prevention during visits, safe ambulation and transfer techniques and use of the consumer’s equipment, what to do when a consumer falls, and other common home hazards, with reporting of injuries and hospital transfers.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-SAF-02","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/medical-emergencies-advance-directives-and-changes-in-condition/","title":"Medical Emergencies, Advance Directives, and Changes in Condition","category":"Service delivery","citation":"28 Pa. Code §611.55(b)(7)","summary":"Tells direct care workers how to recognize and report changes in a consumer’s condition, what to do in a medical emergency (call 911 first), how the Agency records and respects a consumer’s advance health care directive and Pennsylvania out-of-hospital do-not-resuscitate order, and what to do when a consumer dies, with the reports that follow.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-SAF-03","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/direct-care-worker-safety-in-the-home/","title":"Direct Care Worker Safety in the Home","category":"Service delivery","citation":"28 Pa. Code §611.57(a)(1)","summary":"Protects direct care workers who work alone in consumers’ homes: screening homes for hazards, check-in and travel safety, pets, smoking, weapons, pests and unsafe conditions, harassment and violence, the worker’s right to leave an unsafe situation, and reporting and recording work injuries, including the OSHA reports required within 8 or 24 hours.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-SP-01","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/service-planning-consumer-involvement-and-changes-to-services/","title":"Service Planning, Consumer Involvement, and Changes to Services","category":"Service delivery","citation":"28 Pa. Code §611.57(a)(1)","summary":"Gives every consumer a written Home Care Service Plan, developed with the consumer before services start, that lists the tasks, hours, preferences and safety measures; keeps it current through reviews at least every six months and whenever needs change, as the Agency’s own standard; and, for waiver participants, makes sure the Agency delivers exactly what the Department-approved service plan authorizes.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-SVC-01","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/scheduling-missed-visits-and-backup-coverage/","title":"Scheduling, Missed Visits, and Backup Coverage","category":"Service delivery","citation":"28 Pa. Code §611.57(c)(2)","summary":"Makes sure consumers receive services at the hours stated in their information packet from workers they have been told about, sets the Agency’s own standards for worker call-offs, late and missed visits, after-hours on-call coverage and backup staffing, and, for waiver participants, follows the back-up plan and treats a service interruption that puts the participant at risk as a critical incident.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-SVC-02","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/scope-of-home-care-services/","title":"Scope of Home Care Services","category":"Service delivery","citation":"28 Pa. Code §611.5","summary":"Defines the five home care services the Agency provides under its Chapter 611 license (personal care, assistance with instrumental activities of daily living, companionship services, respite care, and specialized care), lists the skilled tasks direct care workers never perform, and sets out how a request for a task outside that scope is declined and referred.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-SVC-04","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/difficult-behaviors-and-prohibition-of-restraint/","title":"Difficult Behaviors and Prohibition of Restraint","category":"Service delivery","citation":"28 Pa. Code §611.55(b)(10)","summary":"Prohibits any restraint or seclusion of any consumer, explains how direct care workers understand and respond to difficult behaviors with respect and de-escalation, and sets out how behaviors are recorded, planned for, and reported.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-SVC-03","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/assistance-with-self-administered-medications/","title":"Assistance with Self-Administered Medications","category":"Clinical tasks","citation":"28 Pa. Code §611.55(c)(6)","summary":"Sets out the limited help with medications that direct care workers may give a consumer who self-administers (reminders, bringing and opening labeled containers, reading labels, observing and recording), the tasks they never perform, and what to do when a consumer refuses, misses, or takes a wrong dose.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-ANE-01","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/recognizing-and-reporting-abuse-neglect-and-exploitation-of-adults/","title":"Recognizing and Reporting Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation of Adults","category":"Safeguarding","citation":"35 P.S. §10225.701","summary":"Tells every employee what abuse, neglect and exploitation are, and exactly what to do when they suspect it: keep the consumer safe, make an immediate oral report to the local protective services agency at (717) 555-0121 or the statewide hotline, tell the Administrator, make the written report within 48 hours, and, for sexual abuse, serious injury or a suspicious death, also report to the police and the Department of Aging. Covers the Adult Protective Services Act for consumers 18 to 59, the Agency’s follow-up, confidentiality and protection from retaliation.","sample":true},{"ref":"PA-HC-ANE-02","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/reporting-suspected-child-abuse/","title":"Reporting Suspected Child Abuse","category":"Safeguarding","citation":"23 Pa.C.S. §6311","summary":"Makes every employee who works with a consumer under 18, or who sees a child in a consumer’s home, a mandated reporter of suspected child abuse: report immediately to ChildLine at 1-800-932-0313 or online, then tell the Administrator, and make a written report within 48 hours if the first report was by phone.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-ANE-03","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/protecting-consumers-after-an-abuse-allegation-against-an-employee/","title":"Protecting Consumers After an Abuse Allegation Against an Employee","category":"Safeguarding","citation":"35 P.S. §10225.704","summary":"Sets out what the Agency does the moment it learns that an employee is alleged to have abused a consumer: protect the consumer, put the employee on an approved plan of supervision or suspend them, get the plan approved by protective services and the Department of Health, bar the employee from consumers if criminal charges are filed, cooperate with investigators, and decide the outcome fairly.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-IC-01","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/infection-control-and-standard-precautions/","title":"Infection Control and Standard Precautions","category":"Infection control","citation":"28 Pa. Code §611.55(b)(5)","summary":"Sets the infection control practices every direct care worker follows in consumers’ homes: hand hygiene, standard precautions and gloves, respiratory hygiene, cleaning, laundry and food safety, work restrictions for sick workers, and what to do when a consumer has an infection or there is an outbreak in the community.","sample":true},{"ref":"PA-HC-IC-02","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/bloodborne-pathogens-exposure-control-plan/","title":"Bloodborne Pathogens Exposure Control Plan","category":"Infection control","citation":"29 CFR §1910.1030","summary":"The Agency’s written OSHA Exposure Control Plan: which jobs and tasks carry exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials, the precautions and protective equipment used, hepatitis B vaccination offered at no cost within 10 working days of initial assignment, what to do after a needlestick or splash, training at assignment and each year, and the records kept.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-EP-01","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/emergency-preparedness-and-continuity-of-services/","title":"Emergency Preparedness and Continuity of Services","category":"Emergency preparedness","citation":"28 Pa. Code §51.3(g)(11)","summary":"Prepares the Agency to keep consumers safe and services running in storms, floods, extreme heat or cold, fires, power and phone outages, disease outbreaks, staff shortages and other emergencies: a named disaster coordinator and alternate, a yearly hazard review, a priority list of consumers who cannot go without care, an emergency plan for each consumer, a call-down and communication plan, staff duties, Department of Health notice when services are significantly disrupted, waiver back-up plans, and an annual exercise.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-REC-01","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/consumer-records-and-documentation-of-services/","title":"Consumer Records and Documentation of Services","category":"Records","citation":"28 Pa. Code §611.57(d)","summary":"Sets out what goes in each consumer record, how direct care workers document every visit, how entries are corrected, how electronic records are kept, who may see records, and how long records are kept before secure destruction. Chapter 611 sets no record contents or retention period, so the Agency’s own standards are stated, together with the documentation the Department of Health inspects under §611.57(d) and the Medical Assistance retention periods for waiver services.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-PRV-01","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/hipaa-privacy-and-confidentiality-of-consumer-information/","title":"HIPAA Privacy and Confidentiality of Consumer Information","category":"Privacy","citation":"45 CFR §164.502","summary":"Protects consumers’ health and personal information: the Agency treats itself as a HIPAA covered entity, names a Privacy Official, gives every consumer a Notice of Privacy Practices, shares information only as HIPAA and Pennsylvania law allow, honors consumers’ rights to see, copy, correct and get an accounting of their records, and trains and disciplines staff on confidentiality.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-PRV-02","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/hipaa-security-and-use-of-mobile-devices/","title":"HIPAA Security and Use of Mobile Devices","category":"Privacy","citation":"45 CFR §164.308","summary":"Protects the Agency’s electronic consumer information, including the scheduling, EVV and records systems that direct care workers reach from phones and tablets: a named security official, a written risk analysis reviewed each year, unique logins, strong passwords and multi-factor authentication, encryption, locked and wiped mobile devices, security incident reporting, backups and a contingency plan, and signed device and system user agreements.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-PRV-03","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/breach-notification/","title":"Breach Notification","category":"Privacy","citation":"45 CFR §164.404","summary":"Sets out what the Agency does when consumer or staff information may have been lost, stolen or shared wrongly: report it at once, contain it, assess the risk, and give the notices required by HIPAA (individuals within 60 days of discovery, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the media for large breaches) and by the Pennsylvania Breach of Personal Information Notification Act (residents without unreasonable delay, the Attorney General and consumer reporting agencies when more than 500 people are notified, and free credit monitoring where Social Security, bank account or driver’s license numbers are involved).","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-CMP-01","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/direct-care-worker-competency-requirements-and-training-program/","title":"Direct Care Worker Competency Requirements and Training Program","category":"Human resources","citation":"28 Pa. Code §611.55","summary":"Requires every direct care worker to meet one of the competency routes in 28 Pa. Code §611.55(a) before being assigned to any consumer, sets out the Agency’s own training program and competency examination covering the ten required subjects (and six more for personal care), and explains how competency is documented and when it transfers from another agency.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-CMP-02","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/supervision-and-annual-competency-review-of-direct-care-workers/","title":"Supervision and Annual Competency Review of Direct Care Workers","category":"Human resources","citation":"28 Pa. Code §611.55(e)","summary":"Sets out how the Agency supervises direct care workers on an ongoing basis, including supervisory visits and consumer contacts as the Agency’s own standards, and how each worker’s competency is reviewed at least once a year and more often after discipline for a quality of care infraction, as 28 Pa. Code §611.55(e) requires.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-HR-01","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/hiring-direct-care-workers-interviews-and-references/","title":"Hiring Direct Care Workers: Interviews and References","category":"Human resources","citation":"28 Pa. Code §611.51","summary":"Requires an interview (in person or by two-way video) and at least two satisfactory, verifiable references from non-relatives before any direct care worker is hired, together with the criminal history report, ChildLine verification where applicable, competency, and tuberculosis screening, and explains how each step is documented in the worker’s file.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-HR-02","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/criminal-history-background-checks/","title":"Criminal History Background Checks","category":"Human resources","citation":"28 Pa. Code §611.52","summary":"Requires every direct care worker, office staff applicant, and owner to provide a criminal history report obtained within the past year (a Pennsylvania State Police record, or, for anyone who has not lived in Pennsylvania for the past two years, an FBI record with a Department of Aging letter of determination), and explains how results are assessed, kept confidential, and how an applicant is told about appeal rights.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-HR-03","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/child-abuse-clearances-for-staff-serving-consumers-under-18/","title":"Child Abuse Clearances for Staff Serving Consumers Under 18","category":"Human resources","citation":"28 Pa. Code §611.53","summary":"If the Agency serves anyone under 18, requires every direct care worker and office staff applicant, and the owners, to obtain a ChildLine verification before working, bars anyone named as the perpetrator of a founded or indicated report of child abuse, and, as the Agency’s own standard, obtains the full set of Child Protective Services Law clearances and renews them every 60 months.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-HR-04","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/provisional-hiring-pending-background-results/","title":"Provisional Hiring Pending Background Results","category":"Human resources","citation":"28 Pa. Code §611.54","summary":"Allows a direct care worker to start work before the criminal history report or ChildLine verification arrives only if every condition in 28 Pa. Code §611.54 is met: request forms filed, a sworn statement, competency met first, random direct observation and consumer feedback documented, extra supervision with consumers under 18, and a firm limit of 30 days (90 days for applicants who have not lived in Pennsylvania for two years).","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-HR-05","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/health-screening-and-tuberculosis/","title":"Health Screening and Tuberculosis","category":"Human resources","citation":"28 Pa. Code §611.56","summary":"Requires every direct care worker, and every office staff member or contractor with direct consumer contact, to provide documentation, dated not more than one year before the start date, from a health care professional that they were screened under CDC guidelines and are free from active tuberculosis and communicable disease, and to update it at least every 12 months from the last evaluation.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-HR-06","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/personnel-records/","title":"Personnel Records","category":"Human resources","citation":"28 Pa. Code §611.51(b)","summary":"Lists everything that must be in each direct care worker’s and office staff member’s file under Chapter 611 (interview and references, criminal history, ChildLine, provisional monitoring, competency and annual review, tuberculosis screening), plus the waiver and OSHA items, and explains how files are kept confidential, audited, and retained.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-HR-07","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/orientation-job-descriptions-identification-badges-and-performance/","title":"Orientation, Job Descriptions, Identification Badges, and Performance Evaluation","category":"Human resources","citation":"35 P.S. §448.809b","summary":"Requires a written job description and an orientation for every new employee before their first assignment, a photo identification badge with the content and title format the Health Care Facilities Act prescribes, and an annual performance evaluation alongside the annual competency review.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-HR-08","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/exclusion-screening-and-employment-eligibility-verification/","title":"Exclusion Screening and Employment Eligibility Verification","category":"Human resources","citation":"55 Pa. Code §52.11(a)(5)(xi)","summary":"Requires the Agency to check every employee, contractor, owner, and managing employee against the federal exclusion list (LEIE), the federal System for Award Management (SAM), and Pennsylvania’s Medicheck list before hire and monthly, to verify Social Security Numbers, and to complete federal employment eligibility verification.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-TRN-01","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/annual-staff-training/","title":"Annual Staff Training","category":"Human resources","citation":"55 Pa. Code §52.21","summary":"Sets the Agency’s yearly training plan for all staff: the training federal and state rules require (bloodborne pathogens each year for workers with exposure, HIPAA privacy training, and for waiver providers the six topics of 55 Pa. Code §52.21(d)), refresher training on the competency subjects, how training is delivered and recorded, and what happens when training is missed.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-GOV-01","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/licensure-governing-body-and-organization/","title":"Licensure, Governing Body, and Organization","category":"Governance","citation":"28 Pa. Code §611.2","summary":"Sets out how the Agency holds and renews its Department of Health license for each physical location, keeps the license posted and a current copy of Chapter 611 on site, limits itself to licensed home care services, and how the governing body directs and oversees the Agency through a written organization chart and an annual review.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-GOV-02","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/administrator-and-management-responsibilities/","title":"Administrator and Management Responsibilities","category":"Governance","citation":"28 Pa. Code §51.4(c)","summary":"Names the Administrator as the person responsible for day-to-day operation, provides for a written Alternate Administrator, sets out the Administrator’s duties, and explains how a change of Administrator is reported to the Department of Health within 30 days with the documents the Department asks for.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-GOV-03","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/notifications-to-the-department-changes-to-the-license-and-exceptions/","title":"Notifications to the Department, Changes to the License, and Exceptions","category":"Governance","citation":"28 Pa. Code §51.3","summary":"Lists every written notice the Agency must give the Department of Health (new or ceased services, ownership and management changes, address and county changes, serious noncompliance) and, for waiver providers, the Department of Human Services, with the lead times the rules set, and explains how the Agency asks for an exception to a regulation.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-GOV-04","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/department-inspections-and-plans-of-correction/","title":"Department Inspections and Plans of Correction","category":"Governance","citation":"35 P.S. §448.806d","summary":"Explains how the Agency receives Department of Health inspectors during business hours, gives them records and access to consumers who consent, and answers an inspection report with a written plan of correction; also covers Department of Human Services monitoring and corrective action plans for waiver providers.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-GOV-05","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/agency-closure-and-cessation-of-services/","title":"Agency Closure and Cessation of Services","category":"Governance","citation":"28 Pa. Code §51.3(c)","summary":"Sets out what the Agency does if it decides to close or to stop a service: written notice to the Department of Health at least 60 days ahead, at least 10 calendar days’ written notice to each consumer (30 days for waiver participants, with notice to the Department of Human Services), help moving consumers to another provider, and safe keeping of records after closure.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-INC-01","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/incident-management-reportable-events-and-waiver-critical-incidents/","title":"Incident Management, Reportable Events, and Waiver Critical Incidents","category":"Quality","citation":"28 Pa. Code §51.3(f)","summary":"Requires staff to report every incident to the office at once and in writing the same day; tells the Administrator which events must be reported immediately in writing to the Department of Health under 28 Pa. Code §51.3; and, for waiver participants, sets out critical incident reporting: inform the service coordinator within 24 hours, submit the first section of the report in the state system within 48 hours, and tell the participant within 24 hours. Every incident is reviewed for causes and prevention.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-QM-01","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/quality-management-plan/","title":"Quality Management Plan","category":"Quality","citation":"55 Pa. Code §52.24","summary":"Sets up the Agency’s quality management plan: measurable goals and data-driven outcomes on the things Pennsylvania rules require (background checks, competency and annual reviews, tuberculosis updates, information packets, incident and abuse reporting, complaints, visits delivered), a quarterly review of the data, actions when a goal is missed, and an annual update approved by the governing body. Required by 55 Pa. Code §52.24 for waiver providers and followed by the Agency for all consumers.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-BUS-01","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/fees-billing-and-consumer-payments/","title":"Fees, Billing, and Consumer Payments","category":"Business","citation":"28 Pa. Code §611.57(c)(3)","summary":"Requires the Agency to tell each consumer in writing, before services start, the fees and total costs on an hourly or weekly basis, to bill only for services actually delivered as documented, never to require a consumer to endorse checks to the Agency, and to follow Medical Assistance billing rules for waiver participants.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-BUS-02","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/electronic-visit-verification/","title":"Electronic Visit Verification","category":"Business","citation":"42 U.S.C. §1396b(l)","summary":"Requires every Medical Assistance-funded personal assistance visit to be recorded in a Department of Human Services-accepted electronic visit verification system that captures the six federal data items, explains how direct care workers check in and out, how missed or incorrect entries are corrected and documented, and how EVV data is matched to claims.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-BUS-03","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/medical-assistance-waiver-provider-participation/","title":"Medical Assistance Waiver Provider Participation","category":"Business","citation":"55 Pa. Code §52.11","summary":"If the Agency serves participants in an Office of Long-Term Living waiver or the Act 150 program, sets out what it must have and keep doing as an enrolled provider: the required written policies, licenses and insurance, new provider training within 180 days, two-yearly requalification, approved service plans before services, change notices, monitoring and corrective action plans, a quality management plan, and five-year record retention.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-ETH-01","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/code-of-conduct-professional-boundaries-and-consumer-property/","title":"Code of Conduct, Professional Boundaries, and Consumer Property","category":"Ethics","citation":"35 P.S. §448.806b","summary":"Sets the standards of conduct for everyone who works for the Agency: no power of attorney or guardianship over any consumer, no requiring consumers to sign checks over, no gifts, loans or use of consumer money or property, respect for consumer control and privacy, and clear professional boundaries, with a signed acknowledgment at hire.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-ETH-02","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/compliance-program-and-prevention-of-fraud-waste-and-abuse/","title":"Compliance Program and Prevention of Fraud, Waste, and Abuse","category":"Ethics","citation":"55 Pa. Code §1101.75","summary":"Establishes the Agency’s compliance program: a compliance lead, written standards, training, an open door and anonymous reporting route, prompt investigation, correction and return of overpayments within 60 days of identification, and protection for people who report, with specific rules against the Medical Assistance prohibited acts and the federal false claims and anti-kickback laws.","sample":false},{"ref":"PA-HC-ETH-03","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/nondiscrimination-civil-rights-and-language-access/","title":"Nondiscrimination, Civil Rights, and Language Access","category":"Ethics","citation":"28 Pa. Code §51.12","summary":"Sets the Agency’s written nondiscriminatory policy for consumers and staff, the signed civil rights statement, posting, notice to employees, publicizing in the community at least every three years, and sending changes to the Department within 30 days; and sets how the Agency provides free language assistance and auxiliary aids so consumers with limited English or disabilities can use its services.","sample":false}],"copy":{"reviewed":"2026-11-08","intro":"For Pennsylvania home care agencies licensed by the Department of Health under 28 Pa. Code Chapter 611 that employ their own direct care workers. The manual has 49 policies and 60 forms, written to Chapter 611, the general licensing rules in Chapter 51 and the Older Adults Protective Services Act. Each policy opens with a plain-English summary and names the rule it follows, and every one is filled in with your agency's details. You get Word and PDF files to keep, and your staff sign off on their phones.","rulesTitle":"What Pennsylvania's home care rules ask your policies to cover","rules":[{"head":"An information packet before services start.","text":"Each consumer gets a written packet with the items the rule lists, including the Department's complaint number and the local ombudsman's number.","cite":"28 Pa. Code §611.57(c)"},{"head":"Notice before services end.","text":"At least 10 calendar days' written notice before the agency ends services. Shorter notice only when the consumer is more than 14 days behind on payment despite notice, or the worker's health and welfare is at risk.","cite":"28 Pa. Code §611.57(a)(2)"},{"head":"Criminal history checks.","text":"A Pennsylvania State Police report obtained within the past year for every direct care worker, office staff applicant and owner, and an FBI record with a Department of Aging letter for anyone who has not lived in Pennsylvania for the past two years.","cite":"28 Pa. Code §611.52"},{"head":"Competency.","text":"Each direct care worker meets one of the rule's competency routes before the first assignment, and has a competency review at least once a year.","cite":"28 Pa. Code §611.55"},{"head":"Tuberculosis screening.","text":"Documentation from a health care professional, dated within a year before the start date, that the worker is free from active tuberculosis and communicable disease, updated every 12 months.","cite":"28 Pa. Code §611.56"},{"head":"Abuse reporting.","text":"An immediate oral report to the local protective services agency and a written report within 48 hours. Sexual abuse, serious injury and suspicious deaths also go to the police and the Department of Aging.","cite":"35 P.S. §10225.701"}],"asks":[{"ref":"PA-HC-CR-02","title":"Consumer Information Packet and Disclosure of Direct Care Worker Status","category":"Client rights","q":"Show me the information packet this consumer received and the date they received it. Was it before the first visit?","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/consumer-information-packet-and-disclosure-of-direct-care-worker/"},{"ref":"PA-HC-DC-01","title":"Termination of Services, Discharge, and Transfer","category":"Service delivery","q":"When have you given less than 10 days’ notice, and what documentation supports it?","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/termination-of-services-discharge-and-transfer/"},{"ref":"PA-HC-CMP-01","title":"Direct Care Worker Competency Requirements and Training Program","category":"Human resources","q":"Show me how this direct care worker met the competency requirements before their first assignment.","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/direct-care-worker-competency-requirements-and-training-program/"},{"ref":"PA-HC-ANE-01","title":"Recognizing and Reporting Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation of Adults","category":"Safeguarding","q":"If one of your workers suspects a consumer is being abused, who do they call first, and how quickly?","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/recognizing-and-reporting-abuse-neglect-and-exploitation-of-adults/"},{"ref":"PA-HC-EP-01","title":"Emergency Preparedness and Continuity of Services","category":"Emergency preparedness","q":"What happens to a high-priority consumer if a snowstorm stops their worker getting there?","path":"/policies/pennsylvania/home-care/emergency-preparedness-and-continuity-of-services/"}],"faq":[{"q":"Is this the right manual for my license?","a":"It is for home care agencies licensed under Chapter 611 that employ their direct care workers. It does not cover a home care registry that places independent contractors. Agencies licensed for home health or hospice need the Pennsylvania home health or Pennsylvania hospice manual."},{"q":"Can we interview applicants by video?","a":"Yes. Act 96 of 2024 changed the Health Care Facilities Act so the face-to-face interview with a direct care worker applicant may be held by two-way video. Policy PA-HC-HR-01 covers the interview and the two references the rule asks for."},{"q":"Can a new worker start before the background check comes back?","a":"Only under the conditions in 28 Pa. Code §611.54, including a sworn statement, competency met first and documented random observation, and for a limited time: 30 days, or 90 days for applicants who have not lived in Pennsylvania for the past two years. Policy PA-HC-HR-04 sets out each step."},{"q":"What do the 49 policies cover?","a":"Client rights (4), service delivery (10), clinical tasks (1), safeguarding (3), infection control (2), emergency preparedness (1), records (1), privacy (3), human resources (11), governance (5), quality (2), business (3) and ethics (3)."}]},"guides":[{"path":"/guides/home-care-agency-policies/","h1":"What policies does a home care agency need?"},{"path":"/guides/abuse-neglect-exploitation-reporting/","h1":"Abuse, neglect and exploitation policies: what each state requires"},{"path":"/guides/infection-control-policy/","h1":"What should a home care infection control policy include?"},{"path":"/guides/staff-policy-acknowledgment/","h1":"Staff policy acknowledgment: how read-and-sign works in home care"},{"path":"/guides/how-to-write-policies-and-procedures/","h1":"How to write policies and procedures for a home care agency"},{"path":"/guides/how-often-review-policies/","h1":"How often should policies and procedures be reviewed and updated?"}]}