A non-medical home care agency needs written policies for every area its state's licensing rules regulate. In practice that means client rights and complaints, how services are planned and supervised, what caregivers may and may not do, abuse and neglect reporting, infection control, emergency preparedness, records and privacy, hiring and training, governance, quality and billing. The exact list, and what each policy must say, comes from your state's rules, so a manual written for one state does not fit another.
The 13 areas a home care manual covers
| Area | What the policies set out |
|---|---|
| Client rights | The rights statement, the notices clients receive before care begins, and how they complain |
| Service delivery | Assessment, the service plan, scheduling, backup when a caregiver is unavailable, and discharge |
| Clinical tasks | What caregivers may and may not do, and how tasks are assigned and supervised |
| Safeguarding | Recognizing and reporting abuse, neglect and exploitation |
| Infection control | Hand hygiene, protective equipment, staff health and exposure control |
| Emergency preparedness | The emergency plan and who coordinates it |
| Records | What goes in a client record, how it is kept and for how long |
| Privacy | How client information is protected and shared |
| Human resources | Background checks, qualifications, training, competency and supervision of staff |
| Governance | Ownership, the administrator, the governing body and licensing duties |
| Quality | Quality review, incident tracking and improvement |
| Business | Billing, client charges and contracts |
| Ethics | Conflicts of interest, gifts and fair marketing |
Who sets the rules in each state
Each state names its own license and writes its own rules. Missouri and Michigan do not license non-medical home care, so their manuals are written to the standards shown in the table.
| State | License | Rules | Policies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | HCSSA license, Personal Assistance Services (PAS) | 26 TAC Chapter 558 | 46 |
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania home care agency license | 28 Pa. Code Chapter 611 | 49 |
| Georgia | Georgia private home care provider license | Rules 111-8-65 | 49 |
| Florida | Florida home health agency license (non-skilled services) or homemaker and companion registration | Chapter 400, F.S. and Rule 59A-8 | 50 |
| California | California home care organization license | Health and Safety Code 1796 | 50 |
| North Carolina | North Carolina home care agency license (in-home aide services) | 10A NCAC 13J | 50 |
| Ohio | Ohio nonmedical home health services license | OAC 173-39 and 5160-44 | 49 |
| Louisiana | Louisiana HCBS provider license, personal care attendant module | LAC 48:I Chapter 50 | 50 |
| Missouri | Missouri in-home services provider (no state license) | 19 CSR 15-7 | 50 |
| Michigan | Michigan home care provider (no state license) | Michigan Medicaid Provider Manual | 50 |
| Washington, DC | District of Columbia home support agency license | 22-B DCMR Chapter 99 | 50 |
A policy only counts if your staff follow it
Surveyors check whether your staff know and follow your policies, not only whether the manual exists. Have each staff member read and sign the policies that apply to them, and keep the dated record. See how staff sign-off works.
Next step
Pick your state in the table above to see its manual and read three of its policies free, or see every policy manual by state.