California Home Care Policy and Procedure Manual
For California home care organizations licensed by the Department of Social Services (CDSS) under the Home Care Services Consumer Protection Act. The manual has 50 policies and 63 forms, written to Health and Safety Code sections 1796.10 to 1796.70, the CDSS application instructions and inspection checklist, and the state laws that apply to every employer. 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.
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California · Home care
50 policies written to the California rules, with 63 forms. Every one is filled in with your agency's details.
- A plain-English summary first
- The rule each policy follows
- Word and PDF downloads, yours to keep
- Policies
- 50
- Forms
- 63
- Categories
- 13
- Policy Pack · required
- $700one-timeIncludes 90 days in the portal with Premium. To keep it open after that, Premium is $79 a month or $790 a year.
Read before you buy
3 free sample policies, shown in full for a sample agency.
CA-HC-CPL-01Free sample
Client rights
Client Complaints and Grievances
Sets how anyone can complain about the Agency's services, in any way and in any language; how the complaint officer acknowledges, investigates and answers each complaint within the Agency's own time frames; which complaints go first to an abuse report or another policy; how a complainant can take a complaint further, including to the Department's Centralized Complaint and Information Bureau; and the Agency's promise of no retaliation.
Read the full policy CA-HC-ANE-01Free sample SafeguardingReporting Abuse of Elders and Dependent Adults
Explains that every employee of the Agency is a mandated reporter of elder and dependent adult abuse in California, what must be reported, how fast and to whom (adult protective services or law enforcement, or the facility route when the client lives in a long-term care facility), what the report contains, how the Agency keeps a copy of every report for the Department, and how clients and reporters are protected.
Read the full policy CA-HC-IC-01Free sample Infection controlInfection Control and Standard Precautions
Sets the infection control practices every home care aide follows in clients' homes, based on CDC standard precautions: hand hygiene, gloves and other protective equipment, respiratory hygiene, cleaning, laundry, food safety, sharps the client uses, staff who are sick, clients with infections, and public health orders. Infection control is part of the three hours of entry-level safety training required by Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.44(b)(2).
Read the full policy
California rules
What California's home care law asks your policies to cover
- Registered and cleared aides. Every home care aide is registered and cleared on the Home Care Aide Registry, and associated with the organization, before any direct contact with clients. Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.43(a)
- Entry-level training. At least five hours before an aide is with a client: two hours of orientation and three hours of safety training, including emergency procedures and infection control. Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.44(b)
- Annual training. At least five hours a year in the required areas. From January 1, 2027, the areas include the special care needs of clients with dementia. Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.44(c)
- Tuberculosis. Each aide is examined 90 days before or within seven days after starting work, with documentation on file before working with clients, and examined again at least every two years after a negative test. Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.45
- Abuse reporting. Suspected abuse of an elder or dependent adult is reported by phone or online immediately or as soon as practicably possible, then in writing within two working days. The organization keeps a copy of each report for the Department. Cal. Welf. & Inst. Code §15630(b)(1); Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.42(e)
- Agreements signed at home. A client who signs the service agreement at home may cancel until midnight of the third business day after signing, or the fifth for a client 65 or older, and gets a written Notice of Cancellation. Cal. Civ. Code §§1689.6 and 1689.7
Questions a surveyor may ask
Every policy lists questions a surveyor may ask about it, so your staff can practice the answers. A few from this manual:
Give me a list of your affiliated home care aides. Show me the Registry clearance, TB certificate and training hours for these three.CA-HC-GOV-05Department Inspections, Complaint Investigations, and Plans of Correction
Show me this aide's entry-level training. Was it finished before her first visit?CA-HC-HR-05Home Care Aide Training Plan: Entry-Level and Annual Training
This agreement was signed in the client's home. Where is the cancellation statement and the Notice of Cancellation?CA-HC-ADM-02Client Service Agreement and Disclosure of Rates
If an aide suspects a client is being financially abused, what does the aide do, and how quickly?CA-HC-ANE-01Reporting Abuse of Elders and Dependent Adults
If there were an earthquake or a power shutoff tomorrow, which clients would you contact first, and how would you know?CA-HC-EP-01Emergency Preparedness and Continuity of Services
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Browse all 50 policies
Search by title, policy number or rule. Open any policy to see its summary, the rules it follows and what is inside.
All 50 policies
Client rights4
CA-HC-CPL-01Free sample
Client Complaints and Grievances
Sets how anyone can complain about the Agency's services, in any way and in any language; how the complaint officer acknowledges, investigates and answers each complaint within the Agency's own time frames; which complaints go first to an abuse report or another policy; how a complainant can take a complaint further, including to the Department's Centralized Complaint and Information Bureau; and the Agency's promise of no retaliation.
Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.51
CA-HC-CR-01
Client Rights and Responsibilities
Adopts, as the Agency's own standard, a written statement of client rights and responsibilities that every client receives and acknowledges before services start, tells clients how to check an aide on the Home Care Aide Registry and how to complain to the Agency and to the Department, and trains every aide on "Clients’ rights and safety." as the annual training under Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.44(c)(1) requires.
Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.44(c)(1)
CA-HC-CR-02
Nondiscrimination, Language Access, and Effective Communication
Requires the Agency to accept and serve clients without discrimination on any ground protected by the Unruh Civil Rights Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, to provide interpreters and other communication help at no cost, to write home-signed agreements in the language of the sales presentation, and, if it receives federal financial assistance, to follow Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act.
Cal. Civ. Code §51
CA-HC-CR-03
Client Representatives, Decision-Making, and Advance Health Care Directives
Sets out how the Agency respects each client's right to make their own decisions, identifies and records the people with legal authority to act for a client, and, as its own standard, asks whether the client has an advance health care directive or a POLST form, keeps a copy, and makes sure aides hand these documents to emergency medical personnel without ever interpreting them.
Cal. Prob. Code §4600 et seq.
Service delivery13
CA-HC-ADM-01
Referral, Intake, and Acceptance of Clients
Sets out how the Agency receives referrals, screens each prospective client, makes an initial home visit and decides whether to accept the client, accepting only people whose needs can be met with non-medical home care services in the counties it serves and with a cleared, trained aide, and referring people with skilled nursing needs to a licensed home health agency or their physician.
Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.12(n)
CA-HC-ADM-02
Client Service Agreement and Disclosure of Rates
Requires a signed written service agreement, with the rate sheet attached, before services start, and, for every agreement signed anywhere other than the Agency's office, the language, cancellation statement, first-page details, oral explanation and Notice of Cancellation that Cal. Civ. Code §1689.7 requires, with refunds and handling of cancellations as Civ. Code §§1689.6, 1689.10 and 1689.11 set out.
Cal. Civ. Code §1689.7
CA-HC-DC-01
Service Changes, Suspension, and Termination of Services
Sets out, as the Agency's own standard, when and how services are changed, put on hold or ended, the written notice the Agency gives before ending services on its own decision, the help it gives with referrals and the final bill, and the steps that make sure a client who cannot care for themselves is not left without care.
Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.12(n)
CA-HC-SAF-01
Client Safety, Falls Prevention, and Safe Transfers
Sets how aides keep clients safe at home: a home safety check at the start of services and at supervisory visits, falls prevention, safe transfers and body mechanics, use of the client's own equipment, what to do after a fall, burns and fire safety, other hazards, and the client's right to make choices. Safety is part of entry-level training (Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.44(b)(2)) and annual training (§1796.44(c)(1)).
Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.44(b)(2)
CA-HC-SAF-02
Medical Emergencies, Sudden Changes, and Death in the Home
Sets what aides do in a medical emergency (call 911 first, stay with the client, give responders any POLST or prehospital do-not-resuscitate form, then call the office), how sudden changes that are not emergencies are reported the same day, what to do when a client does not answer the door, and what to do when a client appears to have died. Emergency procedures are part of the entry-level safety training required by Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.44(b)(2).
Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.44(b)(2)
CA-HC-SP-01
Client Assessment and Service Plan
Requires, as the Agency's own standard, a non-medical needs assessment by a supervisor before services start and a written service plan, agreed with the client, that lists every task, how often and when, any special instructions and the limits of home care, with review at least every six months and whenever the client's needs change.
Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.12(n)
CA-HC-SP-02
Changes in Condition and Coordination with Family and Health Care Providers
Requires aides to observe and report changes in a client's condition, home or needs within the time frames the Agency sets as its own standard, requires supervisors to respond, update the service plan and refer the client to a physician or licensed home health agency when needs move beyond non-medical care, and sets the rules for sharing information with family and health care providers.
Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.12(n)
CA-HC-SUP-01
Supervision of Home Care Aides
Sets the Agency's own program for supervising home care aides, because California home care law sets no supervisory visit interval and the Department oversees aides only through the Home Care Aide Registry: named supervisors in every job description, scheduled supervisory home visits and phone check-ins, what supervisors check and observe, on-call support, and how problems are corrected.
Form HCS 281 (12/21) §B2
CA-HC-SUP-02
Competency Evaluation and Annual Performance Review
Requires a hands-on skills check before an aide performs personal care tasks alone, when new tasks or equipment are added, after a related complaint or incident and each year, sets what happens when a skill is not yet shown, and requires an annual performance review. Training and competency records include the fields in Labor Code §1198.5(a)(2).
Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.44(c)
CA-HC-SVC-01
Scheduling, Missed Visits, and Backup Coverage
Requires the Agency to schedule only aides who are cleared on the Home Care Aide Registry, trained and have tuberculosis documentation on file, to tell clients promptly about late or missed visits, to arrange backup coverage according to each client's risk, never to leave a client who cannot care for themselves without arranged care, and to log and review every missed or late visit.
Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.43(a)
CA-HC-SVC-02
Scope of Home Care Services and Tasks Aides May Not Perform
Defines the nonmedical home care services the Agency arranges under Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.12(n), lists the skilled and licensed tasks aides never perform, explains what happens when a client needs a task aides cannot do, and sets how services are described to clients and the public.
Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.12(n)
CA-HC-SVC-04
Dementia Care
Sets how the Agency cares for clients living with dementia: a dementia care profile for each client, consistent aides trained in dementia care, communication and calm responses to distress, no restraint, a wandering plan, home safety, daily living support and same-day reporting of changes. From January 1, 2027 the annual training of every aide includes the special care needs of clients with dementia (Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.44(c)(6), added by SB 412).
Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.44(c)(6)
CA-HC-SVC-05
Transportation and Escort Services
Sets the standards for driving clients and escorting them in the community: when transportation is offered, driver and vehicle approval, insurance at least at the California minimum, trip planning, safe transfers, seat belts and hands-free phones, accidents, escort on foot or public transit, mileage reimbursement under Labor Code §2802, and the annual training on how to safely transport a client required by Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.44(c)(5).
Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.44(c)(5)
Clinical tasks1
Safeguarding3
CA-HC-ANE-01Free sample
Reporting Abuse of Elders and Dependent Adults
Explains that every employee of the Agency is a mandated reporter of elder and dependent adult abuse in California, what must be reported, how fast and to whom (adult protective services or law enforcement, or the facility route when the client lives in a long-term care facility), what the report contains, how the Agency keeps a copy of every report for the Department, and how clients and reporters are protected.
Cal. Welf. & Inst. Code §15630
CA-HC-ANE-02
Reporting Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect
Sets how staff report suspected child abuse or neglect they learn of in their work, whether the child is a client or lives in or visits a client's home: report by telephone immediately to county child protective services or the police or sheriff, send the written report within 36 hours, and give the Agency what it needs to keep a copy for the Department.
Cal. Penal Code §11166
CA-HC-ANE-03
Protecting Clients After an Allegation Against Staff
Sets what the Agency does when a staff member is accused of abusing, neglecting, stealing from or exploiting a client: make sure the mandated report is made, remove the person from all client contact and client information at once, protect the client, cooperate with investigators, carry out a fair internal review, act on the outcome, notify the Department when an aide leaves, and comply at once with any Department exclusion order.
Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.54
Infection control2
CA-HC-IC-01Free sample
Infection Control and Standard Precautions
Sets the infection control practices every home care aide follows in clients' homes, based on CDC standard precautions: hand hygiene, gloves and other protective equipment, respiratory hygiene, cleaning, laundry, food safety, sharps the client uses, staff who are sick, clients with infections, and public health orders. Infection control is part of the three hours of entry-level safety training required by Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.44(b)(2).
Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.44(b)(2)
CA-HC-IC-02
Bloodborne Pathogens Exposure Control Plan
The Agency's written Exposure Control Plan under the Cal/OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens standard, 8 CCR §5193: exposure determination, universal precautions and work practices, protective equipment, cleaning spills and handling laundry in the home, hepatitis B vaccination within 10 working days of initial assignment, post-exposure evaluation and follow-up, the Sharps Injury Log, annual training, recordkeeping and the annual review of the plan.
8 CCR §5193
Emergency preparedness1
Records1
Privacy3
CA-HC-PRV-01
Confidentiality of Client Information and HIPAA Privacy
Protects every piece of information the Agency holds about a client. Sets who may see client information, the clearance and signed confidentiality agreement needed before anyone has access, when information may be shared without the client's written authorization and when an authorization is needed, how information received from doctors and other providers is handled, and the extra HIPAA duties that apply if the Agency is a HIPAA covered entity.
Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.43(a)(1)
CA-HC-PRV-02
Information Security, Devices, and Electronic Records
Sets the security safeguards that protect client and employee information in the Agency's systems, on phones and computers, in email and on paper: who gets access and how, passwords and multi-factor sign-in, rules for phones used for electronic visit verification, contractors, backups, removing access when someone leaves, and the yearly security review.
Cal. Civ. Code §1798.81.5
CA-HC-PRV-03
Data Breach Response and Notification
Sets how the Agency responds when client or employee information may have been exposed: reporting it at once, containing it, deciding whether it is a breach under California law (and HIPAA if the Agency is a covered entity), notifying affected people within the legal time limits and in the required format, notifying the Attorney General when more than 500 Californians are affected, and learning from what happened.
Cal. Civ. Code §1798.82
Human resources9
CA-HC-HR-01
Job Descriptions, Qualifications, and Lines of Supervision
Requires a written job description for every classification the Agency uses (licensee, Administrator, designees, supervisors, office staff, volunteers and home care aides) that states the duties and responsibilities, the minimum qualifications and the lines of supervision given and received, and sets the minimum qualifications that come from the Act.
Form HCS 281 (12/21) §B2
CA-HC-HR-02
Hiring Practices and Conditions of Employment
Sets the Agency's hiring practices: how applicants are screened, the conditions of employment the Department requires the Agency to tell staff about (fingerprint clearance, a statement of prior criminal convictions, acknowledgment of the duty to report abuse and, for aides, TB clearance, training and Registry registration), the mandated reporter statements signed before work starts, and the notices every new hire receives.
Form HCS 281 (12/21) §B3
CA-HC-HR-03
Criminal Record Clearance and the Home Care Aide Registry
Makes sure every home care aide is listed and cleared on the Home Care Aide Registry and associated to the Agency before any direct contact with clients, that every other person with client contact or access to confidential client information has a Department criminal record clearance first, that registrations are renewed on time, and that the Department is told immediately when an aide leaves.
Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.43(a)
CA-HC-HR-04
Tuberculosis Examination of Home Care Aides
Requires every home care aide to be examined for tuberculosis 90 days before or within seven days after employment, with documentation from a licensed medical professional before working with clients, a certificate kept on file after each examination, re-examination at least every two years after a negative test, and the rules for aides who transfer from another organization.
Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.45
CA-HC-HR-05
Home Care Aide Training Plan: Entry-Level and Annual Training
Sets the Agency's written training plan for home care aides: at least five hours of entry-level training (two hours of orientation and three hours of safety training) before an aide is present with a client, and at least five hours of annual training in the required core competency areas, adding the special care needs of clients with dementia from January 1, 2027, with a training log that meets the Department's requirements.
Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.44
CA-HC-HR-06
Personnel Records and Records Kept for the Department
Sets what goes in each personnel file, how the Agency keeps a current list of its affiliated home care aides with proof of Registry clearance, tuberculosis clearance and training ready for the Department, where records are kept, how employees see their own files, and how long each record is kept.
Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.37(a)(5)
CA-HC-HR-07
Equal Employment Opportunity, Harassment Prevention, and Protection for Employees Who Report
Commits the Agency to equal employment opportunity, sets how harassment, discrimination and retaliation are reported and investigated (including harassment of aides by clients or family members), provides the sexual harassment and abusive conduct prevention training California requires of employers with five or more employees, and protects employees who report wrongdoing.
Cal. Gov. Code §12950.1
CA-HC-SAF-03
Injury and Illness Prevention Program
The Agency's written Injury and Illness Prevention Program under 8 CCR §3203 and Labor Code §6401.7: the persons responsible, compliance, communication without fear of reprisal, identifying and inspecting hazards in clients' homes and the office, investigating injuries, correcting hazards, training, workers' compensation and injury reporting, employee access to the Program within five business days, and records.
8 CCR §3203
CA-HC-SAF-04
Workplace Violence Prevention Plan
The Agency's written Workplace Violence Prevention Plan under Labor Code §6401.9, adapted to aides who work alone in clients' homes: responsible persons, employee involvement, reporting without reprisal, emergency response, hazard identification at intake and supervisory visits, controls such as the right to leave an unsafe home, post-incident response and investigation, the violent incident log, annual training, annual plan review and record retention.
Cal. Lab. Code §6401.9
Governance5
CA-HC-GOV-01
Licensure, Licensee, and Governing Body
Sets out how the Agency holds and renews its home care organization license from the California Department of Social Services, who the licensee and governing body are, the background examination and board member statements the Department requires, what the governing body is responsible for, and how this manual is adopted and kept current.
Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.37
CA-HC-GOV-02
Administrator, Licensee Designee, and Coverage During Business Hours
Names the Administrator who manages the Agency and the Alternate Administrator who acts as the licensee designee on Form HCS 308, requires a licensee or designee to be present at the licensed office throughout the posted business hours, and sets out how designees are cleared, recorded, changed and reached after hours.
Form HCS 281 (12/21) §A3 (Form HCS 308)
CA-HC-GOV-03
Program Description, Required Postings, and Advertising
Requires the Agency to keep a written program description with its business hours, basic and optional services (including transportation) and the counties it serves; to post its license and business hours where clients and aides can see them; and to advertise only the non-medical services it is licensed to arrange.
Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.42(a)
CA-HC-GOV-04
Changes to the Organization, Notices to the Department, Inactive Status, and Closure
Lists the changes the Agency reports to the Department (location, business hours, contact details, designees, owners, officers and board members, aides who leave) and how; explains that a sale is a new application; sets out how the Agency may request inactive license status after a disaster; and sets the Agency's own steps for an orderly closure that protects clients.
Form HCS 281 (12/21) §A1 (Form HCS 200)
CA-HC-GOV-05
Department Inspections, Complaint Investigations, and Plans of Correction
Keeps the Agency ready for the Department's random, unannounced inspections, sets out what staff do when a Department representative arrives, how the Agency cooperates with complaint investigations, and how it responds to a notice of violation with a plan of correction.
Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.52
Quality2
CA-HC-INC-01
Incident Reporting and Investigation
Sets how staff report incidents involving clients, staff or Agency property, how quickly, and on what form; which incidents also need a report outside the Agency (abuse reports, Cal/OSHA serious injury reports, the violent incident log, breach notices); and how the Agency investigates incidents, fixes causes and reviews trends. California home care organization law requires no incident reports to the Department other than keeping copies of abuse reports, so the internal system is the Agency's own standard.
Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.42(e)
CA-HC-QM-01
Quality Improvement Program
Sets the Agency's own quality improvement program: who runs it, the measures the Agency tracks (the legal requirements the Department checks at inspections and the service measures that matter to clients), quarterly reviews on Form CA-HC-QM-01-A, client and staff feedback, improvement projects, and reports to the governing body. No California home care organization rule requires a quality program; it is the Agency's own standard, built around what the Department verifies.
Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.52(b)
Business3
CA-HC-BUS-01
Insurance, Workers’ Compensation, and Employee Dishonesty Bond
Requires the Agency to keep general and professional liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence and $3,000,000 in the aggregate, a valid workers' compensation policy covering its affiliated home care aides, and an employee dishonesty bond with third-party coverage of at least $10,000, to keep proof on file, and never to let coverage lapse.
Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.42(b) to (d)
CA-HC-BUS-02
Rates, Billing, Payment, and Cancellation Rights
Requires the Agency to give every client its rates and billing terms in writing before services start, to treat any service agreement signed outside its office as a home solicitation contract with the California cancellation rights, and to bill accurately for services actually delivered.
Cal. Civ. Code §1689.7
CA-HC-BUS-03
Electronic Visit Verification for Medi-Cal Personal Care Services
Requires the Agency, whenever it provides Medi-Cal personal care services, to register in California's Electronic Visit Verification system (or a certified alternate system), to have aides record every such visit electronically with the six data elements federal law requires, and to correct and document exceptions before billing.
42 U.S.C. §1396b(l)
Ethics3
CA-HC-ETH-01
Code of Conduct and Professional Boundaries
Sets the standards of conduct for everyone who works for the Agency: respect for clients and their homes, honesty in visit records and EVV, professional boundaries, no romantic or financial relationships with clients, no use of another person's registration, confidentiality, and how concerns are reported and handled.
Cal. Health & Safety Code §1796.38
CA-HC-ETH-02
Client Money, Property, and Gifts
Sets strict rules for any contact staff have with clients' money and property: written authorization before an aide shops or runs errands, receipts and a transaction record for every purchase, no access to bank cards, PINs, checks or accounts, no gifts of money or value, no role in a client's will or finances, and same-day reporting and a mandated report when financial abuse is suspected.
Cal. Welf. & Inst. Code §15610.30
CA-HC-ETH-03
Compliance Program, Exclusion Screening, and False Claims
Sets up the Agency's compliance program: a responsible person, written standards, training, a way to report concerns without retaliation, screening of staff and contractors against the federal exclusion list and the Medi-Cal Suspended and Ineligible Provider List before hire and monthly, and prompt correction and repayment when a problem is found.
Cal. Welf. & Inst. Code §14043.61
Questions
Questions about this manual
Is this the right manual for my license?
It is for home care organizations licensed by CDSS to arrange non-medical care through affiliated home care aides. Home health agencies and hospices are licensed by the California Department of Public Health and need the California home health or California hospice manual.
Does California require a nurse for a home care organization?
No. California home care law does not require a nurse, and it sets no supervisory visit interval. The manual names supervisors through your job descriptions and sets supervisory visits as your agency's own standard, which you can change.
Does it cover the new dementia training rule?
Yes. From January 1, 2027, every aide's annual training must include the special care needs of clients with dementia (Health and Safety Code §1796.44, as amended by SB 412). The training plan and the dementia care policy include it.
What do the 50 policies cover?
Client rights (4), service delivery (13), clinical tasks (1), safeguarding (3), infection control (2), emergency preparedness (1), records (1), privacy (3), human resources (9), governance (5), quality (2), business (3) and ethics (3).
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