Caregiver Credential Tracking: CPR, TB, Licenses and Expirations
Track every caregiver credential with an expiry date, alert at 60 and 30 days, and block assignments when something lapses. Surveyors check the visit date.
By Caregiver Scheduling Team ·
Credential tracking means recording every required caregiver document with its expiry date and making sure nobody works a visit while something is missing or expired. The list usually covers training, background check, TB screening, CPR, driver’s license and insurance, and state registry status. Surveyors and payers ask whether the caregiver was qualified on the date of each visit, so the system has to tie credentials to the schedule, not just to the personnel file.
Which credentials do home care agencies have to track?
It depends on your state, your payers and the clients you serve. Most agencies end up tracking the items below.
| Credential | Who requires it | Typical cycle |
|---|---|---|
| State training (entry-level and annual) | State licensing; Medicare for home health aides | Annual hours |
| Background check or registry check | State licensing, Medicaid | Once at hire; some states recheck |
| TB screening | Many states. See TB requirements | At hire; after exposure |
| CPR and first aid | Agency policy, some states, some payers | Usually two years |
| State registry or certification | Some states (California, Washington, others) | One to two years |
| Driver’s license and auto insurance | Any caregiver who drives clients | License expiry; policy term |
| Specialty training (dementia, hoyer lift) | Specific clients or contracts | Varies |
| Signed policies and acknowledgments | Licensing | At hire and on each change |
Two federal numbers set the pattern for Medicare-certified home health aides. Under 42 CFR 484.80, initial training must total at least 75 hours, and each aide must receive at least 12 hours of in-service training in every 12-month period. An aide who goes 24 consecutive months without paid work has to complete the program again. Non-medical agencies are not bound by that rule, but many states copy its shape. See training requirements by state and the training requirements tool.
How do state rules differ?
Widely, so build your list from your own state’s licensing rule rather than a generic template. Two examples show the range.
California requires each affiliated Home Care Aide to be listed on the state registry after a fingerprint background check. Registration is valid for two years and the registration and renewal fees are $35 each. See California Home Care Aide registration.
Washington requires long-term care workers to complete training within 120 days of hire and to earn Home Care Aide certification from the Department of Health. The normal deadline is 200 days from hire; emergency rules extend it to 365 days through December 31, 2027.
How often do caregivers need a TB test?
Usually once at hire, then only after an exposure, unless your state says otherwise. The CDC recommends that all health care personnel be screened for TB at hire, and it states that annual TB testing is not recommended. It does recommend annual TB education. Some state licensing rules still require periodic testing, and those rules control. Record the date and result of each screening, and set a reminder for whatever cycle your state uses.
What does a tracking routine look like?
A routine that works has five steps, and every step has an owner.
- Record each credential at hire with the issue date, the expiry date and a copy of the document.
- Alert the office and the caregiver 60 days and 30 days before expiry.
- Block new assignments once a required credential has expired.
- Run a monthly report of everything expiring in the next 90 days and review it in the staff meeting.
- Keep the record after the caregiver leaves, for as long as your state’s retention rule requires.
Put the recurring deadlines on your compliance calendar so annual training and recheck cycles do not depend on one person’s memory. The onboarding checklist covers the hire-date documents.
What happens if a caregiver works with an expired credential?
The visit is a deficiency waiting to be found. In a state survey it is usually cited against the agency, not the caregiver, and the surveyor will often pull more files to see whether it is a pattern. For Medicaid visits, an unqualified caregiver can make the claim unsupportable in an audit. For private-pay clients, it is a liability problem if anything goes wrong during the visit.
The fix is to treat expiry as a scheduling event. If the schedule will not let you assign a caregiver whose CPR card expired yesterday, the problem gets solved the day before, not six months later.
How Caregiver Scheduling handles this
Credentialing tracks each item with its expiry date, shows alerts and a review notice on the dashboard, and keeps the document on the caregiver’s record. On Growth and up, a missing or expired required credential blocks the caregiver from assignment, so the schedule enforces the rule. California requirements come preconfigured. $199/month for up to 10 caregivers or $299/month for up to 50, free for 30 days.
FAQ
Which caregiver credentials expire? Training, CPR and first aid, TB screening, driver’s license and auto insurance, and state registry or certification all expire on a cycle. Background checks do not expire but some states and payers require rechecks.
How far ahead should I warn about expirations? Sixty and thirty days is common. Training classes and registry renewals can take weeks to schedule, so earlier is safer.
Can a caregiver keep working while a renewal is pending? Only if your state allows it. For most credentials, the safe answer is no until the new document is in hand.
How long should I keep credential records? At least for your state’s licensing retention period, and for the full period any payer can audit. See record retention.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Check your state’s licensing rules.