Compliance
Live-In Caregiver Pay: Sleep Time, Meal Breaks and the 24-Hour Rule
When an agency can exclude sleep and meal time from a live-in or 24-hour shift, what the written agreement must say, and what happens when sleep is interrupted.
Resources
Resources for home care agencies
Page 5 of 6.
Scheduling
Matching Caregivers to Clients: The Factors That Reduce Turnover
Match on hard requirements first, then stated preferences, then location and personality. Record them on both records so anyone can match well, including on a call-out.
Compliance
Medicaid 80/20 Rule: How to Calculate Your Compensation Ratio
Step-by-step math for the Medicaid HCBS 80/20 rule at 42 CFR 441.302(k): what counts as compensation, what is excluded, a worked example, and what to do if you are below 80%.
Operations
Minimum Visit Length: Making Short Visits Profitable
One-hour home care visits lose money once paid travel and overhead are counted. Set a 2 to 4 hour minimum or a short-visit rate, and cluster Medicaid visits by route.
General
Non-Medical Home Care Business Plan Template
A fill-in home care business plan: the eight SBA sections mapped to home care, sourced market numbers, and a 12-month financial model.
EVV
Open vs. Closed EVV Models: What Does Your State's Choice Mean for Your Agency?
In a closed model you must use the state's EVV vendor; in an open model any compliant system that feeds the state aggregator works. How to tell which you're in.
Compliance
Overtime for Caregivers Who Work for Two Clients in One Week
Hours for every client you assign a caregiver add up in one workweek. Over 40 is overtime at a weighted-average rate. How to calculate it and when a private family's hours count.
Compliance
Paid Sick Leave for Caregivers: What Agencies Need to Know
No federal paid sick leave law, but many states require it for hourly caregivers. Typical accrual is 1 hour per 30 worked with a 40 to 56 hour cap. State table inside.
Operations
Private Pay vs. Medicaid: Choosing Your Agency's Payer Mix
Private pay means higher rates and fast payment; Medicaid means steady volume at state-set rates with authorizations and EVV. Compare rates, cash timing and admin before you mix them.
Scheduling
Scheduling Caregivers in Spreadsheets: When It Stops Working
Spreadsheets work up to about 5-10 caregivers. The signs you've outgrown one, the FLSA records it must produce, why it can't do EVV, and what to look for next.
Operations
Should a Home Care Agency Collect a Deposit from Private-Pay Clients?
Yes, for most private-pay clients: one to two weeks of scheduled care, applied to the final invoice, or weekly billing in advance. How much, how to word it, and when a deposit is not allowed.
Operations
Should You Charge a Cancellation Fee for Home Care Visits?
Yes. Require 24 hours' notice and bill late cancellations at your minimum visit length. What to charge, when to waive it, and what you owe the caregiver.
Operations
Should You Pay Caregivers Weekly or Biweekly?
Weekly pay helps you hire and keep caregivers and costs little extra once hours flow from visits. Some states require it. Here is how to decide and switch.
Scheduling
Split Shifts in Home Care: Do You Have to Pay for the Gap?
Usually not, if the caregiver is fully off duty and the gap is long enough to use. Short gaps are paid, travel is paid, and California and New York add an extra hour at minimum wage.
EVV
The Six EVV Data Elements Required by the Cures Act
Every Medicaid EVV record must capture six data points. What each one means in practice, how it's captured, and the mistakes that cause claim denials.
Compliance
Using AI for Caregiver Notes: What's Allowed Under HIPAA
AI can draft caregiver visit notes under HIPAA if the vendor signs a business associate agreement, you limit what goes in, and the caregiver reviews and signs every note.
EVV
Using Your Own EVV System with the State Aggregator
In open and hybrid EVV states you can use your own EVV system if it is approved to send visits to the state aggregator. The steps, timelines and what to ask your vendor.
Workforce
W-2 vs. 1099 Caregivers: Is It Legal to Pay Caregivers as Contractors?
If your agency sets the schedule, the rate and the rules, caregivers are employees under the DOL, IRS and state tests. The tests, the costs, and the one model where contractors work.
Compliance
What a Surety Bond Is and Which Home Care Agencies Need One
Most states do not require a surety bond for a home care license. Where one is required, by licensing or Medicaid, the amounts run from $5,000 to $50,000 and up.
Workforce
What Caregiver Appreciation Ideas Actually Work?
Specific, same-day thanks, passed-on family feedback and milestone recognition beat generic perks. Low-cost ideas, the tax rules on gift cards, and how to measure results.
Workforce
What Caregiver Retention Strategies Actually Work on a Small Budget?
Give caregivers the hours you promised, keep clients close, pay accurately and recognize good work. Twelve low-cost ideas and how to measure them.
Compliance
What Goes in a Home Care Client Rights and Responsibilities Form?
Most licensing states require a written client rights statement before care starts. What to include, when to give it, and a plain-language template.
EVV
What Is EVV? Electronic Visit Verification for Home Care Agencies
EVV is the federal requirement that Medicaid personal care and home health visits be verified electronically. The six data points, the deadlines, the state models, and what agencies have to do.
Recruiting
What Should a Caregiver Onboarding Checklist Include?
Three stages: paperwork, screening and training before the first shift, a supported first shift, and check-ins through day 90. Federal deadlines included.