Caregiver training requirements in District of Columbia

District of Columbia requires 125 hours of initial training for non-medical caregivers, plus 12 hours each year. Home health aides, including personal care aides, must be certified by the DC Board of Nursing after completing a Board-approved training program that uses the Board's model home health aide curriculum: 125 hours (65 classroom, 20 lab, and 40 clinical, with at least 16 clinical hours in a home setting), followed by the certification exam. Certified nurse aides can take a 32-hour bridge program instead. The older agency licensing rule (22-B DCMR 3915) lists 75 hours.

How many hours of training are required?

What ongoing training is required?

Certified aides need at least 12 hours of continuing education or in-service training a year (24 per renewal period), including at least 3 hours on HIV/AIDS and 2 hours of cultural competency or LGBTQ client care training.

What should you confirm with the state?

The license fee depends on annual patient census, and renewal timing is set in 22-B DCMR Chapter 31; confirm both with DC Health. The agency licensing rule lists 75 hours of aide training, but aides must be certified home health aides through the DC Board of Nursing, whose curriculum requires 125 hours. The law doesn't say whether background checks must be fingerprint-based, so confirm that with DC Health as well.

Is training time paid?

Yes. Required training for caregivers you employ is hours worked, so it is paid and counts toward overtime. Add training hours to each caregiver's weekly total with the overtime calculator and track them on the schedule template.