Pennsylvania · Made to order · Founding price
Pennsylvania home care policies & procedures, built to 28 Pa. Code Chapter 611
Pennsylvania requires a written policy and procedure manual to license a non-medical home care agency. We build yours to 28 Pa. Code Chapter 611, delivered in 3 business days, fully refundable.
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- Built from your state's own .gov citations
A business document, not legal advice.
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How home care licensing works in Pennsylvania
In Pennsylvania, a non-medical (private-pay personal-care) provider is licensed by the Department of Health as a Home Care Agency under 28 Pa. Code Chapter 611, the scheme created by Act 69 of 2006, distinct from the Medicare-certified Home Health license under Chapter 601. You apply through the DOH online portal with a $100 fee, and the Department runs an on-site licensure survey before issuing the license. Your written Policy & Procedure manual is the operational core surveyors review: it must show in writing how you meet the worker hiring/clearance/competency/health-screening standards of §§611.51–611.56 and the consumer-protection mandates of §611.57.
Your written policy & procedure manual sits inside a larger licensing process. Here is the path the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Division of Home Health expects, and where your manual fits.
- 1Form the legal entity (LLC/corporation) with the PA Department of State and secure a physical Pennsylvania business address. The license is issued to a specific agency location.
- 2Designate an administrator/operator and assemble the governance documents reviewed on survey: the written P&P manual covering §§611.51–611.57, the consumer service agreement, and the consumer-rights / information packet.
- 3Apply online through the DOH Division of Home Health portal (paper/email submissions were discontinued as of March 31, 2026), selecting “Home Care Agency”, not Home Care Registry, and not the Chapter 601 home health license.
- 4Pay the flat $100 application fee (§611.2); a separate application and fee are required for each separately licensed location.
- 5Build your direct-care-worker compliance file system: criminal background checks (§611.52, PA State Police, plus FBI/federal if not a 2-year PA resident), ChildLine clearance (§611.53) if you serve anyone under 18, competency verification (§611.55), and TB health screening (§611.56).
- 6Complete the Department’s on-site licensure survey, where surveyors review files and policies for compliance with Chapter 611 and the general health-facility provisions of Chapter 51.
- 7Receive the license and calendar renewal: file the renewal at least 60 days before the expiration date printed on the license.
The policies Pennsylvania requires in your manual
These are the specific written policies the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Division of Home Health reviews, each tied to the rule that requires it. Your manual is organized to cover every one in Pennsylvania-specific language, not a generic national template.
Hiring / rostering of direct care workers: documented interview, at least two verifiable references, and the criminal-history and ChildLine submission process, with a complete worker file
28 Pa. Code §611.51
Criminal background checks: PA State Police report (or FBI/federal report for workers not PA-resident the prior 2 years), screened against the prohibited convictions in 6 Pa. Code §15.143
28 Pa. Code §611.52 (OAPSA, 35 P.S. §10225.501 et seq.)
Child abuse clearance: ChildLine verification when the agency serves consumers under 18
28 Pa. Code §611.53
Provisional hiring: conditions, supervision, and the 30-day (resident) / 90-day (non-resident) clearance deadlines while checks are pending
28 Pa. Code §611.54
Competency: how each worker demonstrates competency (PA nurse license, agency exam, or approved training) across the mandated core topics, with at least annual review
28 Pa. Code §611.55
Health screening: tuberculosis screening per CDC guidance within 1 year of start date, updated every 12 months
28 Pa. Code §611.56
Consumer information packet: the written disclosures given before services begin (services & worker identity, hours, fees, DOH contact, complaint hotline, ombudsman, employee-vs-contractor status)
28 Pa. Code §611.57(c)
Service termination: at least 10 calendar days’ advance written notice (shorter only if 14+ days in arrears or worker safety is at risk)
28 Pa. Code §611.57(a)
Prohibited practices: no acting as the consumer’s power of attorney/guardian; no requiring checks endorsed over to the agency
28 Pa. Code §611.57(b)
General health-facility operating standards incorporated by reference
28 Pa. Code §611.4 (incorporating Chapter 51)
Informational summary of what Pennsylvania regulations require, not legal advice. Citations are provided so you can verify each against the source; confirm current requirements with the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Division of Home Health.
See what you actually get
A finished, formatted manual organized to the rule, not a checklist or a generic template. A page from your Pennsylvania manual:
Contents: required policies
28 Pa. Code §611.51 Hiring / rostering of direct care workers: documented interview, at least two verifiable references, and the criminal-history and ChildLine submission process, with a complete worker file
28 Pa. Code §611.52 (OAPSA, 35 P.S. §10225.501 et seq.) Criminal background checks: PA State Police report (or FBI/federal report for workers not PA-resident the prior 2 years), screened against the prohibited convictions in 6 Pa. Code §15.143
28 Pa. Code §611.53 Child abuse clearance: ChildLine verification when the agency serves consumers under 18
28 Pa. Code §611.54 Provisional hiring: conditions, supervision, and the 30-day (resident) / 90-day (non-resident) clearance deadlines while checks are pending
Key Pennsylvania facts to know before you apply
Pick the right license type
PA distinguishes a non-medical “Home Care Agency” (employees, Chapter 611) from a “Home Care Registry” (independent contractors), and both differ from the Medicare-certified Home Health license under Chapter 601. Private-pay personal-care startups want the Chapter 611 Home Care Agency license.
Flat $100 state fee
The application/renewal fee is a flat $100 (§611.2), with a separate fee per separately licensed location, but that’s only the state fee, not your entity, background-check, insurance, or manual costs.
OAPSA background-check regime
Checks run through the Older Adults Protective Services Act framework (6 Pa. Code Ch. 15): PA State Police for 2+ year residents, FBI/federal otherwise. OAPSA’s lifetime ban was struck down in Peake v. Commonwealth (2015), so no conviction is treated as a permanent automatic bar.
Hard 10-day termination-notice rule
§611.57(a) requires at least 10 calendar days’ advance written notice before terminating a consumer’s services, a specific, citable consumer right your policies and consumer materials must reflect.
Mandatory pre-service information packet
Before services begin, §611.57(c) requires written disclosure of services/worker identity, hours, fees, DOH contact, the DOH complaint hotline (1-866-826-3644) and local Area Agency on Aging ombudsman, and the worker’s employee-vs-contractor tax/insurance status.
Online-only applications since 2026
The Division of Home Health accepts applications only through its online portal; mailed and emailed submissions ended March 31, 2026.
Expanding into ID/A waiver services?
ODP provider qualification runs on a separate policy set under 55 Pa. Code Chapter 6100 (individual rights, EIM incident management, 24-hour training), which your Chapter 611 manual does not cover. We build that manual too.
See the requirements
A Pennsylvania manual, not a national template
Free templates and national sample manuals miss the Pennsylvania-specific language and citations reviewers look for. Every manual we build is organized to 28 Pa. Code Chapter 611 and the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Division of Home Health application, and delivered as editable Word + PDF you can brand with your agency name.
Shopping an instant-download provider? CarePolicy.US alternative or WiseCaregiving alternative.
A fraction of the start-up consultant’s price.
Start-up consultants charge $1,000–$4,000 to assemble these documents by hand, and instant template shops are instant because they sell everyone the same generic document. Every manual is made to order: built from your agency details, organized to your state's rules, and delivered within 3 business days, with a full refund anytime before delivery. Founding pricing is limited to the first 25 agencies; after that the State P&P Manual is $199.
Delivered within 3 business days, with a full refund anytime before delivery. This is a self-prepared operational document you adopt for your own agency, not legal advice, and not a guarantee of license approval.
Pennsylvania home care licensing FAQ
Sources
- www.pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pacode?file=%2Fsecure%2Fpacode%2Fdata%2F028%2Fchapter611%2Fchap611toc.html
- www.pa.gov/agencies/health/facilities/out-patient-healthcare-facilities/home-care
- www.pa.gov/agencies/health/facilities/out-patient-healthcare-facilities/home-care/home-care-regulations
- www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/US/HTM/2006/0/0069..HTM
Pennsylvania requirements last reviewed 2026-06-30. Regulations change, so verify current requirements with the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Division of Home Health before relying on them.
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