Every answer was written and checked ahead of time, with the official document next to it. Nothing is made up on the spot.
Do I need a license to run a non-medical home care agency in Massachusetts?
Not yet, but Chapter 180 of the Acts of 2026 will require one.
The Act (approved August 6, 2026) will require home care agencies, including referral and matching services, to hold a 3-year license from EOHHS. EOHHS must adopt rules within 1 year of the Act's effective date, and then set the date, no later than 1 year after that, by which agencies must be licensed; agencies already contracted with an ASAP or MassHealth can get a temporary license once EOHHS starts issuing them. Until then, DLS does not license agencies that employ their own workers, but agencies that place or refer domestic workers paid by the household need a DLS employment agency license.
Written and checked September 23, 2026
What does a home health agency need to bill MassHealth?
Medicare certification through DPH, and more.
DPH does not license home health agencies, but under 130 CMR 403.405 an in-state agency must be Medicare-certified through DPH, get a MassHealth provider number, join any EOHHS orientation, and file a statement of fiscal soundness. It must report changes such as ownership, address or a new branch in writing within 14 days. MassHealth has proposed dropping the fiscal soundness statement.
Written and checked September 23, 2026
What training do homemakers and personal care workers need?
A 40-hour or 60-hour certificate, or aide certification.
In the Frail Elder Waiver, homemakers need a home health aide, nurse's aide or 40-hour homemaker certificate, and personal care workers need a home health aide, nurse's aide or 60-hour personal care certificate. ABI and MFP waiver personal care workers also need CPR. Home health and homemaker agencies must also give abuse-prevention orientation before the first assignment and in-service training at least once a year.
Written and checked September 23, 2026
Do home care workers need a background check in Massachusetts?
Yes: CORI and the DPH registry.
The Frail Elder Waiver requires CORI checks and monthly OIG exclusion checks for waiver providers. 101 CMR 15.00 sets EOHHS's CORI process: check only after a conditional offer, and no start in a job with unsupervised client contact until cleared. Home health and homemaker agencies must also check DPH's aide registry before hiring and may not hire anyone listed with a finding of abuse, neglect, mistreatment or misappropriation.
Written and checked September 23, 2026
Do I have to report my workers to a state registry?
Yes, if you serve Home Care Program clients through an ASAP.
Under 651 CMR 16.00, agencies that employ home care workers under an ASAP contract send AGE each worker's name, address, employer, job title and trainings every quarter. You must tell workers about the registry at hire and every year, and withhold the data of workers who claim an exemption, such as victims of domestic violence. Workers must not bear any cost.
Written and checked September 23, 2026
When will MassHealth deny claims that don't match an EVV visit?
The date is to be confirmed.
The 2025 bulletins say claim edits start "no earlier than July 2026", and an April 30, 2026 training said July 1, 2026. The July 27, 2026 webinar lists the date as "TBC". When it starts, unmatched claims will be suspended for 30 days before they can be denied. Until then, keep at least 50% of visits auto-verified.
Written and checked September 23, 2026
Which home care services need EVV in Massachusetts?
Home health, GAFC, PCA, ABI/MFP waiver and ASAP-paid in-home services.
The state's EVV specification covers MassHealth home health, GAFC, ABI and MFP waiver and PCA services, plus homemaker, personal care, companion, supportive home care aide and home health aide services paid through ASAPs, and services paid by SCO, One Care, ACO and MCO plans. You can use Sandata or an alternate system that sends visits to the Sandata Aggregator.
Written and checked September 23, 2026
Which health plans pay for home care in Massachusetts?
SCO, One Care, ACO and MCO plans.
Waiver participants 65 and older can choose a SCO plan, which then manages all their State Plan and Frail Elder Waiver services. MassHealth's 2026 list names SCO plans from Commonwealth Care Alliance, Fallon Health (NaviCare), Mass General Brigham, Senior Whole Health, Tufts Health Plan and UnitedHealthcare. The EVV specification also lists 5 One Care plans and MassHealth ACO and MCO plans as payers for home health and GAFC.
Written and checked September 23, 2026
How do I get Home Care Program or Frail Elder Waiver clients?
Contract with an ASAP.
ASAPs assess elders, develop and monitor service plans, and arrange services through contracted providers. SCO members get their waiver services through the SCO plan. ASAPs check waiver agency qualifications every 2 years for homemaker, personal care and home health aide agencies, and every 3 years for companion agencies.
Written and checked September 23, 2026
Who do I call to report abuse?
Your agency reports to DPH; elder abuse also goes to 1-800-922-2275.
Aides and homemakers tell their supervisor right away, and the agency notifies DPH immediately, with a written report within 48 hours (105 CMR 155.004). For people 60 and over, your executive director also reports to the Elder Abuse Hotline or a Protective Services Agency, in writing within 48 hours. For adults with disabilities aged 18 to 59, call DPPC's 24-hour hotline at 1-800-426-9009.
Written and checked September 23, 2026