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Home care staff requirements in Arkansas

The Arkansas Department of Health licenses home health agencies, including those that provide personal care aide services, and separately licenses private care agencies that provide Medicaid personal care. Home health aides need 75 hours of training and personal care aides need 40 hours, both RN-supervised and Department-approved, plus 12 hours of in-service each year. Health department rules call for state criminal history checks, a federal check for workers who have not lived in Arkansas for five years, and repeat checks at least every five years.

Licenses

• An agency needs a home health license from the Arkansas Department of Health if it provides skilled nursing, therapy, medical social work, home health aide, personal care aide, or extended care services in a person's home (Rules for Home Health Agencies, 007.35.24 Ark. Code R. 004, Section 7(B)).
• Medicare-certified agencies receive a Class A license and non-certified agencies a Class B license, and an agency must obtain a Permit of Approval before applying (Rules for Home Health Agencies, 007.35.24 Ark. Code R. 004, Section 7(C)-(D)).
• Private care agencies that provide Medicaid personal care are licensed by the Department of Health under separate rules and must be certified by the Department of Human Services Division of Aging, Adult, and Behavioral Health Services as home- and community-based providers (Rules for Private Care Agencies, 007.35.24 Ark. Code R. 001, Sections 1, 4(N), 6(B)).

Background checks

• Each home health agency personnel record must include criminal history checks as required by Ark. Code Ann. Section 20-38-101 et seq. (Rules for Home Health Agencies, 007.35.24 Ark. Code R. 004, Section 11(A)(7)(d)).
• Each private care agency personnel record must include a criminal history determination of eligibility for employment (Rules for Private Care Agencies, 007.35.24 Ark. Code R. 001, Section 10(A)(5)(f)).
• Under the health department's criminal record check rules, each home health or hospice applicant or employee who is not a licensed professional must complete a state criminal history check (ADH Criminal Record Check Rules, Section 7(A)).
• A federal criminal history check is also required if the applicant or employee has not lived in Arkansas continuously for the past five years (ADH Criminal Record Check Rules, Section 7(B)).
• Providers must tell employees that continued employment depends on satisfactory checks, and must repeat criminal history checks on all employees at least once every five years (ADH Criminal Record Check Rules, Section 7(D)).
• If a provider uses temporary staff, its contract must require the staffing company to run criminal history checks before placement and share the documentation (ADH Criminal Record Check Rules, Section 7(C)).

Training and competency

• Home health aide training must total at least 75 hours of classroom and supervised practical training under a registered nurse, with at least 16 classroom hours before the at least 16 hours of supervised practical training (Rules for Home Health Agencies, 007.35.24 Ark. Code R. 004, Section 10(A)).
• Personal care aide training must be at least 40 hours of classroom and clinical instruction, supervised by a registered nurse, covering the listed topics, including 4 hours on Alzheimer's disease and dementia (Rules for Home Health Agencies, 007.35.24 Ark. Code R. 004, Section 10(B); Rules for Private Care Agencies, 007.35.24 Ark. Code R. 001, Section 9 and Table 1).
• All home health aide and personal care aide training must be approved by the Department of Health (Rules for Home Health Agencies, 007.35.24 Ark. Code R. 004, Section 10(C)).
• The agency must make sure each home health aide passes competency testing, with key hands-on skills observed by a registered nurse (Rules for Home Health Agencies, 007.35.24 Ark. Code R. 004, Section 12(E)(2)).
• Private care agencies must have a registered nurse observe each personal care aide performing required skills and document the competency evaluation (Rules for Private Care Agencies, 007.35.24 Ark. Code R. 001, Section 11(B)(6)).
• Aides must receive at least 12 hours of in-service training every 12 months on topics tied to client care (Rules for Home Health Agencies, 007.35.24 Ark. Code R. 004, Section 12(E)(8)(c); Rules for Private Care Agencies, 007.35.24 Ark. Code R. 001, Section 11(B)(5)).
• Agency policies must provide orientation of all personnel to the agency's policies and objectives (Rules for Home Health Agencies, 007.35.24 Ark. Code R. 004, Section 11(A)(2); Rules for Private Care Agencies, 007.35.24 Ark. Code R. 001, Section 10(A)(2)).

Health screening

• The agency's infection control program must include measures to prevent TB outbreaks that follow current CDC guidelines for health care settings, and work restrictions that follow CDC recommendations (Rules for Home Health Agencies, 007.35.24 Ark. Code R. 004, Section 11(A)(6); Rules for Private Care Agencies, 007.35.24 Ark. Code R. 001, Section 10(A)(4)).

Also in the personnel file

• Home health personnel records must include a signed job description, qualifications and training, the job application, verification of licenses, references, job experience, and education, performance evaluations and discipline, and verified work history (Rules for Home Health Agencies, 007.35.24 Ark. Code R. 004, Section 11(A)(7)).
• A qualified health professional must visit the patient's home and update the aide assignment sheet every 14 days for home health aides and every 60 days for personal care aides (Rules for Home Health Agencies, 007.35.24 Ark. Code R. 004, Section 12(E)(8)(a)-(b)).
• In private care agencies, the aide service plan must set the scope and frequency of supervision, at least once a year (Rules for Private Care Agencies, 007.35.24 Ark. Code R. 001, Section 11(A)(1)(b)).
• Private care agency personnel records must include a signed job description, qualifications, the job application, verification of licenses, certifications, and work history, and proof of orientation and competency on the required topics (Rules for Private Care Agencies, 007.35.24 Ark. Code R. 001, Section 10(A)(5)).

Common questions

Some rules for Arkansas weren't confirmed from an official source. Check with the state before relying on this page.

Sources

• Rules for Home Health Agencies, 007.35.24 Ark. Code R. 004, effective 6/17/2024 (Cornell LII)
• Rules for Private Care Agencies, 007.35.24 Ark. Code R. 001, effective 6/17/2024 (Cornell LII)
• ADH Criminal Record Check Rules: Rules and Regulations for Conducting Criminal Record Checks for Employees and Operators of Home Health, Hospice, and Private Care Agencies, adopted January 28, 2010 (Arkansas Department of Health PDF)

This page summarizes state licensing rules in plain words, with links to the rules themselves. It is not legal advice, rules change, and your license type decides what applies: check the linked source and your licensing agency. Medicare-certified home health agencies also follow 42 CFR 484.80. Checked October 2026.

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