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Home care staff requirements in Massachusetts
Massachusetts requires a Department of Public Health license for home health agencies, and a 2026 law (Chapter 180 of the Acts of 2026) creates a new state license for non-medical home care agencies that is still being phased in. Today, agencies serving elders or people with disabilities must obtain criminal record (CORI) information before hiring, and home health, homemaker and hospice agencies must check the state registry for abuse findings. The new home care license rules must include multi-state criminal checks, the federal OIG exclusion list, the nurse aide registry, driving record checks for drivers and annual training.
Licenses
- No one may operate a home health agency or describe services as home health without a Department of Public Health license (M.G.L. c. 111, 51K(b)).
- Home health agency licenses run for three years and are renewable (M.G.L. c. 111, 51K(c)).
- A 2026 law requires non-medical home care agencies to hold a home care agency license from the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, including agencies that only match clients with providers (M.G.L. c. 6A, 16II(a), as added by St. 2026, c. 180, 1).
- The new home care agency license runs for three years and excludes home health agencies, hospices and house-cleaning-only businesses (M.G.L. c. 6A, 16HH-16II, as added by St. 2026, c. 180, 1).
- The state must issue temporary home care licenses within 180 days of the law, adopt full rules within one year, and then set a deadline no more than one year later by which all home care agencies must be licensed (St. 2026, c. 180, 5-7).
Background checks
- Agencies providing homemaker, home health aide, companion or other community services to elders or people with disabilities must obtain all available criminal offender record information (CORI) on a worker before hiring or placing them (M.G.L. c. 6, 172C).
- Home health agencies, homemaker agencies and hospices must check the state Department of Public Health registry before hiring anyone who will give direct care or have access to patients or their property (105 CMR 155.010(E)(3)).
- These agencies may not hire someone listed in the registry with a finding of patient abuse, neglect, mistreatment or misappropriation (105 CMR 155.010(E)(4)).
- Rules under the new home care license must require Massachusetts criminal checks, criminal checks for every other state where the worker lived or worked in the past five years, a review of the federal OIG exclusion list, and a nurse aide registry review (M.G.L. c. 6A, 16II(e)(3)(i), as added by St. 2026, c. 180, 1).
- Rules under the new home care license must also require verification of driver's license, auto insurance and five years of driving records for workers who transport clients (M.G.L. c. 6A, 16II(e)(3)(i)(F), as added by St. 2026, c. 180, 1).
Training and competency
- Home health agencies, homemaker agencies and hospices must train all staff, including temporary staff and volunteers, on their abuse prevention and reporting policies and confirm they are competent (105 CMR 155.010(A)).
- Rules under the new home care license must set annual and ongoing training and competency requirements covering client privacy, infection control, emergencies and falls, reporting changes in condition, reporting abuse and neglect, dementia care, and wage and hour rights (M.G.L. c. 6A, 16II(e)(3)(v), as added by St. 2026, c. 180, 1).
Also in the personnel file
- Rules under the new home care license must set minimum workers' compensation and liability insurance coverage for agencies (M.G.L. c. 6A, 16II(e)(3)(iii), as added by St. 2026, c. 180, 1).
- Home health agencies, homemaker agencies and hospices must have written abuse prevention policies covering screening, training, prevention, identification, investigation, protection and reporting, reviewed at least yearly (105 CMR 155.010(A)).
Common questions
What background checks do home care aides need in Massachusetts?
Agencies providing homemaker, home health aide, companion or other community services to elders or people with disabilities must obtain all available criminal offender record information (CORI) on a worker before hiring or placing them (M.G.L. c. 6, 172C).
How much training do home care aides need in Massachusetts?
Home health agencies, homemaker agencies and hospices must train all staff, including temporary staff and volunteers, on their abuse prevention and reporting policies and confirm they are competent (105 CMR 155.010(A)).
Which license does a home care agency need in Massachusetts?
No one may operate a home health agency or describe services as home health without a Department of Public Health license (M.G.L. c. 111, 51K(b)).
Some rules for Massachusetts weren't confirmed from an official source. Check with the state before relying on this page.
Sources
- M.G.L. c. 111, 51K (home health agency licensure), malegislature.gov
- M.G.L. c. 6, 172C (CORI for agencies serving elderly or disabled persons), malegislature.gov
- St. 2026, c. 180, An Act to Improve Massachusetts Home Care (approved Aug. 6, 2026), malegislature.gov
- 105 CMR 155.010 (agency responsibilities, registry check), Cornell LII
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.
More for Massachusetts
Massachusetts background check laws · Massachusetts drug testing laws · Medicare home health aide rules · All states
Nearby states
Connecticut home care staff requirements · New Hampshire home care staff requirements · New York home care staff requirements · Rhode Island home care staff requirements · Vermont home care staff requirements