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Home care staff requirements in Oklahoma

The Oklahoma State Department of Health licenses home care agencies, which provide skilled or personal care at home, and separately licenses companion or sitter services. Home health aides must be certified and on the state registry within four months and get 12 hours of in-service each year, and agencies must screen direct-care staff for TB and run an annual flu vaccination program. Home care agencies fall under the state's fingerprint-based background check program for long-term care employers.

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Licenses

A home care agency is any organization that provides skilled or personal care services in clients' homes for a fee, and it must apply to the State Department of Health for a license (Okla. Admin. Code 310:662-1-2; 310:662-2-1(b)).
Home care agency licenses are renewed every year and expire July 31, and agencies must carry liability insurance of at least $100,000 per occurrence and $300,000 aggregate (Okla. Admin. Code 310:662-2-1(c)(5), (g)).
A companion or sitter service must get its own license from the State Department of Health before operating (Okla. Admin. Code 310:662-8-1).
Hospice providers are exempt from the home care rules because they are covered by the Oklahoma Hospice Licensing Act (Okla. Admin. Code 310:662-2-1(e)(4)).

Background checks

The Department's background check rules carry out the Long Term Care Security Act (63 O.S. Section 1-1944 et seq.), which covers screening and fingerprint-based background checks (Okla. Admin. Code 310:2-29-1; 310:2-29-3(b)).
Medicare-certified home care agencies had to start these screening and fingerprint-based checks by July 1, 2014, and all other employers covered by the Act by August 1, 2014 (Okla. Admin. Code 310:2-29-3(b)(5)-(6)).
Staffing agencies and independent contractors must follow the same background check timeline as the employer they contract with (Okla. Admin. Code 310:2-29-3(b)(8)).
Medicaid home and community-based waiver providers may use a name-based Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation criminal history check instead of fingerprints (Okla. Admin. Code 310:2-29-3(b)(9)).
Companion or sitter services must keep a copy of each background check done on an employee (Okla. Admin. Code 310:662-8-5).

Training and competency

Home health aides must be certified by the Department and listed on its Home Health Aide Registry, and an agency may not use an uncertified person as a home health aide for more than four months (Okla. Admin. Code 310:662-5-3(f)).
Home care agencies must give each home care aide at least 12 hours of in-service training every calendar year, supervised by a registered nurse with home care experience, plus an annual performance review (Okla. Admin. Code 310:677-9-1(a)).
A person listed on the registry as a long term care aide may work for a home care agency after passing a Department-approved home care skills exam and completing at least 16 hours of orientation (Okla. Admin. Code 310:677-9-2(b)).
Supportive home assistants, who give standby help to ambulatory clients, must complete agency training and pass a competency exam given by a Department-approved testing entity (Okla. Admin. Code 310:662-5-3(g); 310:662-6-1(a)).
A supportive home assistant keeps the designation only with a documented competency assessment by a licensed nurse at hire and at least once each calendar year (Okla. Admin. Code 310:662-6-5(b)).
Personnel policies must include orientation of all staff and participation in in-service programs (Okla. Admin. Code 310:662-3-4(e)(2)).

Health screening

Staff with direct client contact must have health screening that includes TB testing following the 2019 Tuberculosis Controllers Association and CDC guidelines for health care settings (Okla. Admin. Code 310:662-3-4(e)(6)).
Each home care agency must run an annual flu vaccination program that offers free vaccine on site, documents vaccination or a signed declination for each worker, and educates workers about flu (Okla. Admin. Code 310:662-3-4(e)(7)).

Also in the personnel file

Personnel records must include qualifications, employment history, orientation and in-service records, proof of health screening, performance evaluations, discipline, and current license or certification if applicable (Okla. Admin. Code 310:662-3-4(f)).
Personnel policies must include job descriptions and periodic performance evaluations (Okla. Admin. Code 310:662-3-4(e)(3)-(4)).
When aide or personal care services are given along with skilled services, a registered nurse must make a supervisory visit at least every 60 days; when only aide or personal care services are given, a physician or licensed nurse must visit at least every six months (Okla. Admin. Code 310:662-5-3(h)).

Common questions

What background checks do home care aides need in Oklahoma?

The Department's background check rules carry out the Long Term Care Security Act (63 O.S. Section 1-1944 et seq.), which covers screening and fingerprint-based background checks (Okla. Admin. Code 310:2-29-1; 310:2-29-3(b)).

How much training do home care aides need in Oklahoma?

Home health aides must be certified by the Department and listed on its Home Health Aide Registry, and an agency may not use an uncertified person as a home health aide for more than four months (Okla. Admin. Code 310:662-5-3(f)).

Do home care workers in Oklahoma need a TB test?

Staff with direct client contact must have health screening that includes TB testing following the 2019 Tuberculosis Controllers Association and CDC guidelines for health care settings (Okla. Admin. Code 310:662-3-4(e)(6)).

Which license does a home care agency need in Oklahoma?

A home care agency is any organization that provides skilled or personal care services in clients' homes for a fee, and it must apply to the State Department of Health for a license (Okla. Admin. Code 310:662-1-2; 310:662-2-1(b)).

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

Sources

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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