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Home care staff requirements in Oregon

Oregon licenses in-home care agencies (non-medical) and home health agencies separately through the Oregon Health Authority. In-home care agencies must run a criminal records check with a nationwide database and sex offender search plus an OIG exclusion check before hire, and repeat it every three years. Caregivers need a 4-hour orientation and a competency evaluation before working alone, 8 hours of initial training (2 before providing services, the rest within 120 days), and 6 hours of education every year.

Licenses

• In-home care agencies are licensed by the Oregon Health Authority in one of four classes: Limited, Basic, Intermediate or Comprehensive, based on medication and nursing services offered (OAR 333-536-0007(1)-(2)).
• Home health agencies are licensed separately under OAR chapter 333, division 27, and must meet the Medicare home health Conditions of Participation (42 CFR Part 484) even if they are not Medicare-certified (OAR 333-027-0001(1), (3)).

Background checks

• An in-home care agency must run a criminal records check and make a fitness determination before hiring anyone who will have direct contact with clients (OAR 333-536-0093(2)).
• The check must include a name and address history trace, identity verification, local records for the last seven years, a nationwide multijurisdictional criminal database search, and a nationwide sex offender registry search (OAR 333-536-0093(10)).
• The agency must query and document the federal List of Excluded Individuals and Entities (LEIE) (OAR 333-536-0093(11)).
• The check must be repeated every three years from the date of the last check (OAR 333-536-0093(13)).
• Agencies serving Medicaid in-home clients of the Oregon Department of Human Services must submit checks for staff working with those clients to that department (OAR 333-536-0093(9)).
• Home health agencies must also check before hiring, query both the National Practitioner Data Bank and the LEIE, and repeat the check every three years (OAR 333-027-0064(2), (11), (13)).
• A home health agency may hire someone while the check is pending only if that person has no patient contact and is actively supervised (OAR 333-027-0064(4)(a)).

Training and competency

• In-home caregivers must complete an agency orientation of at least 4 hours, online or in person, before providing services on their own (OAR 333-536-0070(5)).
• Caregivers must have their competency evaluated by direct observation plus written or oral testing before working independently (OAR 333-536-0070(6)).
• Caregivers must receive at least 8 hours of initial training: 2 hours before providing services and the other 6 within 120 days of hire (OAR 333-536-0070(7)).
• Caregivers who give medication services need at least 4 hours of medication training before doing so (OAR 333-536-0070(8)).
• Caregivers must receive at least 6 hours of education each year, plus 1 more hour if they give medication services (OAR 333-536-0070(14)).
• Caregivers with a current Oregon health care license or certificate are exempt from the in-home caregiver training (OAR 333-536-0070(13)).

Health screening

• In-home care agencies must have an infection control program with policies on standard precautions, protective equipment and exposure to bloodborne pathogens such as hepatitis B and HIV, and must train staff and caregivers on infection control (OAR 333-536-0082).

Also in the personnel file

• Caregivers must be at least 18 years old (OAR 333-536-0070(4)).
• Initial training must cover abdominal thrust and first aid; CPR is recommended but not required (OAR 333-536-0070(7)).
• Personnel records must include pre-employment screening with references, the criminal records check, signed job description, training and competency records, annual performance evaluations, and a valid driver's license with current auto insurance for anyone who transports clients (OAR 333-536-0053).
• The agency must make an initial client visit between day 7 and day 30 of care to check the caregiver's compliance with the service plan, then quarterly monitoring visits, with in-person visits no more than six months apart (OAR 333-536-0066(1)-(2)).

Common questions

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

Sources

• OAR 333-536-0070, Caregiver Qualifications and Requirements (Oregon Secretary of State, official)
• OAR 333-536-0070 (Cornell LII, used for subsection numbers)
• OAR 333-536-0093, Criminal Records Checks (Oregon Secretary of State, official)
• OAR 333-536-0093 (Cornell LII, used for subsection numbers)
• OAR 333-536-0007, Classification (Cornell LII)
• OAR 333-536-0053, Personnel Records (Cornell LII)
• OAR 333-536-0066, Initial Visit and Monitoring (Cornell LII)
• OAR 333-536-0082, Infection Control (Cornell LII)
• OAR 333-027-0001, Compliance with Federal Law (Cornell LII)
• OAR 333-027-0064, Criminal Records Check, home health (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.

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