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Home care staff requirements in Wisconsin

Wisconsin licenses home health agencies under DHS 133, and Medicaid personal care agencies are certified under DHS 105.17. Every caregiver needs a state criminal history search, registry and credential checks, and an out-of-state search if they lived elsewhere in the past 3 years, with rechecks every 4 years. Home health staff need TB and communicable disease screening within 90 days before patient contact, and aides need training on set subjects.

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Licenses

A license from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services is required to run a home health agency (Wis. Admin. Code DHS 133.03(1)).
Agencies that provide Medicaid personal care must be certified by the Department of Health Services as personal care providers (Wis. Admin. Code DHS 105.17(1c)).
The caregiver background check law covers licensed home health agencies, temporary staffing agencies that supply caregivers, and any agency that employs or contracts with people to provide personal care services (Wis. Stat. 50.065(1)(c)).

Background checks

Every agency must get a Wisconsin DOJ criminal history search, caregiver registry findings, DSPS credential status, child abuse findings and prior DHS denials for each caregiver (Wis. Stat. 50.065(2)(b)).
If the caregiver lived outside Wisconsin at any time in the past 3 years, the agency must make a good faith effort to get the equivalent criminal record from that state, and may require fingerprints (Wis. Stat. 50.065(2)(bm)).
Agencies must redo the background check for all caregivers every 4 years (Wis. Stat. 50.065(3)(b)).
If the caregiver's background information form shows no bar, the agency may employ the person for up to 60 days while results are pending (Wis. Stat. 50.065(4m)(c)).
Supervision during that pending period must include at least periodic direct observation (Wis. Admin. Code DHS 12.11).
An agency may not employ a caregiver it knows or should know has a serious crime conviction or an abuse, neglect or misappropriation finding (Wis. Stat. 50.065(4m)(b)).
An agency that places a caregiver in a client's home for personal care must disclose certain convictions and findings to the client in writing before services start (Wis. Stat. 50.065(2m)(a)).
Home health agencies must follow the caregiver background check and misconduct reporting rules in Wis. Stat. 50.065, DHS 12 and DHS 13 (Wis. Admin. Code DHS 133.06(4)(g)).

Training and competency

Every home health employee must complete orientation before beginning patient care, covering agency policies, job duties, staff roles, community agencies, and ethics, confidentiality and patient rights (Wis. Admin. Code DHS 133.06(4)(a)).
Home health aides must complete a training course covering at least nine set subjects, including personal care, nutrition, safe environment and reporting to the supervisor (Wis. Admin. Code DHS 133.17(4)(a)).
Aide training given by the agency must be directed by a registered nurse (Wis. Admin. Code DHS 133.17(4)(b)).
Home health agencies must provide continuing training to all employees suited to their clients and duties (Wis. Admin. Code DHS 133.06(4)(e)).
Home health staff with direct patient contact need initial and ongoing infection control training (Wis. Admin. Code DHS 133.06(5)(a)).
For Medicaid personal care agencies, workers must receive orientation before serving a client and must show each assigned skill to a qualified trainer, under RN supervision, before doing it alone (Wis. Admin. Code DHS 105.17(1n)(a)2.).

Health screening

Each new home health employee must be certified in writing by a physician, physician assistant or RN as screened for TB and communicable disease within 90 days before first patient contact (Wis. Admin. Code DHS 133.06(4)(d)1.).
Continuing employees with patient contact must be screened for communicable disease, including TB, based on their exposure risk (Wis. Admin. Code DHS 133.06(4)(d)2.).
Employees with signs of communicable disease or infected skin lesions may not work unless a physician, PA or APN approves (Wis. Admin. Code DHS 133.06(4)(d)3.).

Also in the personnel file

Home health agencies must keep a separate up-to-date personnel record for each employee showing suitability for the position (Wis. Admin. Code DHS 133.06(4)(f)).
Every home health employee must be evaluated periodically under the agency's written evaluation plan (Wis. Admin. Code DHS 133.06(4)(c)).
When an aide serves a patient who gets no skilled nursing or therapy, an RN must make a supervisory visit at least every 60 days (Wis. Admin. Code DHS 133.18(2)).
When a patient gets skilled nursing care, an RN must make a supervisory visit at least every 2 weeks (Wis. Admin. Code DHS 133.18(1)).
Agencies must keep the most recent background check information for each caregiver available for inspection (Wis. Stat. 50.065(2)(d)).
Medicaid personal care agencies must keep a written record of worker training and records of supervisory visits (Wis. Admin. Code DHS 105.17(1g)(c)).

Common questions

What background checks do home care aides need in Wisconsin?

Every agency must get a Wisconsin DOJ criminal history search, caregiver registry findings, DSPS credential status, child abuse findings and prior DHS denials for each caregiver (Wis. Stat. 50.065(2)(b)).

How much training do home care aides need in Wisconsin?

Every home health employee must complete orientation before beginning patient care, covering agency policies, job duties, staff roles, community agencies, and ethics, confidentiality and patient rights (Wis. Admin. Code DHS 133.06(4)(a)).

Do home care workers in Wisconsin need a TB test?

Each new home health employee must be certified in writing by a physician, physician assistant or RN as screened for TB and communicable disease within 90 days before first patient contact (Wis. Admin. Code DHS 133.06(4)(d)1.).

Which license does a home care agency need in Wisconsin?

A license from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services is required to run a home health agency (Wis. Admin. Code DHS 133.03(1)).

Some rules for Wisconsin 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.

More for Wisconsin

Wisconsin background check laws · Wisconsin drug testing laws · Medicare home health aide rules · All states

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