Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Who must be certified as a home care aide?
The law defines the following individuals as long term care workers. All long-term care workers hired on or after January 7, 2012 must be certified as home care aides within 150 days of their date of hire:
- Individual providers of home care services, an individual who contracts with the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) to provide personal care or respite services to functionally disabled persons.
- Direct care employees of home care agencies.
- Providers of home care services to persons with developmental disabilities.
- All direct care workers in state licensed boarding homes.
- All direct care workers in state licensed adult family homes.
- Respite care providers.
- Community residential service providers who fall under DSHS’s definition of a supported living provider are long-term care workers but are not required to obtain training until January 1, 2016 and are exempt from certification (see next question.) These are providers or entities certified under WAC Chapter 388-101.
- Any other direct care worker providing home or community-based services to the elderly or persons with functional or developmental disabilities.
These workers must complete two hours of orientation and three hours of safety training before they begin working. It must be Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) approved training.
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Are there workers who were specifically excluded from the definition of a long-term care worker?
Yes, the law states that the following are not long-term care workers:
- Persons employed in a nursing home, hospital, or other acute care setting.
- Persons employed in residential habilitation centers.
- Persons employed by hospice agencies, adult day centers, or adult day health centers.
- Persons not paid by the state or by a private agency or facility licensed by the state to provide personal care services.
Workers not defined as long-term care workers will not qualify for an exemption based on prior work experience (see next question.)
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Which long term care workers do not have to be certified as home care aides?
Exemptions based on prior work experience:
These workers are exempt from training and certification but must meet continuing education requirements. They may also need a new background check when they move to a different employer.
- A person employed as a long term care worker between January 1, 2011 and January 6, 2012 who completes all of his or her training requirements in effect as of the date he or she was hired.
- A person who begins work on or after September 9, 2011 is exempt if he or she completes training within 120 days of hire. Although 120 days from the date of hire will be after January 7, 2011, they continue to be exempt as long as they complete the training during that time-frame.
- Exemptions based on prior work experience status expire if the person does not work as a long-term care worker for three years or more.
- This exemption is not based on whether a worker has or has had a nursing assistant-registered (NA-R) credential. The NA-R credential does not exempt a worker from training or certification.
Exemptions based on Department of Health license or certification:
The following types of health care providers are exempt from training and certification but must meet continuing education requirements. They may also need a new background check when they move to a different employer.
- Registered nurses
- Licensed practical nurses
- Certified nursing assistants
- Other persons who hold similar health credentials who are working in the capacity of their license. This includes certified counselors and advisors, speech language pathologists or audiologists, occupational therapists, and physical therapists.
- People with special education training and an endorsement granted by the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Other exemptions from certification:
The following types of health care provides are exempt from certification but not from training requirements. Some may be required to meet reduced training requirements. However, if they voluntarily choose to become certified as a home care aide, they will need to complete the full 75 hours of training. They are also subject to continuing education and background check requirements.
- An individual employed by a supported living provider. Supported living provider is a person or entity that provides instruction and support services to meet the needs of persons receiving services under chapter 71A RCW and chapter 74.15 RCW. These providers include persons or entities certified under WAC Chapter 388-101, group training homes, alternative living providers, companion home providers, licensed staff residential programs, and group care facilities and staffed residential homes licensed to care for children under WAC chapter 388-148 Individual providers, reimbursed by the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), and caring for a biological, step or adoptive child or parent.
- An individual provider, reimbursed by the DSHS, who provides 20 hours or less of care for one person in any calendar month. They must be hired before June 30, 2014.
- A home health aide who is employed by a Medicare certified home health agency and has met the requirements of 42 CFR Part 484.36.
Exemption from all requirements until January 1, 2016:
- An individual employed as a community residential service provider. This includes workers in the following settings:
- Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) supported living providers with the exception of supported living providers who are also licensed as a boarding home or adult family home.
- DDD Companion Homes
- DDD Alternative Living Homes
- Licensed Residential Homes for Children
Persons not required to obtain certification because they are not defined as a long-term care worker:
- Direct care employees working in or for:
- Nursing homes
- Hospitals
- Hospice agencies
- Adult day care or adult day health care centers
- Residential habilitation centers
- Direct care employees not paid by the state, or a private agency or facility licensed by the state to provide personal care services. Persons who work directly for and are paid by a client or client’s family are not defined as long-term care workers and do not require certification.
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How does a long-term care worker who was employed between January 1, 2011 and January 6, 2012 (or their employer) prove that they are exempt from the home care aide certification?
The long-term care worker and their employer should have a letter from the employer who employed them during the time-frame between January 1, 2011 and January 6, 2012. The letter should include the following:
- Date of hire
- Last day of work, if applicable
- Job title and job description
- A description of the training required on their date of hire and verification that they completed this training. If the worker received a certificate of completion (COC) for the training, they should include a copy of the COC in the file.
For individual providers paid by DSHS, the client is considered to be the employer. If a worker has a problem obtaining the correct verification from the client, the DSHS social worker or case manager may be able to assist them.
We have a form in the application packet for exempt long-term care workers who wish to apply for certification. Employers and long-term care workers can use this as a template. It is page 19 in the
application packet.
If I work only for private pay clients through a home care agency, boarding home or adult family home, do I need to be certified as a home care aide? I thought these requirements were only for workers of agencies and facilities who have Medicare/Medicaid clients.
The law requires employees of private pay home care agencies, boarding homes and adult family home who are hired on or after January 7, 2012 (unless they meet the exemption criteria stated above) to obtain training and certification. Initiative-1163 requires all persons paid by any state licensed agency or facility to be certified as a home care aide. It does not exclude private pay agencies or facilities.
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What are the requirements for the home care aide certification?
- Seventy-five hours of training for those who must become certified. The Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) must approve training curriculum and programs. For more information regarding the training requirements, please see the
DSHS training Web site.
- Successful completion of the certification exam administered or approved by the department.
- An application, submitted with required documentation and fee, for certification directly to the department.
- Submit to a state and fingerprint-based federal background check through DSHS. DSHS will share background checks with the Department of Health. We will review background checks to decide whether the credential should be issued. You must still undergo a background check through your employer.
When can I apply for the home care aide certification
Please download a copy of the application on the forms Web site.
Can I use the 75 hours of training I completed in 2011 to become a certified home care aide on or after January 7, 2012?
Yes. However, if you worked during the exempt period sometime between January 1, 2011 and January 6, 2012, you can be certified without meeting the 75 hour training requirement. If you completed a DSHS approved 75 hour course in 2011 but did not work between January 1, 2011, and January 6, 2012, you can use this training toward certification.
Who pays the certification and examination fees?
You must send a fee with the application, which makes it the responsibility of the applicant. However, there is nothing to prohibit the employer or other party from paying these fees on behalf of the applicant.
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What can a new long-term care worker expect to pay in order to achieve all requirements for certification?
- We cannot speak to basic training costs because they vary depending on the provider.
- For initial certification and renewal fees, please see the professions fee page.
- For examination fees, please see the
Prometric Web site.
Is the employer required to pay for training time?
The law is silent on this and does not require nor prohibit the employer from paying for training time.
Where can I find the application form for the examination, a list of testing fees and/or a list of regional testing sites?
Please see the Prometric Web site.
The application for home care aide certification requires information about my training and that I certify I have had seven hours of AIDS education. However, since I need to submit the application within three days of hire, I won’t have the training before completing the application. How should I complete this portion of the application?
For the training/education and AIDS education portions of the application, please indicate that you will submit the DSHS 75-hour Basic Training Certificate of Completion (COC) at a later date. Be sure to follow-up by submitting the COC when you complete the training. The COC verifies that you have all the required training, including AIDS education.
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How long is the home care aide certification good for? What do I need to renew my certification?
- The home care aide certification will most likely expire on your first birthday after your initial certification.
- The first renewal will require a renewal fee and, if your first certification was active for more than a year, you may also need to sign an affidavit indicating that you have completed 12 hours of continuing education.
- All subsequent renewals are due on your birthday and require both the renewal fee and the signed affidavit indicating that you have completed 12 hours of continuing education during that renewal cycle.
- If you let your certification lapse, you must pay additional fees. If your license has lapsed for three years or more, you will need to retake both the required training and the home care aide certification examination. Please see our Web site for more information on
renewals.
Will I be required to prove that I took the 12 hours of continuing education?
The Department of Health will perform random audits of persons who hold a home care aide credential. If you are audited, you must submit proof that you have completed 12 hours of continuing education. You can do this by providing a copy the “certificate of completion” for all continuing education courses you completed. Continuing education courses must be approved by the Department of Social and Health Services. More information will be available by July 1, 2012.
Do workers who are employed in the settings noted in the long-term care worker definition but who are working only as housekeepers, dining room staff, maintenance workers or other ancillary staff have to meet the new training and certification requirements?
Anyone hired in these settings who are performing activities of daily living must meet the new training and certification requirements. Activities of daily living are defined as self-care abilities such as bathing, eating, using the toilet, dressing and transfer.
If a worker is performing only instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) but not performing any ADLs, they are not considered to be a long-term care worker and are not required to meet the new training and certification requirements. Instrumental activities of daily living include activities such as cooking, shopping, housekeeping, doing laundry, transportation to medical and shopping, working and managing personal finances.
If a worker performs both ADLs and IADLs, such as a bus driver for a boarding home who also assists the client with getting in and out of the bus, the worker is required to meet the new training and certification requirements.
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What is currently required for a worker to perform nurse delegation in an in-home or community based setting as allowed by RCW 18.79.260 (3)(e)?
A worker must have either a nursing assistant-certified or a nursing assistant-registered credential to perform nurse delegation. A long-term care worker cannot perform nurse delegation under their home care aide certification.
If a long-term care worker is exempt from the home care aide certification, they need either:
- A nursing assistant-certified credential in good standing without restriction, and successful completion of the core nurse delegation training; or
- A nursing assistant-registered credential in good standing without restriction, the basic caregiver training, and successful completion of the core nurse delegation training. Before January 7, 2012, the basic caregiver training is Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving. After May 6, 2012, the basic caregiver training is the DSHS 75 hour core training classes required for home care aide certification. Both courses are offered between January 7, 2012 and May 6, 2012.
If a long-term care worker is hired on or after January 7, 2012, and does not meet any exemptions from certification:
- Before 150 days from their date of hire, they must have the nursing assistant-registered credential, and must have completed the basic caregiver training class and the core nurse delegation training.
- After 150 days from their date of hire, they must have the home care aide certification, the nursing assistant-registered credential and the core nurse delegation training.
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