Credential tracking for home care agencies.
Home care credentials in Ohio
Ohio requires 2 credentials of the agency itself and 5 of every caregiver. An agency with 20 caregivers is carrying 102 expiring things, plus 6 more that apply in some circumstances.
Ohio law changed on September 30, 2021. Non-medical home health services now require a license from the Ohio Department of Health under Revised Code Chapter 3740, separate from the skilled home health license. A private-pay agency that never touches Medicaid still needs that license. If you bill an Ohio Medicaid waiver, a second set of rules applies to every caregiver, and those are the ones cited most often.
Last verified September 3, 2026 · Ohio Department of Health licenses the agency; Ohio Department of Medicaid sets the caregiver rules for waiver work.
What the agency must hold
§ 1 · OHIO — AGENCY-LEVEL CREDENTIALS
Scroll the table sideways to read the fee and the source.
| Credential | Cadence | Form | Fee | Citation | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonmedical Home Health Services LicenseOhio Department of Health | Every 3 years | ODH application, CertLicensure portal | $250 application, $250 renewal | ORC 3740.05 | odh.ohio.gov |
| Owner fingerprint submissionOhio Department of Health, via Attorney General WebCheckThe primary owner only, not each caregiver. The fee is set by the WebCheck vendor, not the state. | At initial licensure | Fingerprint impression card | Not stated | — | odh.ohio.gov |
| Surety bondOFTEN CITEDOhio Department of HealthApplies to: Applicants who were not providing direct care on or before September 30, 2021. The skilled license bond is $50,000. | Per bond term | Nonmedical Home Health Services Surety Bond Form | $20,000 bond amount | ORC Chapter 3740 | odh.ohio.gov |
| Medicaid provider agreement and Structural ReviewOFTEN CITEDOhio Department of MedicaidApplies to: Only if you bill an Ohio Medicaid waiver.Failing to attend or complete the Structural Review is one of the named grounds for a Notice of Operational Deficiency. | Provider agreement, with periodic Structural Review | ODM provider enrollment, PNM system | Not stated | OAC Chapter 5160-44 | medicaid.ohio.gov |
| Electronic Visit Verification enrollmentOFTEN CITEDOhio Department of MedicaidApplies to: Only if you bill an Ohio Medicaid waiver.The Auditor of State found in 2025 that 56% of Medicaid home care claims did not go through the required EVV controls. | Ongoing, per visit | None | Not stated | OAC 5160-1-40, 5160-32-01 | codes.ohio.gov |
| Skilled Home Health Services LicenseOhio Department of HealthApplies to: Only if you deliver skilled nursing or therapy. | Every 3 years | ODH application, CertLicensure portal | $250 application, $250 renewal | ORC 3740.05 | odh.ohio.gov |
What every caregiver must hold
Each row below repeats for every caregiver on your roster, on that caregiver’s own dates. This is where a spreadsheet stops being enough.
§ 2 · OHIO — PER-CAREGIVER CREDENTIALS
Scroll the table sideways to read the fee and the source.
| Credential | Cadence | Form | Fee | Citation | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Competency evaluation certificateOFTEN CITEDOhio Department of Medicaid | Before service delivery; for a non-agency aide, obtained within the last 24 months | ODH-approved NATCEP certificate, or 42 CFR 484.80 program | Not stated | OAC 5160-46-04(G), (H) | codes.ohio.gov |
| First aid certificationOFTEN CITEDOhio Department of MedicaidThe rule requires a hands-on class with a certified instructor and a return demonstration. An internet-only certificate does not satisfy it. | Obtained and maintained | None | Not stated | OAC 5160-46-04(G)(1)(b) | codes.ohio.gov |
| Continuing education hoursOFTEN CITEDOhio Department of MedicaidOrientation hours do not count. The non-agency clock runs from the anniversary of Medicaid enrollment, not the calendar year. | 8 hours every 12 months for an agency aide; 6 hours annually for a non-agency aide | None | Not stated | OAC 5160-46-04(G)(2), (H)(2) | codes.ohio.gov |
| BCI criminal records checkOhio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, required by Medicaid | At enrollment, then continuous monitoring through RAPBACK retained fingerprints | Form under ORC 109.572(C) | Not stated | OAC 5160-45-08 | codes.ohio.gov |
| FBI criminal records checkRequired by Medicaid alongside the BCI checkApplies to: Caregivers who cannot show 5 continuous years of Ohio residency before the check. | At enrollment | Same fingerprint submission as the BCI check | Not stated | OAC 5160-45-08(D)(3) | codes.ohio.gov |
| RN or LPN supervisory visitOFTEN CITEDOhio Department of MedicaidFace to face, while the aide is present, and documented. A missed or undocumented visit is a defined compliance point. | At least every 60 days | None | Not stated | OAC 5160-46-04(G)(3) | codes.ohio.gov |
| Nurse Aide Registry listing, STNAOhio Department of HealthApplies to: Aides working in long-term care facilities. Waiver personal care work uses the competency certificate above instead.There is no registry renewal fee. The trap is the work-hours rule, not a date. | Lapses without 7.5 consecutive hours of paid nursing service in a rolling 24 months | HEA 7713 | Not stated | OAC 3701-17-07.3 | odh.ohio.gov |
What we could not confirm
Every one of these is on somebody’s list of Ohio requirements. We could not find it in the state’s own text, so it is not on ours as a requirement. We hold the dates if you hold the document, and we tell you who is actually asking for it.
- TB testing
- We found no Ohio statute or rule requiring TB screening for home care aides. Many payer contracts and agency policies require it anyway. We hold the date if you hold the test; we do not tell you the state demands it.
- CPR certification
- Not a standalone Ohio requirement for personal care aides. CPR appears only as one permitted topic inside the annual continuing education hours.
- Driving record and auto insurance
- We could not confirm this clause in the current text of OAC 5160-46-04. An older mirrored version of the rule referred to vehicle insurance. We track the dates and do not cite a rule we cannot read today.
- General liability insurance
- No Ohio page we reviewed sets a mandatory minimum dollar amount for a non-medical agency, as distinct from the surety bond above.
What Ohio cites
- 01
Visits not run through Electronic Visit Verification
The Ohio Auditor of State found in 2025 that 56% of Medicaid home care claims were not processed through the required EVV controls, across roughly $1.1 billion in claims. This is the largest quantified home care gap in the state's own audit work.
OAC 5160-1-40, 5160-32-01ohioauditor.gov
- 02
Missing timesheets and service documentation
Named by Medicaid as grounds for a Notice of Operational Deficiency against a waiver provider.
OAC Chapter 5160-45medicaid.ohio.gov
- 03
Billing beyond the Person-Centered Services Plan
Billing for more service than the plan authorises, and failing to report a change in an individual's status or service. Both are named Notice of Operational Deficiency grounds.
OAC Chapter 5160-45medicaid.ohio.gov
- 04
Incomplete clinical record
The rule itself enumerates what a record must contain: identifying information, medical history, plan copies, allergy documentation, advance directives, arrival and departure logs with signatures, progress notes, discharge summary. A gap in any one is citable.
OAC 5160-46-04(I)codes.ohio.gov
- 05
Supervisory visit missed or undocumented
A face-to-face RN or LPN visit is required at least every 60 days while the aide is present, with documentation.
OAC 5160-46-04(G)(3)codes.ohio.gov
- 06
Structural Review not attended or completed
Named by Medicaid as grounds for a Notice of Operational Deficiency.
Ohio does not publish a ranked top-10 list for non-medical home care the way some states do. What is above is drawn from the state's own Notice of Operational Deficiency grounds and from Auditor of State findings, not from a ranking we invented. If Ohio publishes a ranked list, this section will be replaced with it.
This is the general list. See which of these your agency is missing.
Two fields: Ohio and how many caregivers you have. The Gap Report comes back on screen, counted for your size, ordered by what surveyors cite most. No email, no account, no card.