Questions to Ask a Home Care Agency Before You Sign: The Complete Checklist

Choosing a home care agency is one of the most consequential decisions a family makes — and most families do it with almost no information. The agency’s website looks nice. A friend recommended them. The first person who answered the phone seemed friendly. That’s not enough.

Here are the questions that actually reveal whether an agency can deliver. We use them at CareChoice because we believe families who ask tough questions end up with better agencies —including, sometimes, agencies that aren’t us.

The Essential Questions

1. Do you accept Medicaid, and which MCOs do you work with?

If your loved one is on Medicaid, this is the threshold question. The agency must be credentialed with your MCO. If they’re not, they can’t serve you through Medicaid regardless of how good they are.

2. Do you support Participant-Directed Services and Agency with Choice?

This is the paid family caregiver question. If the agency doesn’t support PDS/AWC (in PA) or CDS(in TX) or Home Help enrollment (in MI), and your family wants a relative to be the caregiver, this isn’t the right agency.

3. How many families do you currently serve through paid family caregiving?

Volume matters. An agency that’s facilitated hundreds of PDS/CDS enrollments has systems, experience, and troubleshooting knowledge that one with five enrollments doesn’t. In our experience, agencies with high PDS volume process background checks faster, catch paperwork errors sooner, and resolve payroll issues more quickly.

4. What is your average timeline from enrollment to first caregiver paycheck?

Get a specific answer. “A few weeks” is vague. “Four to six weeks, depending on FBI fingerprint processing” is specific and credible. The agency should be able to describe the timeline with enough detail that you can plan around it.

5. Who is my family’s point of contact, and how quickly do they respond?

Ask for a name and a commitment. “Your dedicated coordinator will return calls within 24 hours “is very different from “call our main line and someone will help you.”

6. What happens when something goes wrong?

Paychecks get delayed. Authorizations get denied. MCOs make errors. Ask the agency how they handle these situations. An experienced agency will describe specific resolution processes. An inexperienced one will say “we take care of everything” without specifics.

7. What markets do you serve?

If your family has loved ones in multiple states, an agency with multi-market presence can provide consistency. If your needs are local-only, market breadth matters less.

8. What is your standing with the state?

Ask about licensing, complaints, and corrective actions. Any credible agency will answer this question without hesitation.

9. Can I speak with a current family?

Referrals from current clients are the single most reliable source of information about an agency’s actual performance. If the agency can’t or won’t connect you with a family reference, that’s a signal.

10. Do you charge the family anything?

For Medicaid-funded services, the answer should be no — Medicaid covers the cost. If an agency asks for a fee from a Medicaid-eligible family, ask exactly what the fee covers and why Medicaid doesn’t cover it.

What CareChoice’s Answers Look Like

We work with all three MCOs in PA’s Southeast Zone and the Southwest Zone. We’ve facilitated thousands of PDS enrollments. Our average onboarding timeline is four to six weeks. Every family gets a dedicated coordinator. We serve Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Dallas, and more. And we’re happy to connect prospective families with current ones.

Put us to the test →Contact CareChoice

Written by Gary Murray, Chief Marketing Officer | CareChoice