Home Caregivers

  • Question Mark IconWho must obtain a Palm Beach County Home Caregiver ID Badge?
    Answer:

    You are a Home Caregiver, and you must obtain a Palm Beach County Home Caregiver ID Badge if you receive compensation, directly or indirectly, from a Vulnerable Adult for assisting that vulnerable adult with Covered Activities.

    Vulnerable Adult is defined as a person 18 years of age or older whose ability to perform the normal activities of daily living or to provide for his or her own care or protection is impaired due to a mental, emotional, sensory, long-term physical, or developmental disability or dysfunction, or brain damage, or the infirmities of aging.

    Covered Activities include Activities of Daily Living (bathing, grooming, shaving, oral care, using the toilet or other continence-related activities, dressing, eating, transferring from seated to standing position, getting in and out of bed); and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (finding and utilizing resources such as making and keeping doctor’s appointments, driving or arranging for travel – either by public transportation or private car, preparing meals, shopping, housework, managing medication, and managing finances).


  • Question Mark IconWho is Exempt From the Home Caregiver ID Badge Requirement?
    Answer:
    • If you hold any of the following licenses and/or certifications, you are not required to obtain a Palm Beach County Home Caregiver I.D. Badge:  Registered Nurse (RN); Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN); Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA); Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS); Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP); Physical Therapist (PT); Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA); Occupational Therapist (OT); or Occupational Therapist Assistant (OTA).
    • Volunteers of charitable and/or faith based organizations which are exempt from federal income tax pursuant to 26 U.S.C. § 501(c)(3), and which serve Vulnerable Adults by making referrals of volunteers to provide Covered Activities are not required to obtain a Palm Beach County Home Caregiver ID Badge.
    • The following family members who are caring for Vulnerable Adults are not required to obtain a Palm Beach County Home Caregiver ID Badge:  the Vulnerable Adult’s spouse or former spouse; domestic partner; parents; step-parents; grandparents; step-grandparents; children; step-children; grandchildren; step-grandchildren; great grandchildren; siblings, or step-siblings; and court appointed guardians.
    • People who receive compensation directly or indirectly from a Vulnerable Adult in exchange for assisting that Vulnerable Adult with one or more Covered Activities on a non-recurring basis, not to exceed 3 days in a calendar month or 24 days in any calendar year are not required to obtain a Palm Beach County Home Caregiver ID Badge.

  • Question Mark IconWhat if You Have Already Undergone a National Fingerprint Based Check Through the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) and You Are Employed By, or Are An Independent Contractor Placed Through, a Home Health Agency, Nurse Registry, Homemaker and Companion Service Provider, or Hospice Provider?
    Answer:

    If you have already undergone a national fingerprint based check through AHCA, you must still apply for a Palm Beach County Home Caregiver ID Badge, but in certain cases, you will not be required to submit your fingerprints. 

    Home Caregiver ID Badge Applicants who have already undergone a National Fingerprint Based Check through AHCA, and who are employed by, or are independent contractors placed through, home health agencies, nurse registries, homemaker and companion services providers, and hospice providers which are licensed by AHCA may comply with the fingerprinting and criminal history records screening requirement of the Home Caregiver Ordinance by submitting a Home Caregiver Consent & AHCA Background Authorization form along with the application. The status in the Clearinghouse must be "elegible" for the application to be accepted.


  • Question Mark IconWhat Are The Responsibilities of Home Health Agencies, Nurse Registries, Homemaker and Companion Service Providers, and Hospice Providers?
    Answer:

    If you own or operate an AHCA licensed Home Health Agency, Nurse Registry, Homemaker and Companion Service Provider, or Hospice Provider, and you submitted an Agency Endorsement Affidavit on behalf of your employee, or independent contractor who is placed through your agency,  you are responsible to send a Home Caregiver Company Update form to the Consumer Affairs Division if the employee or independent contractor who is the subject of your affidavit later:

    • Is designated by AHCA as “ineligible” to work as a home caregiver;
    • Terminates employment with, or is no longer placed through, your AHCA licensed agency, registry, or provider.

  • Question Mark IconDoes the Palm Beach County Home Caregiver ID Badge Require Education or Training?
    Answer:

    The Palm Beach County Home Caregiver ID Badge does not require education or training.  The Home Caregiver ID Badge ensures only that the Home Caregiver who possesses the lD Badge has undergone a national fingerprint based check, and is not disqualified from working as a Home Caregiver because of certain criminal adjudications.


  • Question Mark IconWhat Is the Cost of The Home Caregiver ID Badge and How Often Must I Renew My Badge?
    Answer:

    The cost of the Home Caregiver ID Badge will depend on whether you are required to submit your fingerprints, or whether you are able to submit an employer affidavit in lieu of fingerprinting.  If you are submitting fingerprints, the cost is $100.00.  If you are affiliated with an agency and deemed "eligible" by AHCA,  the cost is $30.00.

    ID Badges must be renewed once every five years.


  • Question Mark IconHow do I know if my Home Caregiver Has a Palm Beach County Caregiver ID Badge?
    Answer:

    If you, or a family member, are a Vulnerable Adult receiving the services of a Home Caregiver, you should ask your Home Caregiver whether he or she has obtained a Palm Beach County Home Caregiver ID Badge.  The ID Badge will contain your Home Caregiver’s name and full-face picture.  The ID Badge ensures you that your Home Caregiver has undergone a national fingerprint based check, and has not been disqualified from working as a Home Caregiver in Palm Beach County due to certain criminal adjudications.

    You can also check the Palm Beach County Consumer Affairs Division website to see if your Home Caregiver has received a Home Caregiver ID Badge:  www.pbcgov.com/publicsafety/consumeraffairs/pages/Homehealth_Caregivers.apsx


  • Question Mark IconWhere Do I Get the Palm Beach County Home Caregiver Application Form, Home Caregiver Affidavit Form, and Information About Home Caregiver ID Badge?
    Answer:

    Forms and additional information about the Palm Beach County Home Caregiver ID Badge may be found at:  www.pbcgov.com/publicsafety/consumeraffairs/.  You may also call the Consumer Affairs Division of the Palm Beach County Public Safety Department at (561) 712-6600.  The Consumer Affairs Division is located at 50 South Military Trail, Suite 201, West Palm Beach, FL  33415.


  • Question Mark IconIs there a grace period to meet the requirements?
    Answer:

    Yes, 90 days.  Beginning July 1, 2016, all those required to be I.D. Badge Compliant must have a Home Caregiver ID in their possession while working as a Home Caregiver.


  • Question Mark IconAre there fines for not having a license after July 1st?
    Answer:

    Yes, all those required to have the Home Caregiver ID Badge but who are working without a Home Caregiver ID Badge may be subject to a fine. 


Contact Us

50 South Military Trail
Suite 201
West Palm Beach, FL 33415
West Palm Beach Area:​
 Phone561-712-6600
Boca/ Delray/ Glades:
Toll Free 888-852-7362
         Fax:  561-712-6610         

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