Georgia caregiver requirements depend on who employs the caregiver. For caregivers working for a licensed private home care provider, Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) Rule 111-8-65 requires a satisfactory fingerprint records check for administrators and employees with direct access to clients, tuberculosis screening before starting work, orientation before client contact, and training that depends on the role. Personal care assistants complete one of several training options, such as a 40-hour provider program; the annual requirement is at least eight clock hours after the first year of employment. Screening and training are safeguards, but they do not guarantee how a caregiver will behave or whether the caregiver can meet a particular person’s needs.
Which caregivers do these requirements cover?
Georgia’s private home care rules cover licensed providers delivering nursing, personal care, and companion or sitter services in a patient’s residence. According to DCH’s rules, personal care includes help with bathing, toileting, grooming, dressing and eating. Companion or sitter work includes meal preparation, essential household tasks, transportation and escort.
The requirements depend on the service and the worker’s role. A companion’s preparation is different from a personal care assistant’s training, and neither role establishes nursing credentials. Families can use the guide to checking a Georgia home care license to understand which licensing category applies. For how private home care differs from home health and hospice, see the comparison of home care, home health and hospice in Georgia.
This page is general information and not medical, legal or financial advice; DCH determines private home care licensing compliance, and the state professional licensing board determines nursing licensure.
Background checks and training requirements
The table summarizes DCH’s private home care staffing requirements. The rule references identify the governing chapters; the background check chapter works alongside the private home care chapter.
| Requirement | Who it applies to | Rule section |
|---|---|---|
| Compliance with criminal background check requirements before a license is issued | Owners of private home care providers | 111-8-65; chapter 111-8-12 |
| Satisfactory fingerprint records check | Administrators and employees with direct access to clients | 111-8-65; chapter 111-8-12 |
| Tuberculosis screening before starting work | All employees | 111-8-65 |
| Orientation before working with clients | Employees assigned to client services | 111-8-65 |
| 40-hour training program: 20 hours before serving clients, remaining 20 within six months | Personal care assistants | 111-8-65 |
| At least eight clock hours of training annually after the first year of employment | Employees | 111-8-65 |
| Ability to read and write and demonstrated competency | Companions or sitters | 111-8-65 |
| Written evaluation at least annually | Employees | 111-8-65 |
DCH proposed revisions to parts of Rule 111-8-65 concerning definitions, licenses and administration. Its synopsis says the proposal was presented for initial adoption on May 14, 2026; final adoption is unconfirmed. Verify current requirements through DCH’s rule materials, including the current rule text.
Georgia caregiver background check: what is required
In the text of Rule 111-8-65 on the Georgia Secretary of State’s rules site, a satisfactory fingerprint records check is required before a person serves as a direct access employee, and administrators must also obtain one. The background check chapter, 111-8-12, sets out how the checks work.
Tuberculosis screening is a separate health requirement. The rule says all employees must be screened for tuberculosis before starting work, following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance.
What a background check can tell a family
A fingerprint records check is a record check. It is not a character reference, an assessment of kindness or a prediction of future conduct. A satisfactory result does not establish that someone communicates well, follows instructions consistently or understands a parent’s particular needs.
It also does not replace supervision. Families can ask how the provider confirms that required checks are satisfactory before assigning staff, who reviews concerns and how staffing decisions are documented. An explanation should distinguish criminal records screening from references, job experience, training and ongoing performance review.
A provider cannot reasonably promise that a background check eliminates every risk or that a caregiver could never mistreat a client. More useful information describes the safeguards in place and what happens when someone reports a concern.
Georgia caregiver training requirements and home care aide training
How a personal care assistant can meet the training rule
For personal care assistants (PCAs) hired after the rule’s effective date, Rule 111-8-65 accepts one of four routes: a nurse aide training and competency evaluation, a recognized competency examination, a recognized credentialing program, or a 40-hour training program run by the provider. The 40-hour program is therefore one option, not the only one. Under that option, 20 hours are completed before serving clients and the other 20 within six months of starting the training, under a registered nurse or qualified health professional.
Orientation, annual training and evaluations
- Orientation is completed before working with clients and covers the provider’s policies, the employee’s assigned duties, reporting and emergency procedures, and reporting known tuberculosis or hepatitis exposure.
- Annual training is at least eight clock hours per year after the first year of employment.
- Evaluations are written and done at least annually, based on the direct supervisor’s observation.
- Personnel files hold each employee’s employment history, qualifications, health screenings, training documentation and evaluations.
Companions and sitters have a different standard: they must be able to read, write, follow instructions and complete reports, and must complete training or demonstrate competency in the areas the rule lists. They may not provide other services unless separately qualified.
Look beyond completed training hours
Match preparation to the actual tasks
Training hours establish a requirement, but families also need to understand whether the assigned worker can perform the planned tasks. Helping someone dress is different from assisting a person who becomes confused during bathing or needs substantial help moving. Families planning care for memory loss can read more in the guide to dementia care at home.
Describe the person’s needs plainly. Explain what help is needed, what the person can do independently and what tends to cause discomfort or distress. Then ask how the provider evaluates the worker’s ability to assist safely and respectfully.
- What preparation covers the tasks listed in the service plan?
- How does the supervisor assess practical skills?
- How are changes in the person’s needs communicated to the caregiver?
- What happens if a worker is uncomfortable performing an assigned task?
- How are substitute caregivers prepared for the assignment?
Connect training with the service plan
A caregiver needs clear instructions as well as general preparation. The written plan should make the agreed services understandable to the client, family and assigned staff. Readers can learn what belongs in a Georgia home care plan of service and compare that plan with the help actually delivered.
If an assignment includes nursing, ask how the provider verifies the nurse’s current license with the state professional licensing board. Personal care training does not establish nursing licensure.
Hiring someone directly changes the screening responsibility
DCH’s private home care rule includes an exemption under rule .07 for services provided directly by an individual. The exemption excludes arrangements involving agents, employees, contractors or referrals with a financial interest. A private arrangement should not automatically be assumed to fall within it.
When a direct hire falls outside agency licensing, the family must arrange its own screening. Ask for identification, relevant work history and references who can describe the person’s actual caregiving duties. For nursing work, verify a current license through the state professional licensing board.
Discuss tasks, limits, availability and how concerns will be handled before care begins. A reference can help explain past work, but it cannot guarantee future performance. The guide’s questions before signing a home care agreement can help families organize these discussions.
Rules for family caregivers and program-based caregivers
Searches for Georgia caregiver program requirements often mean something other than agency staffing rules. Caregiving paid through a Medicaid waiver or through a structured family caregiving arrangement is governed by that program’s own enrollment and training terms, which differ from the private home care rule described above. See the guides to Georgia Medicaid waivers (CCSP and SOURCE) and structured family caregiving in Georgia for how those programs work, and confirm each program’s caregiver requirements with the administering agency.
When concerns arise
Describe a concern in concrete terms: what happened, which task was involved and how the client was affected. Keep a written account and explain whether the service plan or staffing needs review. A missed instruction, uncomfortable interaction or unexplained change deserves a clear response.
Under DCH’s private home care rule, complaints must be accepted without retaliation, and providers must keep documentation of complaints and keep incident reports for at least five years. DCH’s Private Home Care Program page provides access to its complaint process. Verify current complaint procedures with DCH.
Sources for this page were last checked in November 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a satisfactory fingerprint check guarantee a safe caregiver?
No. It addresses records screening, not character or future behavior; references, demonstrated skills and supervision provide different information.
Must personal care assistants finish all training before starting?
Under the 40-hour option in DCH’s rule, 20 hours are completed before serving clients and the remaining 20 within six months. Other accepted routes, such as nurse aide training or a recognized competency examination, follow their own programs. Verify the current requirement with DCH.
Do companions and sitters have competency requirements?
Yes. Under DCH’s rule, companions and sitters must read and write and demonstrate competency.
Does hiring someone directly provide the same licensing oversight?
An individual providing services directly may fall within DCH’s licensing exemption. Families must examine the arrangement and take responsibility for screening when agency oversight does not apply.
Does a caregiver need a license to work for a Georgia home care agency?
The requirement to be licensed falls on the private home care provider: under rule 111-8-65-.05(1), no provider may operate without a license or provisional license from DCH. Individual caregivers meet the screening and training requirements above, and nurses hold a separate nursing license.
How often do home care aides need training in Georgia?
After the first year of employment, DCH’s rule calls for at least eight clock hours of training each year, along with a written evaluation at least annually.