Virginia home care license requirements
Bottom line: Yes (personal care) — VDH Home Care Organization license (companion-only exempt).
- License required?
- Yes (personal care)
- License / pathway
- VDH Home Care Organization license (companion-only exempt)
- Fees (initial / renewal)
- $1,500 per 3-yr term
From the 50-state summary. Fees shown as stated in the state entry; see each entry for conditions, conflicts, and sources.
Virginia requirements, item by item
Bracketed numbers link to the official sources at the bottom of this page.
Not confirmed in official sources — check with the state agency We could not confirm this item on an official state source during our review, so we did not estimate it.
| Item | What the guide found |
|---|---|
| License required? | A Virginia home care organization license is required to provide covered personal care services. Providers offering only homemaker, chore, or companion services are exempt from the chapter. [1][2][3] |
| License type / name | For personal care services, the applicable license is a license to operate a home care organization (HCO). An agency providing only homemaker, chore, or companion services is exempt from this chapter. [4][1] |
| Licensing agency | Virginia Department of Health (VDH), Office of Licensure and Certification (OLC), administers the HCO licensing program. [5][1] |
| Agency website | https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/licensure-and-certification/ [5] |
| Initial application / license fee | $1,500 for each initial license application under the current regulation. [3][1][5] |
| Renewal fee | $1,500 for each renewal application under the current regulation. [3][1][5] |
| Renewal cycle | Licenses are renewed triennially and expire on the third anniversary of issuance or renewal. [1][6] |
| Typical approval timeline | Submit a completed initial licensure application at least 60 days before the planned opening date. [3][1] |
| Administrator qualifications | The administrator must be designated in writing by the governing body, be an organization employee, and have authority for day-to-day management. The governing body must appoint someone with at least one year of training and experience in direct health care service delivery and at least one year within the last five years of supervisory or administrative management experience in home health care or a related health program. [2][7][3] |
| Caregiver background checks | For compensated employees, the organization must obtain a Virginia State Police criminal record report within 30 days of employment and obtain the required sworn criminal-history disclosure. Employees generally may not have direct patient contact until the original report is received, subject to the stated direct-supervision exception. [8][2][6] |
| Caregiver training hours | Home attendants providing personal care services must receive at least 12 hours of in-service training and education annually. [9][10][3] |
| Registry checks | Not confirmed in official sources — check with the state agency |
| General liability insurance | A licensed organization must maintain general liability insurance of at least $1 million per occurrence, covering the specified property damage, bodily injury, product liability, and libel and slander risks. [2][3][6] |
| Workers' compensation | Not confirmed in official sources — check with the state agency |
| Bonding (surety / dishonesty) | Third-party crime insurance or a blanket fidelity bond of at least $50,000 is required. The statute also identifies a blanket fidelity bond as an alternative to third-party crime insurance. [2][3][6] |
| Rule changes 2025–2026 | Effective May 22, 2025, amendments changed HCO license terms from one year to three years and set the fee at $1,500 for the three-year term. No 2026 rule change is identified in the sources reviewed. [11][5][3] |
Source notes and conflicts
Older checklist and proposed regulation sources state a $500 fee and annual renewal; the current regulation and VDH page state $1,500 and triennial renewal, effective May 22, 2025. The current provisions are used here.
Sources
- 12VAC5-381-140. Return of a license.
https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincodefull/title12/agency5/chapter381/partI/ - 12VAC5-381-290. Home attendants.
https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincodefull/title12/agency5/chapter381/partII/ - Documents Incorporated by Reference (12VAC5-381)
https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincodefull/title12/agency5/chapter381/ - 12VAC5-381-20. License.
https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincode/title12/agency5/chapter381/section20/ - Office of Licensure and Certification
https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/licensure-and-certification/ - Article 7.1. Home Care Organization Licensing
https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacodefull/title32.1/chapter5/article7.1/ - 12VAC5-381-10. Definitions.
https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincode/title12/agency5/chapter381/section10/ - 12VAC5-381-110. Criminal records checks. - Virginia Law
https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincode/title12/agency5/chapter381/section110/ - 12Vac5-381-360. Personal Care Services
https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincodefull/title12/agency5/chapter381/partV/ - 12VAC5-381-360. Personal care services. - Virginia Law
https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincode/title12/agency5/chapter381/section360/ - REGULATIONS Vol. 41 Iss. 17 - April 07, 2025
https://register.dls.virginia.gov/details.aspx?id=11561
Limits: fees and forms change often. Agencies sometimes post conflicting figures (a statute vs. an older form); those conflicts are shown, not resolved by guessing. Confirm the current fee with the agency before filing. This guide is a research reference, not legal advice.
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