YOU STILL HAVE TO PROTECT YOURSELF
Agency licenses and caregiver registrations are good
for two years. There is word that licensed agencies
still put unregistered caregivers to work. If you want
to work with an honest agency and want proof,
request the Home Care Aide number of your care-
giver and check on it by accessing the
Department of Social Services’ web-
site: secure.dss.ca.gov/ccld/hcsregis-
try/registrysearch.aspx . You won’t
be penalized if an agency assigns
an unregistered caregiver to
you—the agency will be
responsible. If you are
told by one agency
that they have a
shortage of care-
givers and you
call another that
has no problem
hiring caregivers,
proceed carefully.
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
MARCH/APRIL 2017
They may either have limited business and hence
are able to keep up (because most are hurting for
caregivers), or they may be putting unregistered
caregivers to work.
THE WAIT WILL BE WORTH IT
Licensure is a welcome change, but the DSS is still
working out the kinks. All agencies are looking
forward to the time when more caregivers are
registered, hiring is no longer a near impossible
task, and the process is not so cumbersome. Now
is the time for patience and understanding. Rest
assured that your agency remains interested in
your business and committed to your needs but it
will take a little time before the new changes and
processes once again allow agencies to provide care
that you need when you need it, without delay.
If you need more information about this process
or have questions, please feel free to email me at
dorie@visitingangels.com. I will help you in any
way I can. It is a trying time now but licensure
provides you with more protection!
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