How do I choose a home care agency in NYC? What should I ask?

Choose a home care agency in New York by checking its state license first, then asking how care is planned, supervised and covered when something goes wrong.

Questions worth asking every agency:

• Is the agency licensed by the NY Department of Health? Ask for the license number.
• Does a registered nurse write the plan of care before the aide starts?
• Are aides employees of the agency, trained and insured?
• Who replaces the aide if they are sick or on vacation?
• What is the minimum visit length?
• What exactly can an aide do with medication? (In New York an aide can remind and watch, but cannot open bottles, measure doses or hand pills. This is state law for every licensed agency.)
• How does billing work if Medicaid is approved later?

Be careful with any agency that offers CDPAP payroll: since April 2025 only the state administrator PPL handles CDPAP.

For reference, our agency is NY DOH licensed (#2572L001), a registered nurse writes every care plan before the first visit, and private pay starts at $32 an hour with a four-hour minimum. Questions: (718) 232-2777.