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Section B — Supplemental Documents ~90 min

Required Job Descriptions for California Home Care Agency License

HCS 281 item B2 asks for a job description for each role you plan to hire. If one is missing, CDSS sends a Notification of Incomplete Application.

Which jobs need a description?

Each kind of job you plan to fill (HCS 281 B2). This includes:
  • Licensees (owners who work in the agency)
  • Employees, like office staff or designees
  • Volunteers
  • Home Care Aides

There is no set list of "three roles." Write one for each job you will really have.

What each description must cover

HCS 281 B2 lists three parts. Each job description needs all three:

1. Duties and responsibilities

2. Minimum qualifications

3. Lines of supervision. Who this person supervises. And who supervises them.

You can add more, like physical needs of the job. That part is your choice.

Qualifications set by law

Home Care Aide
  • 18 or older and listed on the Home Care Aide Registry (HSC §1796.12(a)).
  • Cleared on the registry before client contact (HSC §1796.43(a)).
  • Free of active TB (HSC §1796.45).
  • 5 hours of entry-level training before client contact. Then 5 hours each year (HSC §1796.44).
  • Date check: These rules are in effect only until January 1, 2027 (HSC §1796.44(e)). A new law is expected to change them. Check with CDSS.
Designee (on the HCS 308)
  • Must get a CDSS background clearance or exemption and be associated to the agency (HCS 308).
  • The Home Care Aide Registry is for aides. A designee does not need to be on it.
Licensee
  • The background check in HSC §1796.33 applies to owners and the CEO.
  • The licensee must complete the CDSS orientation (HSC §1796.37(a)(7)). There is no other required administrator course.

What aides may do

Home care services are nonmedical (HSC §1796.12(n)). They include bathing, dressing, feeding, grooming, toileting, moving around, housekeeping, meals, laundry, transportation, shopping, and companionship.

Aides may help with medicine the client takes on their own. They may not help if the medicine needs a licensed health professional to give it or oversee it.

How to upload

Put all your job descriptions in one PDF. Give each one a clear title.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • 1Skipping a role you plan to hire, like office staff or volunteers.
  • 2Leaving out "lines of supervision." Say who they supervise and who supervises them.
  • 3Saying a designee must be on the Home Care Aide Registry. They need a background clearance instead.
  • 4Listing a "CDSS administrator training." The only CDSS class is the orientation.

Tips

  • One page per job is plenty.
  • Make your aide description match what aides may do under HSC §1796.12(n).

What You Need to Do

  1. 1
    Review and customize the Administrator job description above
  2. 2
    Review and customize the Designee job description above
  3. 3
    Review and customize the Home Care Aide job description above
  4. 4
    Check each description has duties, minimum qualifications, and lines of supervision
  5. 5
    Write a description for every other role you plan to hire (staff, volunteers)
  6. 6
    Combine into a single PDF and upload to your Document Vault below

Information You Will Need

Have these details ready before you sit down to fill this out:

Licensee / Manager Job Description

Edit this to match your agency. Keep all three parts: duties, qualifications, and supervision.

Required
Designee Job Description

For the people named on your HCS 308.

Required
Affiliated Home Care Aide (Caregiver) Job Description

For caregivers who go to client homes. Services must match HSC §1796.12(n).

Required
Other Roles (office staff, volunteers, schedulers)

Add one description for each other job you plan to fill. Use the same three parts.

Documents Needed

  • Job Descriptions (one for each role you plan to hire)
    RequiredPDF · Max 10MB

Official Resources

Want us to handle this for you?

Our licensing team knows this form inside and out. We fill out every form, check every box, and submit the whole packet to CDSS on your behalf. You just answer a few simple questions.

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John Helmy

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