Starting a South Carolina Home Health or Personal Care Agency?

The cards show the certified home health, non-Medicare skilled home health, and non-medical personal care models. The In-Home Care Provider model addresses personal care, while Home Health Agency is the state category for the skilled services described below. Match the approval route to the services and payers you plan to use.

The state contacts for the pathways on this page are South Carolina Department of Public Health. The personal care framework is Regulation 60-122; the skilled framework is Regulation 60-77. The specific licensing, registration, designation, or program route depends on the services offered.

An In-Home Care Provider license under Regulation 60-122 covers the non-medical personal care agency model. Licensing can also apply to businesses arranging care through referrals when they retain a financial interest in the service.

South Carolina charges $1,000 for the initial In-Home Care Provider license and $800 for annual renewal. These state fees are separate from our package price.

The agency may assist with personal needs and daily activities such as bathing, dressing, grooming, mobility, toileting, meal preparation, and errands. Assigned tasks must stay within the non-medical service scope and the caregiver's documented abilities.

Submit the DPH In-Home Care Provider application, the fee, ownership and business information, administrator details, service information, and required insurance and supporting documents. The agency must have its personnel, policies, and operating arrangements ready for review.

The administrator manages daily operations, staffing, services, compliance, and implementation of written policies. Identify who will cover the administrator's absence and keep responsibilities and qualifications documented.

Yes. Regulation 60-122 requires screening for marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, opiates, and PCP. The test must be within the permitted pre-employment period, no earlier than 30 days before the employment offer. A positive result requires the documentation and handling allowed by the regulation, including prescribed-medication verification where applicable.

Complete the criminal-history, registry, and health screening applicable to the employee's duties, including the regulation's tuberculosis requirements. Keep dated results and employment eligibility documentation before assigning the worker to clients.

The rule requires protection of at least $100,000 per occurrence and $300,000 aggregate through the permitted liability insurance or surety arrangement. Maintain applicable workers' compensation and the other required insurance documentation.

The agency must establish the services it will provide based on the client's needs. Document the agreed tasks, frequency, limitations, responsible staff, payment terms, and process for reporting changes or concerns.

Regulation 60-122 requires policies and procedures to be reviewed at least every two years and revised when necessary. Update them sooner when services, staffing practices, or requirements change.

Prepare staff for the services they will actually perform, client rights, abuse reporting, confidentiality, infection prevention, emergency response, incident reporting, and the agency's supervision and documentation procedures. Verify competency before independent assignments.

South Carolina charges $100 plus $50 for each county served for the initial Home Health Agency license and each annual renewal. The initial or routine inspection fee is an additional $250 plus $25 per county. A one-county initial license and inspection total $425. These government fees are separate from our package.

A South Carolina Home Health Agency is licensed under Regulation 60-77. The state licensing path supports skilled services within the agency's approved scope; federal provider certification is a separate process.

The agency provides part-time or intermittent skilled nursing and at least one additional therapeutic service. Nursing is furnished under registered nurse supervision, with practitioner orders and a coordinated plan of care.

The application identifies every South Carolina county the agency intends to serve. Counties affect both the license fee and inspection fee. Describe an area that the agency can adequately staff, supervise, and reach for scheduled care.

The licensing application requires the agency location and documentation of ownership or lease arrangements. The office must support agency administration, records, communication, and availability for department review.

Qualified registered nursing leadership directs nursing services. Nurses and therapists must hold the credentials required for their professions, and aides must receive the supervision appropriate to the services they provide.

Document the client assessment, practitioner orders, diagnoses and care needs, planned disciplines, treatment and visit arrangements, medication information, safety concerns, and measurable care goals. Keep the plan current as the client's condition changes.

Contract arrangements must preserve professional qualifications, clinical coordination, required supervision, and timely clinical notes. The licensed agency remains accountable for the services it arranges.

Maintain professional license verification, background and health screening, job descriptions, orientation, competency evaluation, and supervision records. The qualifications must match the clinical services identified in the application.

The department reviews the application and conducts the required licensing inspection. The agency must demonstrate operational readiness and compliance before receiving authorization to operate.

The Home Health Agency license is renewed annually. The renewal fee is $100 plus $50 for every county served; inspection fees are separate when an inspection is performed.

Establish written emergency contacts, staff escalation, backup coverage, weather and travel procedures, and instructions for clients when a scheduled visit cannot occur. For an immediate medical emergency, staff should activate emergency services. Keep the response appropriate to the South Carolina services your agency is authorized to provide.

Provide a clear contact for concerns, record each complaint, assign follow-up, document the response, and review patterns that call for changes. Preserve client confidentiality and follow applicable abuse, neglect, and incident-reporting requirements.

Written policies are required for the licensed services. They should address administration, personnel, client care, supervision, rights, confidentiality, infection prevention, emergencies, and records. Maintain a documented process to review services, complaints, incidents, and record quality, and follow the quality or program-evaluation requirements applicable to this license.

Home Health Forms provides South Carolina-specific quality improvement and written policies.

The South Carolina Home Care Agency Complete Startup Package may include:

• A professionally designed company logo.
• A customized WordPress business website.
• One year of website hosting.
• One year of domain registration.
• 500 customized business cards.
• 500 customized tri-fold brochures.
• South Carolina-specific policies and procedures for In-Home Care Provider.
• Human-resources and personnel documents.
• New-client admission documents.
• Operational and administrative forms.
• Preparation of the South Carolina In-Home Care Provider application for your review, signature, and submission.
• Access to the Home Health Forms members' area.
• Customization of documents to the purchaser's agency.
• Ongoing guidance and applicable document updates.

Home Health Forms provides startup guidance, customized documents, and application-preparation assistance. The South Carolina Department of Public Health makes all licensing decisions.

The applicant remains responsible for providing complete and truthful information, satisfying ownership, financial, insurance, personnel, office, background-check, supervision, and operational requirements, paying government fees, responding to state requests, preparing for the survey, and maintaining regulatory compliance. Home Health Forms provides guidance and documents that meet regulatory requirements to ensure your success.

Customized policy manuals, forms, and related digital documents are generally emailed within five business days after Home Health Forms receives all company information needed to complete the customization.

logo creation, website development, domain registration, printing, shipping, and other package components may have separate production timelines.

Cancellation and refund eligibility depends on the work already completed, customized materials produced, digital products delivered, third-party expenses paid, printing ordered, and other services already performed.