Starting a Wisconsin 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 private-pay non-medical home care business 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 Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Division of Quality Assurance. The personal care framework is applicable Wisconsin personal care and employment requirements; DHS 105.17 and DHS 107.112 for separately selected PCA certification; the skilled framework is DHS 133 and Wis. Stat. 50.49. The specific licensing, registration, designation, or program route depends on the services offered.

Wisconsin's DQA Personal Care Agency certification process is associated with the public-program provider route. A private-pay non-medical business is not automatically a DQA-certified PCA. This package supports the private-pay operating model unless a separate certification service is included in writing.

Wisconsin does not charge a separate agency licensing fee for the private-pay non-medical home care model described here, so that agency licensing fee is $0. DQA Personal Care Agency certification for public-program participation is a separate process; business, background-check, and program costs are not included in our package.

The business may arrange assistance with personal needs and daily activities such as bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, meals, transportation, and errands. Assign only tasks the worker may lawfully perform and document the service limits.

The certification process includes a complete application, ownership and background information, financial and management review, appropriate RN involvement, and policies addressing DHS 105.17 and DHS 107.112. This is a separate provider approval process rather than a general business registration.

No. After the DQA process and required recommendation, the applicant completes the separate ForwardHealth provider enrollment process. The agency cannot bill a program simply because it has submitted a certification application.

For the DQA certification route, the agency must have served at least five clients and have at least two current clients to demonstrate care during the survey. DQA instructs applicants to request the survey within nine months of the initial approval. These conditions apply to that certification route, not every private-pay business.

The DQA-certified program model includes nursing assessment, care planning, and supervision under the applicable personal care rules. The agency must document the RN arrangements and worker qualifications that support those services.

Use signed client agreements, service plans, visit documentation, incident and complaint records, personnel screening, training, competency records, and supervision notes. Keep private-pay business records separate from any program-specific billing and certification records.

Complete the employment and caregiver screening required for the operation and any selected program. Verify role-specific credentials and document orientation, competency, abuse reporting, infection prevention, privacy, and emergency procedures.

Wisconsin charges a $300 Home Health Agency license application fee. The application process also lists a $15 background-check fee for each covered owner or other person requiring that check. These state charges are separate from our package.

A Home Health Agency license is issued by DHS under Wis. Stat. 50.49 and DHS 133. Wisconsin offers a state-only licensing route as well as a combined state and federal certification process; this package supports the state-only route.

Prepare the agency application, ownership and management information, administrator qualifications, organizational chart, financial materials, background forms, and the required policy checklist. DHS identifies Form F-62674 for the application and F-62536 for the policy review.

The application includes a 90-day operating budget and evidence of funds available to carry out the proposed operation. The business must be financially ready to hire qualified staff and deliver services before revenue is established.

The licensing process can issue an initial three-month provisional license, with extensions subject to DHS approval and the applicable limit. Use only the authority actually granted in the issued license while preparing for the permanent licensing survey.

DHS instructs the agency to demonstrate skilled nursing services to at least ten clients before the permanent licensing survey. Follow the state-only instructions for the selected application route and retain the clinical records needed to demonstrate compliance.

Qualified administration and registered nursing leadership must direct the agency's operation and nursing care. Verify current licenses and qualifications for all disciplines and document supervision, clinical coordination, and coverage.

Document assessments, practitioner orders, individualized care plans, visit notes, treatments, medications, progress, coordination, and discharge. The agency's record system must support safe care and DHS 133 compliance.

Yes. DHS requires the applicable background disclosures and checks for covered owners and other specified individuals. The application guidance lists a $15 fee for each person requiring the state application background check.

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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin-specific quality improvement and written policies.

The Wisconsin 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.
• Wisconsin-specific policies and procedures for private-pay non-medical home care business.
• Human-resources and personnel documents.
• New-client admission documents.
• Operational and administrative forms.
• Preparation of your Wisconsin non-medical home care business and operational startup documents.
• 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 preparation of the business or approval materials listed in the package. This service model does not have a separate state agency license application. The relevant agencies and payers make any required approval decisions.

The applicant remains responsible for accurate company information, professional qualifications where applicable, staffing, insurance, employment screening, business registrations, and operational compliance. Home Health Forms provides guidance and state-specific documents to support 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.