Important news: In August 2026, Massachusetts enacted a law setting up a statewide licensing system for home care companies. The system, including its final regulations, will be fully implemented over the following year. What does this mean? More protection for the most vulnerable population, the Vintage population.
The state will require Screening and Background checks, fingerprinting and driving record checks for all caregivers employed by agencies.
There will be Operational Standards, meaning there must be workers’ compensation, liability insurance, and formal complaint procedures.
Mandatory Training covering areas such as infection control, emergency response, fall prevention, and Alzheimer’s and Dementia care.
Consumer Transparency agencies must provide contracts, rates, fees, and written plans covering all aspects of care.
The Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) will publish a public online directory of all verified licensed agencies in good standing.
I know most of you thought that this was all in place already, but unfortunately, it took a tremendous amount of legislation, letters, complaints, and fortitude by many sources to have this come to fruition. There are many home care companies that open without having the credentials to do so, because there has been no licensing since 2016 you may have noticed the sudden surge of them right next door to the cannabis companies.
Home care companies used to be licensed as staffing agencies so there was oversight by state agencies to assure, they were running background checks, paying taxes, securing insurance for the safety of patients and caregivers, then in 2016 the state decided that it was not necessary, hence the influx of homecare agencies.
As soon as the list from the state of approved agencies is available, I will publish it in the Longmeadow Neighbor for everyone to see. This is a major victory for people over 60—your voices were heard.
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