Home Care Organization Employee Dishonesty Bond

If you wish to operate a home care organization in California or a homemaker-companion agency in Connecticut, you will need this bond.

California

The Home Care Services Consumer Protection Act (HCSCPA) requires California home care organizations and private home care aides to be licensed by the state. The licensing process includes obtaining a $10,000 surety bond. See California Code, Health and Safety Code – HSC § 1796.37.

Connecticut

Connecticut residents must register with the Department of Consumer Protection to operate a homemaker-companion business legally in the state. To complete the requirements, you must obtain a $10,000 “homemaker companion agency bond” and complete the state registration application.

A home care dishonesty bond protects elderly and disabled patients receiving care from your organization. Hiring a licensed and bonded caregiver can offer patients more peace of mind. It ensures that an organization’s employees don’t commit theft or mishandle funds while working in a patient’s home. Bonded organizations must ensure their employees conduct business ethically and lawfully – or face the consequences.

• For example, suppose one of your employees steals money or physical property from a patient, and the patient files a claim. In that case, your surety will immediately compensate the claimant for their losses. However, your business must repay the surety in full – plus associated legal fees.

Claims can be costly and damage your business’s reputation (and ability to get licensed and bonded again in the future). To avoid claims, always operate your business legally and ethically and ensure your employees do the same. If someone complains to you about a situation, resolve the problem quickly, or that complaint could turn into a claim.

Due to the simple underwriting, these bonds are typically very affordable and easy to obtain. They may not even require a credit history check. You could pay as low as $100 for a $10,000 bond.