Home Care Organization Employee Dishonesty Bond
What is a home care dishonesty bond?
If you want to start a home care organization or homemaker companion agency in your state, you may need to provide a surety bond as part of the licensing or registration process. “Home care employee dishonesty bonds” are fidelity bonds that offer protection for patients and homeowners.
If your company’s employees act illegally or unethically on the job (steal, commit fraud, forge checks, embezzle, etc.), the victim can file a claim on your bond. If the claim is valid, they will receive compensation for the damages your employees caused.
This bond is sometimes confused with a nursing home or patient trust fund bond. Visit our Nursing Home Bonds page to learn about surety bonds for long-term care facilities.
Get Your Home Care Dishonesty Bond:
Quick Takeaways
- Home care employee dishonesty bonds offer protection for patients and homeowners.
- If your employees act illegally or unethically on the job, the victim can file a claim on your bond.
- If you wish to operate a home care organization in California or a homemaker-companion agency in Connecticut, you will need this bond.
- You could pay as low as $100 for a $10,000 bond.
Who needs a home care 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.
How do employee dishonesty bonds work?
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.
How much does an employee dishonesty bond cost?
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.
Surety Bonds for Home Care Organizations
The experts at ZipBonds can help you obtain the bond you need. To connect with one of our team members, please give us a call at 888-435-4191 or email us at support@zipbonds.com. We’ll walk you through the process for fidelity bonds to help you get bonded in a flash.
About ZipBonds.com
Founders Ryan Swalve and Zach Mefferd formed the vision for ZipBonds.com when they realized how overly complicated it was to help clients place surety. The frustration of being unable to incorporate the technology they’d used in other insurance-focused projects left them thinking “there has to be a better way.”
Fast forward a couple of years, and that better way is the impetus of everything we do at ZipBonds. We constantly look for innovative ways to improve the bonding process for our clients and agents. Our team comprises individuals who understand all angles of surety – for companies, agencies, and individuals. Incorporating everyone’s point of view to improve the process while simultaneously integrating cutting-edge technology is what sets our business apart.