Delaware · Checked October 22, 2026
Your license is the Personal Assistance Services Agency (PASA) License, issued by Delaware Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), Division of Health Care Quality (DHCQ), Office of Health Facilities Licensing and Certification (OHFLC).
| Item | Delaware |
|---|---|
| License / registration | Personal Assistance Services Agency (PASA) License |
| Issued by | Delaware Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), Division of Health Care Quality (DHCQ), Office of Health Facilities Licensing and Certification (OHFLC) — official page |
| Application / initial fee | $250 — $250 initial application fee (not returned by the state) under 16 Del. C. §122(3)x and 16 Del. Admin. Code 3345 §2.6 (fees shall be in accordance with §122(3)x); DHSS opening page requires the fee by certified check or money order only, with the Document Compliance Binder. |
| Renewal | $100 |
| Surety bond | No state bond minimum found in the published rules |
| Liability insurance | State sets no minimum dollar amount in the sources reviewed. §122(3)x requires evidence of compliance including disclosure to consumers of the agency's and direct care worker's status on liability insurance (and workers' compensation / tax) obligations, and DHCQ requires proof of professional/general liability arrangements in the application binder. |
| Timeline | 6-9 months or longer for Division review, per the official DHSS opening page ('The time frame for review is 6-9 months or longer. Do NOT contact the Division regarding the status.'); then a 90-day initial licence followed by an unannounced survey before the annual licence issues. |
| Administrator | PASA director must be full-time, available during operating hours, and hold at least an associate degree plus 2 years of healthcare or homecare supervisory experience — the experience cannot be waived, and the alternate director must meet the same qualifications (DHSS opening page, Director Requirements). No nurse is required for a PASA; a PASA must not use 'healthcare' or language implying healthcare services in its title or advertising (Reg. 3.13). |
| State extras | Criminal history reports from the State Bureau of Identification for owners/administrators/direct care workers (state covers the §1145 report cost per §122(3)x), Central Register adult- and child-abuse certifications, drug-testing policy compliance under 16 Del. C. §1146, and 25-topic orientation plus competency testing for direct care workers. DHSS warns: do not spend on business licences, insurance, office space or hiring until recommended for licensure — a home office is allowed if it has a lockable room for records. |
| Service | Under this license |
|---|---|
| Companionship & supervision | Covered |
| Homemaker help | Covered |
| Hands-on personal care | Covered |
| Live-in / 24-hour care | Not covered by this license |
| Transportation | Covered |
| Skilled nursing or therapy | Home health license required |
PASA services do not require the judgment and skills of a licensed nurse: ADL assistance, companion, transportation and homemaker services by a Direct Care Worker (DHSS licensure matrix). Exclusions from licensure (3345 §2.9): individuals contracting directly with a consumer, agencies providing only durable medical equipment/supplies, and staffing agencies supplying licensed PASAs (which may not contract directly with consumers). A PASA may service only the county of its office and the adjacent county, needs a separate licence per office, and may open only one agency at a time.
Two separate skilled licences sit above PASA: Home Health Agency — Aide Only (HHAAO), providing home health aide services under RN supervision (a medical model, including nurse-delegated tasks), and Skilled Home Health Agency (HHAS), which must provide 2 or more home care services, one being licensed nursing or home health aide services, by licensed professionals (SN/PT/OT/SLP). HHAS director needs a baccalaureate in a health/related field and the clinical director must be an RN with at least 1 year of home health and administrative/supervisory experience, not waivable.
Enrol with Delaware Medicaid (Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance, DMAP) after PASA licensure to deliver Medicaid personal care / HCBS; managed-care delivery runs through Diamond State Health Plan MCOs.
Primary DHSS EVV page: the Cures Act requires EVV for Medicaid personal care and home health services; all Delaware in-home PCS/HHCS providers must register with the Sandata portal using their Medicaid Provider ID, and effective 1 July 2025 claims for EVV-subject services that cannot be matched to an EVV visit will be denied.
The state fee above is one line of the real total. Run the true-cost calculator with Delaware selected — it adds the bond premium, insurance class, screening and the payroll runway your first hires create.
This page is information, not legal advice. Confirm before you file: the agency — not this page — decides your application.
The free checkers give you the verdict and the number. The Kit gives you the working papers: your state's application packet walked through in filing order, the policies-and-procedures binder spec (what your binder must contain — never a boilerplate binder), the administrator self-audit, the insurance & bond spec sheet, the Medicaid gate map, the franchise-vs-independent 10-year worksheets, and the payroll-runway planner.
$49 one-time payment
Included in the $49 HomeCareLicenseCheck Kit
