An agency can have a current registration and still leave a family without the paper that answers the question of who stands behind an aide's work inside the home. That paper is the certificate of insurance and any bonding statement the agency holds. Ask for both before the first visit, in writing, and read them yourself rather than taking a summary on trust.
Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.
What to ask for
Ask for a current certificate of liability insurance. Ask whether the agency also carries workers compensation coverage for its aides, and ask for the line on the certificate that shows it. Ask whether the agency carries a fidelity bond or crime coverage that would respond if an aide took property from the home. Ask who the certificate holder line names, because a certificate can show coverage without showing that the family is the party it protects.
What to read on the page
Check the named insured, which should be the agency itself and not a separate staffing company or a single person. Check that the policy is shown as active on the certificate. Check each coverage type against what you asked for. The clerk's habit is to copy each line into the check sheet with the words from the certificate beside it, then write your own question next to any line that is blank or unclear.
Questions to put to the agency
Who is the insurer on this certificate, and can you give me its name in writing? If an aide is hired through a different company, what happens to coverage? Will you tell me in writing if the policy lapses or changes while I am a client? What is your process when a family reports damage or loss in the home, and who is my contact for it?
A vague answer is not a refusal, but it is a finding. Write the answer down and ask again in writing.
What the certificate does not answer
A certificate is not a promise that a claim will be paid, and it does not tell you how the agency screens or trains its aides. Those are separate questions, covered in the desk's guide to checking a provider yourself. For how coverage would apply to a particular claim, a family may want to speak with an insurance agent or an attorney of its own. This desk does not give legal advice.