This guide is about the timing of money in a home care agreement, not about any amount. Before the first visit, some agencies ask for a deposit, a prepaid block of hours, or both. The family should know which lines move money, when they move, and into whose account, before anyone agrees to a start date.

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.

Three kinds of up-front money

A deposit is paid to hold a place on the schedule. A prepaid block is paid for hours that will be used later. A set-up or intake fee is paid for the agency's first steps. Each one is a different line in the paper, and the family should be able to point to the line that names it. Editorial: a word such as 'retainer' or 'reservation' can describe a deposit, so ask what each term means in the written agreement rather than what it meant on the sales call.

What to find in the paper

Mark each of these lines before signing:

  • The exact name of each money line, and whether it is a deposit, a prepayment, or a fee.
  • Whether the money goes into an account in the agency's name or a separate account, and whether the paper says which.
  • When each amount is due, whether before the first visit, on signing, or on a fixed schedule.
  • Whether unused prepaid hours are kept, moved, or lost, written in plain words.
  • Which hours the prepaid block covers and which it does not, such as travel time or extra shifts added on short notice.
  • Who signs for receipt of the money and whether the family gets a copy of the receipt.

Compare two arrangements on the same lines

A pay-as-you-go schedule and a prepaid block can look alike in a brochure. On paper they put cash in different places and at different times. The clerk's rule is to set the cash timing lines side by side and write each agency's answer in the same row, so the two columns can be read across. Do not compare headline words. Do not treat a prepaid block as a discount until the family has seen exactly what it covers.

From the file or editorial

From the file: the agreement text, the receipt, and any invoice the agency issues. Editorial: the family's reading of what a line means. Keep these two marked apart on the family's own sheet. If the agency's spoken answer conflicts with the written terms, the written terms are the ones to hold the agency to, and the conflict itself is worth writing down with the date of the conversation kept off the page and the substance kept on it. This is a plain reading guide, not legal counsel.