DC Health (Department of Health) wants $1M / $3M on the certificate.
The standard floor in home health contracts. It varies by business, so the contract governs — but this is what most MCOs and referral sources ask for before they will accept an agency. We set the coverage up and produce the certificate — usually the same day.
What District of Columbia requires
Does DC require workers compensation for home health agencies?
Yes — DC requires workers compensation for all employers with one or more employees.
DC Health (Department of Health)·checked 2026-08-16
What insurance does DC Health require for home health licensure?
DC Health requires general liability as a condition of licensure. Most DC Healthy Families contracts require at least $1M per occurrence / $3M aggregate plus professional liability, workers compensation, and an employee dishonesty bond.
DC Health (Department of Health)·checked 2026-08-16
Do DC home health agencies need abuse and molestation coverage?
Yes — DC Health and most DC Healthy Families MCOs require it. DC enforcement is strict.
DC Health (Department of Health)·checked 2026-08-16
What is the DC Home and Community-Based Waiver?
DC’s HCBW provides Medicaid-funded home care for elderly and disabled residents. Agencies must maintain GL, professional liability, workers compensation, abuse and molestation, and bonds.
DC Health (Department of Health)·checked 2026-08-16
District of Columbia has 300+ DC Health-licensed home health agencies in the District. (DC Health (Department of Health))
Limits
What to carry, and why that number.
- General liability$1M / $3M
- Abuse & molestationMatch the contract
- One of the two limits that actually fails a non-medical home health contract. It is routinely excluded from a standard general liability policy, and where it is included the limit is often set below what the contract demands.
- Hired & non-owned autoMatch the contract
- The other one that fails. Aides drive their own cars between client homes, their personal policy will not respond to a business trip, and the limit carried is frequently too low for the contract.
Coverage
Six lines. Each one closes a specific hole.
Professional liability
Covers claims that care delivered in the home fell below the standard a reasonable provider would meet.
Without it — A single allegation of negligent care is defended out of pocket, and most state and MCO contracts will not accept the agency without it.
General liability
Bodily injury and property damage arising from operations — a fall in a client home, damage to a client residence.
Without it — The most common home-visit claim there is has no defense behind it.
Abuse and molestation
Defense and indemnity for allegations against a caregiver, including claims that the agency hired or supervised negligently.
Without it — Nearly every general liability form excludes it by endorsement, so the exposure most likely to end an agency is the one most often uninsured.
Workers compensation
Statutory benefits for caregiver injury — the highest-frequency loss in the industry, driven by lifting and transfers.
Without it — Medical and indemnity costs land on the agency directly, and in most states operating without it is illegal.
Non-owned and hired auto
Liability when a caregiver drives their own car between clients or transports a client.
Without it — The caregiver’s personal auto policy defends the caregiver. The agency is named anyway, and has nothing responding.
Cyber and privacy
Breach response, notification and regulatory defense for PHI held in scheduling, EVV and billing systems.
Without it — HIPAA notification costs begin immediately and are not covered by any other line on the policy.
In District of Columbia
The organizations that will ask for your certificate.
- Ward-level Senior Wellness Centers · DC Office on Aging (DCOA)
- DCOA contracted home care providers · DC Office on Aging (DCOA)
- AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia · DC Healthy Families Managed Care Organizations
- MedStar Family Choice DC · DC Healthy Families Managed Care Organizations
- UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of DC · DC Healthy Families Managed Care Organizations
- DC Department on Disability Services (DDS) · Other
- DC Home and Community-Based Waiver (HCBW) · Other
- MedStar Washington Hospital Center · Other
- Children’s National Health System · Other
Questions
Does my DC agency need hired and non-owned auto coverage?
If caregivers drive personal vehicles to client homes, your GL does not cover that exposure.
What limits do most contracts require?
$1,000,000 per occurrence and $3,000,000 aggregate is the common requirement across state Medicaid contracts and managed care organizations. Some MCOs require the agency be named on a certificate before the first authorization is issued.
Is abuse and molestation coverage really necessary?
For an agency sending caregivers into private homes, it is the coverage most likely to be needed and least likely to be present. Standard general liability forms exclude it, so it has to be added deliberately — and most contracts now require evidence of it.
Do caregivers driving their own cars need to be covered?
Yes. A caregiver’s personal auto policy responds for the caregiver, not the agency. Hired and non-owned auto liability is what responds when the agency is named in the suit, which it will be.
How fast can coverage be bound?
Same day is normal for a licensed agency with clean loss history. What slows it down is missing payroll detail or an incomplete list of services provided — have both ready.
Tell us what you do. We’ll tell you what it costs.
Licensed in District of Columbia. Have your payroll figures and a list of services on hand — those are the two things that slow a quote down.
Start a quoteLast reviewed 2026-08-16