Press Release: 11/5/2025

House Passes Home Care Bill

 



November 5, 2025

 



The Massachusetts House of Representatives today passed a bill that establishes a licensure process for home care agencies to ensure that consumers receive quality non-medical services, and to protect home care workers. The bill tasks the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) with implementing the licensure process, and grants the secretariat the authority to approve licenses, survey and investigate home care agencies, and impose fines when appropriate. Under the bill, home care agencies would be required to disclose anyone with a 5 percent ownership interest in the agency, carry workers compensation and liability insurance, and provide appropriate levels of training for their employees.



The bill also creates two advisory councils: the Home Care Oversight Advisory Council to help guide the development and implementation of the home care licensure process, and the Home Care Worker and Consumer Abuse Stakeholder Advisory Committee to make recommendations on standards and procedures to address the abusive treatment of home care workers, personal care attendants (PCAs), and home care consumers. The bill also grants additional anti-discrimination protections for PCAs.



“This legislation takes important steps to improve services for seniors, and to ensure a safe work environment for home care workers,” said House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano (D-Quincy). “I want to thank Chairman Stanley for his work on this legislation, as well as all my colleagues in the House for recognizing the importance of these reforms.”



"This legislation could not have been passed at a more critical time," said Representative Thomas M. Stanley (D-Waltham), House Chair of the Joint Committee on Aging and Independence. "With our aging population expected to grow exponentially in the coming years and the number of family caregivers shrinking, the demand for home care will subsequently increase. It is critical for the Commonwealth to have the proper standards and protections in place for home care agencies to ensure consumers receive quality care and our dedicated home care workers are properly trained and supported in the field. I'm grateful to Speaker Mariano, Chairman Michlewitz and my colleagues in the House for once again prioritizing the needs of our aging population and continuing to champion policies that promote aging in place and help older adults remain independent."



Oversight: Transparency & Accountability 




  • Grants EOHHS the ability to fine any person or entity that represents themselves as a home care agency without proper licensure, or that violates any other rules and regulations 

  • Grants EOHHS the ability to work with the Executive Office of Aging and Independence (AGE) and the Department of Public Health (DPH) on surveying and investigating home care agencies to ensure compliance 

  • Requires EOHHS to conduct a suitability review for all licensure applicants, including for all individuals with at least a 5 percent ownership interest in the agency, and a review to ensure that all applicants have sufficient financial capacity to provide a minimum standard of care

  • Requires EOHHS to publish a list of all licensed home care agencies on its website

  • Establishes standards for consumer-specific service plans and contracts, including a description of services, total cost of care, and agency contact information

  • Establishes quality metrics and standards for monitoring home care agency performance 



Workforce Protections 




  • Establishes procedures to ensure home care workers have safe working conditions, adequate training, and a process for submitting complaints

  • Requires licensed home care agencies to have coverage for worker’s compensation and liability insurance, and to provide adequate equipment and supplies to home care workers

  • Creates the Home Care Worker and Consumer Abuse Stakeholder Advisory Committee to study and make recommendations on standards and procedures for addressing abusive treatment, including physical, verbal, mental abuse, and bullying of home care workers, PCAs, home care consumers, and family members, including:

    • Reporting abusive treatment and debriefing after incidents of abusive treatment

    • Tracking and retaining records of abusive treatment

    • Informing home care workers of potentially unsafe working environments

    • Training for all employees of home care agencies, including on escalation cycles and effective de-escalation techniques 



  • Grants PCAs anti-discrimination protections to shield them from harassment or discrimination based on sex, race, religion, etc.



Minimum Standards for Home Care Workers 




  • Requires several background screening checks for all home care workers 

  • Establishes annual training and competency requirements, including: 

    • Confidentiality and privacy rights of home care consumers 

    • Infection control and communicable diseases 

    • Handling of emergencies, including safety and falls prevention 

    • Observing, reporting, and documenting changes in home care consumer needs and environment 

    • Identifying and reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or theft 

    • Understanding Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, including person-centered care, activities of daily living, safety, and dementia-related behaviors and communication 





Having passed the House of Representatives 153-1, the bill now goes to the Senate for consideration. 



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Statements of Support:



Cari Medina, Executive Vice President of 1199SEIU:



"On behalf of our more than 60,000 home care worker members, 1199SEIU extends its deep appreciation to Chair Stanley, Speaker Mariano, and the entire Massachusetts House for advancing An Act to Improve Massachusetts Home Care. With persistent staffing shortages and projections of growing need, urgent legislative action is needed to establish improved oversight over home care agency employers, better prepare to meet future care demands, and to reduce the far-too-common abuse and workplace bullying of home care workers and/or their consumer clients. 1199SEIU strongly supports this bill to establish a new state process for the licensure of Massachusetts home care agencies, to implement improved operational standards for these agencies, and to direct the adoption of new minimum standards and operational procedures for addressing abusive treatment and bullying of home care workers and/or their consumers.  An Act to Improve Massachusetts Home Care will significantly strengthen the Commonwealth's oversight over the home care delivery marketplace and will improve the jobs of all Massachusetts home care workers. We enthusiastically support passage in the House and look forward to working with the Senate and the Administration to ensure enactment this session." 



Julie Watt Faqir, Executive Director of the Home Care Aide Council:  



The home care licensure legislation is a priority of the Home Care Aide Council.  We have been working hard with a broad stakeholder coalition to secure passage of this legislation for several years. We are grateful for the leadership of Chairman Tom Stanley and the support of the Joint Committee on Aging and Independence for their work on this legislation and we are grateful to the leadership of the House of Representatives for their support. The Home Care Aide Council supports the creation of a licensure system that would establish baseline standards for agencies, to ensure a quality network of providers for home care consumers and keep services affordable for those who rely on them. 



Betsey Crimmins, Executive Director of Mass Aging Access: 



Mass Aging Access and our statewide network of 24 Aging Services Access Points (ASAPs) strongly support H.4706, An Act to Improve Massachusetts Home Care. Currently, Massachusetts does not license non-medical home care services, even though these services are essential to helping older adults and people with disabilities live safely and independently in their own homes, resulting in better health outcomes and an improved quality of life. The passage of H.4706 will fill longstanding gaps in the Commonwealth’s current system, bring Massachusetts in line with the majority of other states, and strengthen our long-term services and supports network. We extend our sincere thanks to Chair Thomas Stanley for his leadership and commitment to advancing this important legislation, and we urge passage of H.4706 to ensure a stronger, safer, and more sustainable home care system for all Massachusetts residents.



Jake Krilovich, Executive Director of the Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts: 



“During National Home Care & Hospice Awareness Month, the Legislature demonstrated its commitment to strengthening a critical component of Massachusetts’ health care system. Licensure is about setting a baseline of quality and safety standards, not creating barriers. This bill will implement standards that most people assume are already required. Implementing a licensure system will ensure that every Massachusetts resident receiving care at home can do so with confidence, knowing their provider are part of a system that values safety and professionalism. The Home Care Alliance along with the Enough Pay to Stay Coalition are thankful for Chairman Stanley’s continuous leadership in getting this crucial bill passed.” 



Virginia Hanbridge, Executive Director of the Alzheimer's Association Massachusetts/New Hampshire Chapter:



"On behalf of the more than 135,000 individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease in Massachusetts and their 213,000 family caregivers, the Alzheimer’s Association applauds this legislation as a vital step toward ensuring that all individuals living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias receive high quality, dementia-informed and safe care at home. We are grateful to Speaker Mariano, Chairman Michlewitz, and Chairman Stanley for their leadership in bringing this forward, along with our home care partners for their commitment to quality care. We believe passage of this bill will raise the standards for those requiring home care in the Commonwealth and protect some of our most vulnerable residents when receiving care in their homes."