Before a stranger helps your mother out of the bath, someone should be able to answer one plain question: if something goes wrong in this house, who pays? The answer is usually on a single page the agency can hand you, called a certificate of insurance. It is not the contract and it is not the bill. It is a summary of what the agency's insurer has agreed to cover, and it is worth reading slowly.
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.
Find the three names
Look first for the named insured, which should be the agency itself. Then find the insurer's name and the policy numbers. Finally, check whether your household or your mother appears as a certificate holder or additional party. Some agencies list the family this way and many do not. Ask the agency to explain the difference in plain words. If they cannot, that is information too.
Read the coverage lines, not the headline
Certificates usually list general liability, workers compensation, and sometimes auto or professional liability. Each line has its own limits. General liability is about injuries to other people, such as a visitor who trips over something a caregiver left on the stairs. Workers compensation is about the caregiver. If they are hurt while working in your home, that coverage is meant to keep their injury from landing on your household. Ask which lines the agency carries and whether its caregivers are employees or independent contractors, because the answer changes who carries what.
Check the dates printed on the paper
Every policy has an effective period and an expiration. Ask what happens when the current one ends and whether the agency will send a new certificate without your having to chase it. Keep the most recent copy in the same folder as your care agreement so the paperwork lives in one place.
Questions to put in writing
Ask the agency to answer these by email or on letterhead, not only on the phone:
Which insurer and policy numbers cover caregivers who work in client homes? Are caregivers employees, and who pays their payroll taxes and workers compensation? If a caregiver damages something in the house, what is the claim process and who do I call first? Will you send an updated certificate when a policy renews? Who on your staff can I reach after hours about an incident?
What this page does not do
A certificate tells you what an insurer has agreed to, not whether any particular claim will be paid. If you have a specific worry about liability, get the agency's written answer and, when the question is serious, talk with a licensed insurance agent or an attorney. This is a reading guide, not legal advice. For help organizing the rest of the household paper, see our local help page.