The agency's certificate of insurance is the one piece of paper that shows who pays when something goes wrong in your home. Most families never ask for it. Ask for it before the first shift, read it line by line, and treat any hesitation as a finding.

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 the certificate should name

Read the certificate for four things. Who the insurer is. Which types of policy it lists. Whether your household is named as the certificate holder or additional insured. Whether the coverage period on the page runs through the weeks you plan to use. Then check that the agency named on the certificate is the same agency signing your agreement, not a parent company or a staffing partner with a different name.

The four questions to ask

  • Is the aide an employee of the agency or an independent contractor, and where is that written into the agreement?
  • If the aide is hurt while working in your home, which policy responds, and how will you get that answer in writing?
  • If the aide damages something in your home, what does the liability coverage say about property, and what does it exclude?
  • Who do you call at the agency after hours when a claim starts, and what is the response time they commit to in writing?

Ask your own policy the other question

An agency's certificate covers the agency. It does not tell you what your own homeowner policy does when someone you pay works inside your house. Call your insurance agent and ask, in plain terms, what your policy says about hired in-home help and whether any exclusion applies. Bring the agency's certificate to that call. This is general information to help you decide, not a substitute for advice from your agent or from a lawyer you hire.

Red flags that count as findings

Log it as a finding when the agency says the certificate can be sent after you sign, when the insurer's name is missing, when the coverage period has already lapsed, or when the agency will not name the insurer in writing. Silence on this point is a finding too. Record it the same way you would record a missing or vague quote, and do not sign until the gap is closed.

Put it in the file

Save the certificate in the same folder as the agreement and the quote. Set a reminder to request a fresh certificate on the agency's renewal schedule, and again whenever the care plan changes. If you are comparing agencies in St. Louis, keep one folder per agency so the paperwork stays side by side. For the method behind how we record what agencies do and do not publish, see How We Rate. For how to read the rest of the paperwork that comes with an estimate, see How to Read a Home Care Quote.