Every agency will say it is insured. Ask to see it. A verbal yes is easy to give and impossible to check, so treat it as no answer at all.

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 paper has to show

Ask for a certificate of insurance, not a summary from the website. You are looking for three things: liability coverage, workers' compensation coverage for the caregivers who walk into your home, and a bond or crime coverage that addresses theft from the household.

Check the name on the certificate. It should match the legal name of the company you are about to sign with. If the certificate names a different company, ask why. A firm that places staff through another business may be covered in a way that does not reach your household.

Check the dates printed on the form. An expired certificate proves nothing today. Ask who sends the renewed paper when the old one runs out, and ask the agency to put that in writing.

Ask what happens on a bad day

Insurance only helps if you know the steps when something goes wrong. Ask these questions and write down the answers:

  • If a caregiver is injured while working in my home, who files the claim and who pays for the caregiver's injury?
  • If a caregiver damages something in my home, how do I file, and how long does that usually take?
  • If money or property goes missing, what does the bond cover, and what does it exclude?
  • Can the insurer or agent confirm coverage directly, without going through the agency?

Confirm it yourself

Ask the agency for the insurer's name and the agent's phone number. Then call the agent. Ask whether the policy is active, what it covers, and whether your home is covered as a work location. Ask whether the agent will answer your questions directly. If the agency will not give you the agent's name, that is a finding.

Ask which state license the agency holds, if any, and what that license does and does not cover. Rules differ by type of service, so do not assume a license means the same thing across every firm. Look the license up with the state agency that issues it. If you cannot find it, ask a county or city office where to check.

Where this fits in the comparison

Put the insurance answers in the same columns as every other agency on your sheet. Mark each one as shown on paper, stated by phone, or not offered. Silence goes on the sheet as a finding, the same way a missing rate does. An agency that produces the certificate quickly has told you something. An agency that stalls, then sends a page with no insurer named, has told you something too.

For the rest of the sheet, see How We Rate, which explains how missing answers are recorded.