Louisiana · Checked October 22, 2026
Your license is the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Provider License — Personal Care Attendant (PCA) module, issued by Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), Health Standards Section.
Checked in part. Model, modules, exemptions, fee cap and financial-viability amounts are primary (statute + LAC text). HCBS-specific administrator education minimums and a published processing time were not found in the primary excerpts reviewed, so those points are stated as unpublished rather than filled in. Anything the state does not publish is printed as "Not published" below — never filled from blogs or consultancy tables. Confirm on the agency page before you budget.
| Item | Louisiana |
|---|---|
| License / registration | Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Provider License — Personal Care Attendant (PCA) module |
| Issued by | Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), Health Standards Section — official page |
| Application / initial fee | $600 — R.S. 40:2120.5 (fees section, LawPrint d=321362): secretary may set/collect HCBS license fees not to exceed $600 per year for the base license for providers of in-home services, +$200/yr for adult day care and +$200/yr for out-of-home respite. LAC 48:I Ch. 50 applies the base license across modules. |
| Renewal | $600 |
| Surety bond | No state bond minimum found in the published rules |
| Liability insurance | Financial viability (R.S. 40:2120.2; LAC 48:I Ch. 50): line of credit from a federally insured licensed lender of at least $50,000, general and professional liability insurance of at least $300,000, and workers' compensation insurance |
| Timeline | Incomplete initial packet: applicant has 90 days from notice to supply missing items or the application is closed and a new packet + fee is required (LAC 48:I Ch. 50 licensing packet text); no published approval time |
| Administrator | HCBS applicants must complete mandatory LDH HCBS provider training (or LDH online training) after a complete packet is received, and background checks (incl. sex offender registry) are required on all owners and administrators (LAC 48:I Ch. 50). Specific HCBS administrator education minimums were not stated in the excerpts reviewed — see verifiedNote. The separate HOME HEALTH administrator standard is strict (designated in writing, available at all times, 3 years' health-care management experience plus physician/RN/bachelor's-degree routes, R.S. 40:2116.34). |
| State extras | $50,000 line of credit (must be current, in applicant's name, at the licensed geographic location); $300,000 liability premium; workers' comp; owner/administrator background checks; mandatory provider training. |
| Service | Under this license |
|---|---|
| Companionship & supervision | Not covered by this license |
| Homemaker help | Not covered by this license |
| Hands-on personal care | Covered |
| Live-in / 24-hour care | Not covered by this license |
| Transportation | Not covered by this license |
| Skilled nursing or therapy | Home health license required |
One HCBS license covers modules: personal care attendant (PCA), respite, supervised independent living, family support, supported employment, adult day care and monitored in-home caregiving (LAC 48:I.5003). EXEMPT from HCBS licensure: an entity that solely provides sitter services, solely housekeeping, meal preparation/delivery, home modifications or personal emergency response — so a sitter/housekeeping-only business needs no license, but hands-on PCA work does, regardless of payor source.
Home health agencies are licensed separately (R.S. 40:2116.31 et seq.): $75,000 line of credit, administrator + director of nursing, ready for initial survey within 90 days of application fee; general license fee capped at $600/yr under R.S. 40:2006.
Initial HCBS licensing is 'subject to any facility need review approval' per LAC 48:I Ch. 50 application-closure text reviewed.
Hold the HCBS license first, then enroll with Louisiana Medicaid / the OAAS and OCDD waiver programs (Community Choices Waiver, New Opportunities Waiver, Long-Term Personal Care Services) as the licensed module provider
State EVV page not captured in this pass; marked null.
The state fee above is one line of the real total. Run the true-cost calculator with Louisiana selected — it adds the bond premium, insurance class, screening and the payroll runway your first hires create.
This page is information, not legal advice. Confirm before you file: the agency — not this page — decides your application.
The free checkers give you the verdict and the number. The Kit gives you the working papers: your state's application packet walked through in filing order, the policies-and-procedures binder spec (what your binder must contain — never a boilerplate binder), the administrator self-audit, the insurance & bond spec sheet, the Medicaid gate map, the franchise-vs-independent 10-year worksheets, and the payroll-runway planner.
$49 one-time payment
Included in the $49 HomeCareLicenseCheck Kit
